01293 522030

info@bewbushcommunitynursery.co.uk

Privacy Statement

Bewbush Community Nursery C.I.C.

At Bewbush Community Nursery C.I.C., we take the privacy and security of children, families and our staff very seriously. We are committed to protecting personal information and ensuring that it is collected, used, stored and shared responsibly and in accordance with UK data protection legislation.

This Privacy Statement explains how we collect and use personal information and the rights you have in relation to your information.

Who we are

Bewbush Community Nursery C.I.C. is an early years setting based within the Bewbush Crawley Family Hub, Dorsten Square, Bewbush, West Sussex.

For the purposes of data protection legislation, Bewbush Community Nursery C.I.C. is the organisation responsible for the personal information we hold about children, parents/carers, staff and other individuals who interact with our nursery.

What information do we collect?

We collect information that is necessary to provide safe, effective care and education for children and to meet our legal and regulatory responsibilities.

This may include:

  • Child’s name, date of birth and address
  • Parent/carer names and contact details
  • Emergency contact information
  • Information about who has parental responsibility
  • Details of authorised people who may collect a child
  • Medical and health information, including allergies and dietary requirements
  • Information relating to additional needs or disabilities
  • Information about a child’s learning, development and wellbeing
  • Attendance and registration information
  • Funding and eligibility information
  • Safeguarding information where necessary
  • Accident, incident and first-aid records
  • Information provided by parents/carers about their child
  • Photographs and observations used to record children’s learning and development
  • Information shared by other professionals involved in supporting a child, where appropriate
  • Information required for administering nursery fees and funding
  • Information relating to staff and visitors where necessary for the running and safeguarding of the nursery.

Some of the information we hold is considered special category data, such as health information or information relating to a child’s additional needs. We take particular care when handling this information and only use it when there is a lawful reason to do so.

Why do we collect your information?

We collect and use information for a number of reasons, including to:

  • Keep children safe and provide appropriate care
  • Meet children’s individual needs
  • Support children’s learning and development in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
  • Communicate effectively with parents and carers
  • Monitor children’s attendance and progress
  • Meet safeguarding responsibilities
  • Administer funded childcare and other funding arrangements
  • Maintain appropriate records
  • Meet legal and regulatory requirements
  • Respond appropriately to accidents, incidents and medical needs
  • Work with other professionals when this is necessary to support a child
  • Manage the nursery effectively
  • Protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children, families and staff.

We will only collect information that is necessary and relevant for these purposes.

How do we use photographs and videos?

Photographs and videos may be taken as part of children’s learning and development, for example to record experiences and observations within their learning journal.

We will seek appropriate consent where this is required, particularly where photographs or videos may be used for purposes beyond a child’s individual learning record, such as our website, social media or promotional materials.

We will never use photographs or videos of children in a way that is inappropriate or compromises their safety or dignity.

Parents and carers can speak to us at any time if they have questions or concerns about the use of photographs or videos.

Sharing information

We may need to share information with other organisations or professionals when there is a lawful reason to do so.

This may include:

  • West Sussex County Council
  • Ofsted
  • Early years and childcare teams
  • Health visitors
  • Speech and language therapists
  • Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) professionals
  • Other health or education professionals involved in supporting a child
  • Safeguarding agencies
  • Emergency services
  • Other organisations where we are legally required to provide information.

We will only share information that is necessary and appropriate.

We will not sell your personal information or share it with organisations for marketing purposes.

There may be circumstances, particularly relating to safeguarding, where we are legally required to share information without obtaining parental consent. Where appropriate and safe to do so, we will explain this to parents/carers.

How do we keep information safe?

We take appropriate steps to protect personal information from being lost, misused, accessed without permission or disclosed inappropriately.

This includes appropriate measures relating to:

  • Paper records
  • Electronic records
  • Passwords and access controls
  • Staff confidentiality
  • Secure storage
  • Information shared by email
  • Photographs and children’s learning records.

Staff are expected to maintain confidentiality and only access information that they need in order to carry out their role.

How long do we keep information?

We only keep personal information for as long as it is necessary and in accordance with our legal, regulatory and operational requirements.

Different types of records may need to be kept for different periods of time. Our retention arrangements are reviewed regularly and information is securely destroyed or deleted when it is no longer required.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, individuals have a number of rights in relation to their personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:

  • Ask what personal information we hold about you
  • Request a copy of your information
  • Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate
  • Ask us to delete information where there is no longer a lawful reason for us to keep it
  • Object to certain uses of your information
  • Request that we restrict how information is used in certain circumstances
  • Withdraw consent where we are relying on consent as the lawful basis for processing information.

Some rights are subject to legal limitations. For example, we may be required to retain certain records or share information because of our safeguarding or legal responsibilities.

Confidentiality

We understand that families trust us with important and sometimes sensitive information.

All staff have a responsibility to respect confidentiality. Information will only be discussed or shared with people who have a legitimate need to know.

However, confidentiality will not prevent us from sharing information where we believe this is necessary to protect a child or another person from harm, or where we have a legal obligation to do so.

Children’s information

As an early years provider, we have a particular responsibility to protect children’s personal information.

We recognise that children have rights in relation to their own personal information. We will handle children’s information carefully and consider their age, understanding and best interests when making decisions about their information.

Parents and carers can contact us if they have questions about the information we hold about their child.

Tapestry

We use Tapestry to record children’s learning, development and experiences. Information held within Tapestry is accessed by authorised members of staff and, where appropriate, parents/carers.

We expect parents and carers to respect the privacy of other children when viewing information within Tapestry and not to copy, save or share photographs or information relating to other children.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, guidance or the way our nursery operates.

The most recent version will be made available to families.

Contact us

If you have any questions about how we collect, use or protect your personal information, please contact us:

Bewbush Community Nursery C.I.C.
Bewbush Crawley Family Hub
Dorsten Square
Bewbush
West Sussex

Telephone: 01293 522030
Email: info@bewbushcommunitynursery.co.uk

If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your personal information, we would encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concerns.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).