Key details

Policy Prepared by: Karen White Lewis Pye  Alan Lucas

Approved by Directors on 26th May 2018

Policy became operational on 26th May 2018

Next review date: 26th May 2025

Introduction

Primary Teaching Services Limited needs to gather and use certain information about individuals.

These can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees, and other people the organisation has a relationship with or may need to contact. This policy describes how this personal data must be collected, handled, and stored to meet the company’s data protection standards and comply with the law.

Contents

Section 1 The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA)
Section 2 Regulation
Section 3 Individual Rights
Section 4 Scope 
Section 5 Data Protection Risks
Section 6 Responsibilities
Section 7 Roles
Section 8 General Staff Responsibilities
Section 9 Training
Section 10 The Principles of Data Protection
Section 11 Fair, Lawful, Transparent
Section 12 Privacy Notices
Section 13 Data Use
Section 14 Data Storage
Section 15 Data Accuracy
Section 16 Adequacy and Relevance
Section 17 Data Retention
Section 18 Data Security
Section 19 Privacy by Design and Default
Section 20 Transferring Data Internationally
Section 21 Data Subject Rights
Section 22 Data Subject Rights - Processing Data in Accordance with the Individuals Rights
Section 23 Data Subject Rights – Consent
Section 24 Data Subject Rights - The Right to be Informed
Section 25 Data Subject Rights - The Rights of Access
Section 26 Data Subject Rights - The Right to Data Portability
Section 27 Data Subject Rights - The Right to Rectification
Section 28 Data Subject Rights - The Right to Erasure
Section 29 Data Subject Rights - The Right to Restrict Processing
Section 30 Data Subject Rights - The Right to Object
Section 31 Data Subject Rights - Rights in Relation to Automated Decision Making/Profiling
Section 32 Compliance – Monitoring
Section 33 Compliance - Data & Audit Register
Section 34 Compliance - Reporting Breaches
Section 35 Consequences of Failing to Comply - Disciplinary Terms
Section 36 Consequences of Failing to Comply – Contracted Third Parties
Section 37 Management Review
Section 38 Document & Version Control

Purpose

Primary Teaching Services Limited (Referred to as the company hereafter) needs to process certain information about natural living persons. These include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees, and any other natural persons that the organisation has a relationship with or holds personal information on.

This policy describes how this personal data must be processed and controlled to meet the company’s data protection standards and to comply with the law. This data protection policy ensures the company:

• Complies with the data protection laws and follows good practices and codes of conduct.
• Protects the rights of all-natural living persons on which it controls and processes data.
• Is open about how the organisation controls and processes a natural living person’s data.
• Protects itself from the risks of data breach and information leakage.
• Protect its proprietary information.

The Data Protection Law

1. used fairly, lawfully and transparently
2. used for specific, explicit purposes
3. used in a way that is adequate, relevant, and limited to only what is necessary
4. accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date
5. kept for no longer than necessary
6. handled in a way that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unlawful or unauthorised processing, access, loss, destruction, or damage

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

GDPR describes how organisations — including the company— must collect, handle and store personal information.

Article 5 of the GDPR requires that personal data shall be:

1. processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals
2. collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes
3. adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed
4. accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that is inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which it is processed, is erased or rectified without delay
5. kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data is to be processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to the implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals
6. processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures

Individuals Rights

The GDPR provides the following rights for individuals:

1. The right to be informed
2. The right of access
3. The right to rectification
4. The right to erasure
5. The right to restrict processing
6. The right to data portability
7. The right to object
8. Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling

Scope

This policy applies to:

• All staff and volunteers of the company.
• All contractors, suppliers, and other people working on behalf of the company.

It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the DPA or GDPR.

This can include but aren’t limited to:

• Any other information from which an individual’s identity can be inferred
• The company’s proprietary information
• Any proprietary information belonging to third parties that the company is contractually obligated to protect

Data protection risks

This policy helps to protect the company from some very real data security risks, including:

• Breaches of confidentiality - For instance, information being given out inappropriately.
• Failing to offer choice - For instance, all individuals should be free to choose how the company uses data relating to them.
• Reputational damage - For instance, the company could suffer if hackers successfully gained access to sensitive data.
• Damage to business operations through the disclosure of proprietary information. 

Responsibilities

Everyone who works for or with the company has some responsibility for ensuring data is controlled and processed in a compliant manner.

Roles

The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the company meets its legal obligations.

