Schools, local education authorities and the Department for Education and Skills (the government department which deals with education) all hold information on pupils in order to run the education system, and in doing so have to follow the Data Protection Act 1998. This means, that data held about pupils must only be used for specific purposes allowed by law.

The school holds information on pupils in order to support their teaching and learning, to monitor and report on their progress, to provide appropriate pastoral care, and to assess how well the school as a whole is doing. This information includes contact details, National Curriculum assessment results, attendance information, characteristics such as ethnic group, special needs and any relevant information.

From time to time we are required to pass on some of this data to the Local Education Authority (LEA), to another school to which the pupil is transferring, to the Department of Education and Skills (DfES), and to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) which is responsible for the National Curriculum and associated assessment arrangements.

The LEA (North Yorkshire County Council) uses information about pupils to carry out specific functions for which it is responsible, such as the assessment of any special educational needs the pupil may have, the provision of free school meals or home to school transport. It also uses the information to derive statistics to inform decisions on (for example) the funding of schools, and to assess the performance of schools and set targets for them. The statistics are used in such a way that individual pupils cannot be identified from them.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority uses information about pupils to administer the National Curriculum tests and assessments for Key Stages 1 to 3. The results of these are passed on to DfES in order for it to compile statistics on trends and patters in levels of achievement. The QCA uses the information to evaluate the effectiveness of the National Curriculum and associated assessment arrangements, and to ensure that these are continually improved.

The Department for Education and Skills uses information about pupils for statistical purposes, to evaluate and develop education policy and to monitor the performance of the education service as a whole. The statistics (including those based on information provided by the QCA) are used in such a way that individual pupils cannot be identified from them. The DfES will feed back to LEAs and schools information about their pupils where they are lacking this information because it was not passed on by a former school. On occasions information may be shared with other Government departments or agencies strictly for statistical or research purposes only.

Data Protection Notice Oct 08 of Fair Processing:
Fair Processing Notice Layer One Summary

Fair Processing Notice Layer Two Full

Fair Processing Notice Layer Three

Publication Scheme on information available under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

The governing body is responsible for maintenance of this scheme.

1. Introduction: what a publication scheme is and why it has been developed

One of the aims of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (which is referred to as FOIA in the rest of this document) is that public authorities, including all maintained schools, should be clear and proactive about the information they will make public.

To do this we must produce a publication scheme, setting out:

The classes of information which we publish or intend to publish;

The manner in which the information will be published; and

Whether the information is available free of charge or on payment.

The scheme covers information already published and information which is to be published in the future.  All information in our publication scheme is available in paper form.

Some information which we hold may not be made public, for example personal information.

This publication scheme conforms to the model scheme for schools approved by the Information Commissioner.

2. Aims and Objectives

The mission of St John Fisher Catholic High School is to provide a process of teaching and learning which seeks the reality of Christ. His values, ideals and teachings lie at the centre of our relationships and activities. To this end we seek to create a true community of faith and place of learning.

This publication scheme is a means of showing how we are pursuing these aims.

3. Categories of information published

The publication scheme guides you to information which we currently publish (or have recently published) or which we will publish in the future. This is split into categories of information known as ‘classes’.

4. How to request information

If you require a paper version of any of the documents within the scheme, please contact the school by telephone, email, fax or letter. Contact details are set out below.

Email: office@sjfchs.org.uk

Tel:      01423 887254

Fax:     01423 881056

Contact Address: Publication Scheme Information,
St John Fisher Catholic High School, Hookstone Drive, Harrogate. HG2 8PT. 

5. Paying for information

Information published on our website is free, although you may incur costs from your Internet service provider. If you don’t have Internet access, you can access our website using a local library or an Internet café.

We will advise of costs before we fulfill your request. Charges per sheet are noted in the Publication Scheme.

Publication Scheme Notice

Click on this link access the Publication Scheme