The Department for Education (DfE) uses information about pupils to provide accurate targeting of funding for local authorities (LAs) and schools, including the development of the Pupil Premium. It also uses information to support other key areas involving LAs such as the Revenue Support Grant.
Pupil information is also used for research and statistical purposes to inform, influence and improve education policy, and to monitor the performance of the education service as a whole. The DfE is the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act.
Pupil information may be matched with other data sources that the DfE holds in order to model and monitor pupils’ educational progression, and to provide comprehensive information to LAs and learning institutions to support their day-to-day business.
The DfE may also use contact details from these sources to obtain samples for statistical surveys, which may be carried out by research agencies working on behalf of the DfE. Participation in such surveys is usually voluntary. The DfE may also match data from these sources to data obtained from statistical surveys. In all such cases, the matching will require that individualised data is used in the processing operation but that it will not be used in such a way that supports measures or decisions relating to particular individuals, or identifies individuals in any results.
Pupil data may also be shared with other government departments and agencies, as provided for by the Education (Individual Pupil Information) (Prescribed Persons) (England) Regulations 2009. These regulations were made in exercise of powers conferred by sections 537A(4), (5) and (6) and 569(4) of the Education Act 1996.
The DfE may disclose individual pupil information to independent researchers who have a legitimate need for it for their research. However, each case will be determined on its merits, subject to the Data Protection Act 1998, and approval of the DfE’s chief statistician. The DfE's powers to pass personal data to researchers are derived from The Education (Individual Pupil Information) (Prescribed Persons) (England) Regulations 2009. These regulations restrict the researchers who receive data to persons conducting research into the educational achievements of pupils and who require individual pupil information for that purpose.
Pupils, as data subjects, have certain rights under the Data Protection Act, including a general right of access to their personal data. A parent can exercise this right on their behalf if the pupil does not have the necessary maturity to make/understand such a request or the personal data in question. If you wish to access your child's personal data held by the DfE please contact the DfE Public Communications Unit:
Public Communications Unit
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
Tel: 0870 000 2288
Supplying pupil data to third-parties
The DfE also passes pupil data to the following third-party organisations, as the law allows. A brief description of the purposes the information is used for is set out below, along with web links if you want to know more about what they do and how to contact them.
Department of Health
The Department of Health (DH) uses anonymised information about pupils' height and weight collected in primary and middle schools as part of the National Child Measurement Programme to inform, influence and improve health policy. The DH also provides aggregate Primary Care Trust level data to the Care Quality Commission for performance assessment of the health service.
OFSTED
Ofsted uses information about the progress and performance of pupils to help inspectors evaluate the work of schools, to assist schools in their self-evaluation, and as part of their assessment of the effectiveness of education initiatives and policy. Ofsted also uses information about the views of children and young people to inform children's services inspections in local authority (LA) areas. Inspection reports do not identify individual pupils.
The DfE also provides Ofsted with pupil data for use in school inspection. Where relevant, pupil information may also be shared with post-16 learning institutions to minimise the administrative burden on application for a course and to aid the preparation of learning plans.
Skills Funding Agency
The chief executive of Skills Funding uses information about pupils aged 14 and over (or enrolling for post-14 qualifications) for statistical purposes, in order to evaluate and develop education policy and monitor the performance of the education service as a whole. Further information on how this data is used may be found on the
Skills Funding Agency website.
The chief executive of Skills Funding also administers the Learning Records service, which uses a minimum set of personal data to:
- issue and maintain a unique learner number for pupils of 14 years and over and for those registering for post-14 qualifications
- create and offer a personal learning record to enable advice and guidance to be offered to the learner (for example, helping to choose the right course)
- facilitate the processing of qualification awards by approved awarding organisations
Approved organisations (including other schools) will be allowed to access the limited set of personal data. More information on the personal learning record, unique learner number, learner plan and qualification credit framework is available on the
Learning Records service website.
This sharing of data reduces the need for learners to have to supply the same information repeatedly to different organisations, and significantly reduces the risk of inaccurate information being held about them. Details of how an individual may opt out of sharing achievement data in their Personal Learning Record are also available from the Learning Records Service.
Qualifications and Curriculum Development Authority (QCDA)
The QCDA uses information about pupils to administer the national curriculum assessments portfolio throughout Key Stages 1 to 3. This includes both assessments required by statute and those that are optional. The results of these are passed on to the DfE to compile statistics on trends and patterns in levels of achievement.
The QCDA uses the information to evaluate the effectiveness of the national curriculum and the associated assessment arrangements, and to ensure that these are continually improved.