The Data Protection Officer/Managing Director (Karen White), is responsible for:

• keeping the board updated about data protection responsibilities, risks, and issues
• reviewing all Data Protection procedures and protection procedures and related policies, in line within an agreed schedule
• arranging data protection training and advice for the people covered by this policy
• handling data protection questions from staff and anyone else covered by this policy
• dealing with requests from individuals to see the data the company holds about them (also called subject access requests)
• checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle the company’s sensitive data

The IT Manager (Lewis Pye), is responsible for:

• ensuring all systems, services, and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards
• performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly
• evaluating any third-party services the company is considering using to store or process data. For instance, cloud computing services
• ensuring Staff understand and follow protocol that only authorized individuals may enter the server room (eg. IT Team or Engineers)

The Commercial Director (Diana Morris) is responsible for:

• approving any data protection statements attached to communications such as emails and letters
• addressing any data protection queries from journalists or media outlets like newspapers
• where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by data protection principles.

General staff responsibilities

• The only people able to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work
• Data should not be shared informally. When access to confidential information is required, employees can request it from their line managers
• The company will provide training to all employees to help them understand their responsibilities when handling data in line with the Training Policy
• Employees should keep all data secure by following the guidelines in the information security policies, and the company procedures
• Strong Passwords must only be used and managed and should only be shared on approval from a member of the board of directors
• Personal data should never be disclosed to unauthorised people, either within the company or externally
• If employees suspect a breach or security event it should be reported to the information Data Protection Officer, Karen White
• Data should be regularly reviewed and updated if it is found to be out of date. If no longer required, it should be deleted and disposed of
• Employees should request help from their line manager or the data protection officer if they are unsure about any aspect of data protection
• Staff must only ever use secure internet connections & secure Wi-Fi to access company emails & systems
• Employees must follow company security procedures to prevent unauthorized access to the premises. For example, all external doors & security doors must be closed
• Employees should only access certain areas of the business when required to do so for their job role

Training

All staff will receive training on this policy, supporting policies, and company procedures. New joiners will receive training as part of the induction process. Further training will be provided annually or whenever there is a substantial change in the law or the company policy and procedure. Records of this training will be maintained as part of the Training Policy.

The Principles of Data Protection

Fair, lawful and transparent conditions for processing

The company will ensure any processing of personal data has a documented legal basis. All parties who are responsible for processing personal data will be aware of the conditions for processing. The conditions for processing will be available to data subjects in the form of a privacy notice or a fair processing notice.

Privacy Notices

To ensure fair, lawful, and transparent processing the following is in place outlining how the company intends to use and protect data subjects, data.

Data Use

Personal data is of no value to Primary Teaching Services Limited unless the business can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption, or theft:

• When working with personal data, employees should ensure the screens of their computers are always locked when left unattended
• Personal data should not be shared informally. In particular, it should never be sent by email, as this form of communication is not secure
• Data must be encrypted before being transferred electronically. The I.T. manager can explain how to send data to authorised external contacts
• Employees should not save copies of personal data to their own computers. Always access and update the central copy of any data

Being transparent and providing accessible information to individuals about how we will use their personal data is important for Primary Teaching Services Limited. The following are details on how we collect data and what we will do with it:

What information is being collected? Name, Address, Contact Number, Email, Mobile Number

Who is collecting it? Any team member who processes or inputs orders

How is it collected? Verbally, paper order form, website, email, contact form

Why is it being collected?  To send out goods or for marketing via email, post or SMS

How will it be used? Delivery address, Bill-to address, Sold-to address, marketing if opted in

Who will it be shared with? Our suppliers when required for processing orders, marketing, and storage of data

Identity and contact details of any data controllers Karen White customerservices@primaryteaching.co.uk

Retention period 7 years for auditing purposes. Non-purchaser data will be stored for 3 years.

Automated Emails Automated SMS & emails are generated for customers relating to order information. Automated sales SMS & emails are generated for customers who opted in to receive emails; the customer is always offered the right to unsubscribe.

Data Storage

These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to the IT manager or data controller.

When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorised people cannot see it.

These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason:

• When not required, the paper or files should be kept in a locked drawer or filing cabinet
• Employees should make sure paper and printouts are not left where unauthorized people could see them, like on a printer
• Data printouts should be shredded and disposed of securely when no longer required

When data is stored electronically, it must be protected from unauthorised access, accidental deletion, and malicious hacking attempts:

• Data should be protected by strong passwords that are changed regularly and never shared between employees unless approved by the board of directors
• If data is stored on removable media (like a USB or CD), these should be kept locked away securely when not being used
• Payment details taken over the telephone must have the relevant security steps performed for PCI compliance
• Data should only be stored on designated drives and servers, and should only be uploaded to an approved cloud computing service
• Servers containing personal data should be sited in a secure location, away from general office space
• Data should be backed up frequently. Those backups should be tested regularly, in line with the company’s standard backup procedures
• Data should never be saved directly to laptops or other mobile devices like tablets or smartphones
• All servers and computers containing data should be protected by approved security software and a firewall

Data Accuracy

The law requires Primary Teaching Services Limited to take reasonable steps to ensure data is kept accurate & up to date.

