How we use parents/carers and children’s information

Who we are

Nest in the Woods Community Interest Company. We run outdoor pre-schools, forest school programmes within school settings and organise outdoor events at our private woodland.

The categories of information that we collect, hold and share include:

  • Personal information (such as name, date of birth and address)
  • Characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, country of birth and funding eligibility) for children
  • Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons) for children
  • Relevant Medical information for children
  • Special Educational Needs information for children
  • Assessment information for children
  • Details of any accidents / incidents / existing injuries
  • Relevant documentation for child protection and safeguarding concerns
  • Funding information and details
  • Financial records of invoices and payments
  • Medical and administration (such as doctors information, child health, dental health, allergies, medication and dietary requirements)

Why we collect and use this information

We use the data:

  • to support children’s learning
  • to monitor and report on their progress
  • to provide appropriate pastoral care
  • to assess the quality of our services
  • to comply with the law regarding data sharing
  • to comply with the requirements of the EYFS and Ofsted
  • to ensure children are eligible for funding
  • to process fees
  • to ensure children’s health, safety and wellbeing

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing pupil information are:

  • the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage
  • the Childcare Act 2006

By completing our registration form you are giving consent for us to process yours and your child’s personal data for the specific purposes of being part of our outdoor pre-school setting.

By making a booking through our booking system you are giving consent for us to process yours and your child’s personal data for the
specific purposes of the booking being made.

How we collect information

We collect pupil information via our online registration form and / or via our online booking system (Checkfront).

Children’s and parent’s data is essential for our operational use. Whilst the majority of information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is requested on a voluntary basis. Mandatory information will usually be a mandatory part of completing the form online.

Who we share children’s information with

We may routinely share information with:

  • Department for Education (DfE)
  • Schools that the children attend after leaving us
  • Our local authority
  • Ofsted
  • Health Visitors
  • Social Workers
  • Inclusion teams, SEN panels, funding etc
  • Local Children’s safeguarding boards / LADO
  • Other providers that children attend
  • Multi agency professionals working with individual children
  • Area SENCO’s
  • Police
  • Emergency services

We do not share information about children with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies require us to do so.

Requesting access to your personal data

Under data protection legislation, parents and children have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, or be given access to your child’s educational record, contact Mark Redford, mark@nestinthewoods.co.uk

You also have the right to:

  • object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
  • prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
  • object to decisions being taken by automated means
  • in certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed; and
  • a right to seek redress, either through the ICO, or through the courts

If you have a concern or complaint about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with us in the first instance or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

How we protect your data

Our website is encripted with an SSL certificate and our admin has a secret password not known to any staff or parents. Tapestry also uses SSL encription, as does the booking system, CheckFront.