Why we need data

We need to keep a certain amount of information (data) about you and your child

• To care for your child and provide the right level of education, nutrition and personal care.
• To claim any government funding you’re entitled to.
• To issue your bills and record your payments.
• To keep you informed about your child’s progress and important nursery information (such as closure dates, upcoming events).
• To contact you or a family member in an emergency.

What we promise

• We won’t hold data we don’t need.
• We won’t keep data longer than we need it.
• We will protect it from anyone who isn’t entitled to have it.
• We will notify you if, for any reason, we accidentally lose, destroy or share. any personal data.

You are entitled to ask us for details of what data we hold about you. You can also ask us to delete any information we aren’t required to keep by law.

The types of information we keep

About parents/ carers:

• Names, addresses, contact numbers and email addresses.
• Dates of birth and National Insurance numbers (for parents/ carers of children claiming free Early Years Education).
• Fees due and payments made.
• Occasionally we also have bank account details where we have made refunds direct to a person’s bank account.

About children:

• Names, addresses and dates of birth.
• Copies of evidence of date of birth.
• Ethnic origin, religion and health details.
• Observations regarding levels of achievement and development, including photographs.
• A record of attendance and any accidents or incidents.

About others:

• Names, addresses, contact numbers and email addresses for alternative emergency contacts.

What we use the data for

Parents

• We use the contact details for parents/ carers:
• To exchange information with you about your child’s time at nursery, their progress and development and any areas of celebration or concern.
• To contact you in case of emergency.
• For billing and payment purposes.
• To inform or remind you about important things such as nursery closure dates.

As part of any claim we make on your behalf for Free Early Education Funding and Early Years’ Pupil Premium. We also use your National Insurance number and date of birth, as required by the Local Authority, as part of these claims.

Children

• We need a child’s date of birth.
• To help assess their stage of development and provide appropriate education.
• As part of any claim we make on your behalf for Free Early Education funding (the local authority require us to keep copies of proof of date of birth for these claims).
• To make sure we have the right staffing ratios.
• We use the health, ethnic origin and religion details to provide care, nutrition and education respectful of their individual needs.
• We keep attendance records for billing purposes and as evidence of appropriate staffing ratios.
• We record our observations of children’s achievements in line with the Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS). This helps us, and you, monitor your child’s progress and plan for the next steps in their development.
• We are required by Ofsted and our insurers to keep records of accidents and incidents involving all children to safeguard children’s welfare.

Where we keep it

Most of our data is stored securely in the UK. The exception is the children’s learning journals which create using the Tapestry system. This is stored, securely, overseas.

Who we share it with

With your consent or request, we will share information with people such as:

• Lancashire County Council to claim Free Early Years Funding and Pupil Premium.
• Health Visitors and other health care professionals.
• Future schools.
• Government bodies, Local Councils, colleges etc in connection with claims for benefits or assistance with fees.

Otherwise

• In an emergency we will provide the emergency services with relevant information about your child, including any health or medication records.
• If we receive a request from the Police or other government agency, we will provide the information if we are satisfied they are legally entitled to it.

We will always share information with the appropriate agencies where there Child Protection concerns.

How long we keep it

Some of what we have is deleted shortly after a child leaves but there are some things we are required to keep for longer. For example:

• Basic name, address, date of birth and attendance records along with medication, accident and incident records. These have to be kept until the child is 21 years old.
• Any child protection records must be kept until the child is 24.
• Billing and payment records are part of our financial records which we have to keep for 6 years after the end of the relevant tax year.