The more important it is that the personal data is accurate, the greater the effort Primary Teaching Services Limited should put into ensuring its accuracy.

It is the responsibility of all employees who work with data to take reasonable steps to ensure it is kept as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

• Data will be held in as few places as necessary. Staff should not create any unnecessary additional data sets.
• Staff should take every opportunity to ensure data is updated. For instance, by confirming a customer’s details when they call
• Primary Teaching Services Limited will make it easy for data subjects to update the information Primary Teaching Services Limited holds about them. For instance, via the company website
• Data should be updated as inaccuracies are discovered. For instance, if a customer can no longer be reached on their stored telephone number, it should be removed from the database
• Customer data will be kept for 7 years. Non-purchaser data will be kept for 3 years. After this time it will be deleted from our database, this will be done during the low trade months, annually from November – December commencing in 2018

Accuracy

The company shall ensure that any personal data processed is accurate and up to date by following the Data Quality Assurance Procedure when collecting or processing data. Data subjects have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to ensure that any personal data the company holds is accurate and updated as required. For example, if their personal circumstances change, they should inform the company so that their records can be updated.

Adequacy and relevance

The company shall ensure that any personal data collected is used only for the purpose for which it was obtained. Personal data obtained for one purpose shall not be used for any unconnected purpose unless the individual concerned has provided consent or there is a legal obligation to do otherwise.

Data retention

The company will retain personal data for no longer than necessary. What is necessary will depend on the circumstances of each case, taking into account the reasons that the personal data was obtained, but should be determined in a manner consistent with the company’s data retention guidelines. The company’s Information Asset Register contains information on how long each asset should be retained. This retention does not affect the subject’s right to erasure. Assets should be disposed of by following the Disposals Procedure.

Data Security

The company shall keep sensitive data secure against loss, misuse, or unauthorised disclosure. Where other organisations process personal data as a service on behalf of the company, there must be contractual clauses to provide the same level of data protection as the company. In order to provide consistent information protection throughout the company, the Information Security Policy shall be implemented and enforced through the use of supporting policies and procedures, training, and appropriate technologies.

Privacy by design and default

The company shall follow the principle of privacy by design and default. This is an approach to projects that promote privacy and data protection compliance from the start. The DPO will be responsible for conducting Privacy Impact Assessments and ensuring that all IT projects commence with a privacy plan. When relevant, and when it does not have a negative impact on the data subject, privacy settings will be set to the most private by default.

Data protection impact assessments (DPIA)

Where processing personal information is likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of the data subjects, a data protection impact assessment shall be carried out and the results shall be implemented and incorporated into the project. Records of all DPIAs shall be kept and the assessment shall be carried out according to the Data Protection Impact Assessment Procedure.

Storing data

All data controlled by the company must be kept in a secure manner. In cases where data is stored on printed paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorised personnel cannot access it. Printed data should be shredded when it is no longer needed according to the standards in the Disposals Procedure. Data stored on a computer should be protected as outlined in the Information Security Policy. Data stored on CDs or memory sticks must comply with the guidelines in the Removable Media Policy. Data should be regularly backed up in line with the company’s continuity and disaster recovery plans. All servers containing sensitive data must be approved and protected by security software and strong firewalls.

Transferring data internationally

The company complies with strict restrictions on transferring data internationally. No data can be transferred without first following the International Data Transfer Procedure. This procedure ensures that data doesn’t get transferred unless there are appropriate and approved security measures in place to protect the data, such as adequacy decisions or binding corporate rules.

Data Subject rights

Processing data in accordance with the individual's rights

The company shall abide by the data subject’s rights laid out in both the DPA and GDPR. Any request from an individual shall be handled by the DPO and a response issued within a month.

Consent

Where the company uses consent as the legal basis for processing data, there must be a record of the data subject’s active consent. Consent should be gathered in the manner outlined in the Consent Management Procedure. The data subject has the right to withdraw this consent at any time. This right does not affect any of the other rights.

In cases where sensitive personal data is processed, the data subject's explicit consent to this processing will be required, unless exceptional circumstances apply or there is a legal obligation to do this (e.g. to comply with legal obligations to ensure health and safety at work). Any such consent will need to clearly identify what the relevant data is, why it is being processed and to whom it will be disclosed.

Date of Birth is not stored and the terms and conditions see www.primaryteaching.co.uk/ts-and-cs do not agree to sales to customers under the age of 16.

