How we use your personal information within the Governor Support Service for the purpose of appointing schools governors and providing training and support to them
The Council provides services for local communities and the people who live in them. Undertaking this work means that we must collect and use information about the people we provide services to and keep a record of those services. Because we collect and use personal information about individuals we must make sure that they know what we intend to do with their information and who it may be shared with.
In this privacy notice we have summarised some of the key ways in which we use your personal information within the Governor Support Service. This information should be read in conjunction with the Council's corporate privacy notice
1. Who we are, what we do
The key aim of the Governors Support Service is to ensure the proper running of schools within Rhondda Cynon Taf by the governing body. We provide a one stop shop service to governing bodies in RCT providing information, advice, guidance and training to school governors. We also support with their appointment.
Our main role is to:
- Assist governing bodies to meet their legal requirements.
- Support the governing bodies to be Estyn Inspection ready.
- Support governing bodies to focus on school improvement.
- Assist and support for governing bodies in recruiting effective Leaders.
- Providing governors with the relevant training to undertake their role effectively.
- Support governors to challenge and support the school.
- Promote self-evaluation within governing bodies.
View further details on the service.
2. What and whose personal information we hold?
We hold information on past and present school governors (successful and unsuccessful applicants).
The types of information we collect and use will typically include:
- Contact details, including name, address, telephone number, e-mail address
- Date of birth, gender
- Name of the school applied for / appointed to
- Electoral division (if application is by an elected member)
- Role applicable information such as experience, commitment, knowledge of local community etc.
- Training records
- Membership of specific school committee (e.g. finance committee, disciplinary committee)
3. Where does the service get my information from?
We mainly receive information:
- Direct from the school governor – for example on an application form when they express an interest in becoming a school governor or when booking on a training course.
- From the school – when telling us the membership of the different school committees.
4. What we will do with your personal information?
We use this information to:
Appointment of School Governor
- Process the application form or expression of interest
- To arrange a ballot
- To process the resuts of that ballot
- To proceed with the offer of appointment (if successful)
- To maintain a record of schools governors and their school committee membership
Training
- Identify training needs
- Arrange training
- Monitor and report on the completion of training
Advice & Support
Offer advice and guidance
Reporting
- To produce internal and external reports, some of which are required by law.
5. What is the legal basis for the use of this information?
Data Protection law says that we are allowed to use and share personal information only where we have a proper and lawful reason for doing so.
Our lawful basis for processing this information for the above purposes is
- To undertake our official Council duties and to satisfy our legal obligations under the following legislation:
- The Government of Maintained Schools (Wales) Regulations 2005
- The Government of Maintained Schools (Change of Category) (Wales) Regulations 2015
6. Does the service share my personal information with any other organisation?
For the Service to undertake it’s the above services we may share this information with:
- Schools
- The Central South Consortium – to organise mandatory training for Governors
- External training providers – to provide training to Governors
- Other Council Departments for the purpose of contact the Governor to arrange a meeting or resolve a query for example:
- Schools Admissions Team – where there is a school catchment re-allocation meeting.
- Access & Inclusion – to organise a pupil exclusion appeal meeting.
- Finance – finance audit reports for School finance committees.
- 21st Century Schools Department – for re-allocation of catchment area meetings
- We may also share information with Human Resources to help them organise school disciplinaries, governors meetings, Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher appointments and statutory committees etc.
7. How long will my information be kept?
We will keep your personal information for 7 years after your post as Governor has ceased.
8. Your information, your rights
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you important rights, including the right to access the personal information the services hold about you.
View further details on your information rights and how to exercise them
9. Contact us
If you have any concerns or would like to know more about how the service using your personal information please contact us in one of the following ways:
By email: Governor.Support@rctcbc.gov.uk
By telephone: 01443 281162
In writing: Governor Support Service, The Pavillions, Clydach Vale, CF40 2XX