The right to be informed

Under GDPR data subjects have the right to be informed about how their data is processed. To comply with this right, the company provides the required information in its fair processing notice.

The right of access

Under the Data Protection Act, data subjects are entitled, subject to certain exceptions, to request access to information held about them. These requests shall be passed to the DPO to handle. When handling these requests, a response must be made to the data subject within one month. The requests must be recorded and monitored and the process from the Subject Access Request Procedure should be followed.

The right to data portability

Upon request, a data subject should have the right to receive a copy of their data in a structured format. These requests should be processed within one month, provided there is no undue burden and it does not compromise the privacy of other individuals. A data subject may also request that their data be transferred directly to another system. This must be done for free.

Under GDPR data subjects can request that their personal data be transferred from one data controller to another.

These requests shall be passed to the DPO to handle. When handling these requests, a response must be made to the data subject within one month. The requests must be recorded and monitored and the process from the Data Portability Procedure should be followed.

The right to rectification

Under GDPR data subjects can request that personal information held on them be corrected.

These requests shall be passed to the DPO to handle. When handling these requests, a response must be made to the data subject within one month. The requests must be recorded and monitored and the process from the Subject Rectification Request Procedure should be followed.

The right to erasure

Under GDPR data subjects may request that any information held on them be deleted or removed, and any third parties who process or use that data must also comply with the request. An erasure request can only be refused if an exemption applies.

These requests shall be passed to the DPO to handle. When handling these requests, a response must be made to the data subject within one month. The requests must be recorded and monitored and the process from the Subject Erasure Request Procedure should be followed.

The right to restrict processing

Under GDPR data subjects can request a restriction of processing on their personal data in instances where the data subject does not wish for their data to be erased but does not want the data processed.

These requests shall be passed to the DPO to handle. When handling these requests, a response must be made to the data subject within one month. The requests must be recorded and monitored and the process from the Restricting Processing Procedure should be followed.

The right to object

Under GDPR data subjects can object to processing if they suspect that their data is being processed illegally. Following an objection, the data controller is required to investigate the claim and communicate the results to the data subject.

These requests shall be passed to the DPO to handle. When handling these requests, a response must be made to the data subject within one month. The requests must be recorded and monitored and the process from the Objection Request Procedure should be followed.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling

Under GDPR data subjects have the right to be informed if they are being subject to automated decision-making and the possible consequences this automated decision-making could have on them. As documented in section 13 under Data Use.

Compliance

Monitoring

Everyone must observe this policy. The DPO has overall responsibility for this policy. They will monitor it regularly to make sure it is being adhered to.

Data audit and register Regular data audits to manage and mitigate risks will inform the data register. This contains information on what data is held, where it is stored, how it is used, who is responsible, and any further regulations or retention timescales that may be relevant.

Reporting breaches

All members of staff have an obligation to report actual or potential data protection compliance failures. This allows us to:

• Investigate the failure and take remedial steps if necessary
• Maintain a register of compliance failures
• Notify the Supervisory Authority (SA) of any compliance failures that are material either in their own right or as part of a pattern of failures

Consequences of failing to comply

Disciplinary Terms Where an employee has been found to have violated the company policies or procedures the following actions may be taken:

• Written Warning – An official warning that any further infractions will lead to further action
• Removal of privileges – The staff member will be forbidden from performing certain actions, accessing certain systems, or using certain devices
• Corrective action – The member of staff shall take actions so that no further infractions occur, for example, training
• Termination of employment – The member of staff shall no longer work for the company
• Civil action – A claim of legal recompense may be made against the staff member
• Legal action – The Company will pass details of the infraction to the authorities with the intention of pressing charges

Contracted Third Parties

Where a contracted third party has been found to have violated the contractual obligations relating to data protection, the following actions may be taken:

• Written Warning – An official warning that any further infractions will lead to further action
• Removal of privileges – The contracted third party will be forbidden from performing certain actions, accessing certain systems, or using certain devices
• Corrective action – The contracted third party shall take actions so that no further infractions occur, for example, training
• Security Audit – An audit of the contracted third party’s systems to make sure that they still meet their obligations
• Termination of contract – The contracted third party shall no longer be contracted to work for the company
• Civil action – A claim of legal recompense may be made against the contracted third party
• Legal action – The Company will pass details of the infraction to the authorities with the intention of pressing charges

Management and Review

This policy should be reviewed as scheduled once every year, unless performance indicators, changes to legislation, or the organisation necessitate it.

Last Review Date: 25th March 2024

Next Review Date: 26th May 2025

Data Protection Policy

Profile Version: 3 | Certification date: 5th December, 2023