Policies

Girton Grammar School's Privacy Policy.

This Policy explains Girton's collection, use and management of personal information collected by it, or provided to it.

Girton GS is bound by the Commonwealth's Privacy Act (1988) from 21st December 2001, and by the National Privacy Principles contained within that Act.

The School will from time to time review and update this Policy to take account of new laws and technologies, changes to School policy and practice and to make sure it remains appropriate.

What is personal information?

Personal information means any information or opinion, including information or opinion forming part of a database, whether true or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent or can be reasonably ascertained, from the information or opinion.

The range of information or opinion is infinite, and includes such things as a telephone number, address, e-mail address, place of work, job, trade or profession, relationships to others, hobbies, interests, beliefs, examination results, teachers' evaluations, school reports, references and much more.

Sensitive information is a subset of personal information. It means information or opinions about:

  • Racial or ethnic origin
  • Political opinions
  • Membership of a political association, or trade union, or trade or professional association,
  • Religious or philosophical beliefs
  • Sexual preferences or practices
  • Criminal record
  • Or Health Information about an individual.

    Health information is defined as

    • The health or disability of an individual at any time,
    • An individual's expressed wishes about the future provision of health services to him/her
    • A health service provided, or to be provided, to an individual

    Or

    • Other personal information collected to provide, or in providing, a health service;
    • Other personal information about an individual collected in connection with the donation or intended donation, by the individual of his/her body parts, organs or body substances.

What kind of Personal Information does the School collect, and how does the School collect it?

The type of information that Girton collects and retains includes, but is not limited to, personal information, including sensitive (as defined by the Act) and health information about:

  • Students, parents/guardians and families before, during and after the student's enrolment at the School;
  • Applicants for jobs, members of staff, volunteers, Board Members, and contractors; and
  • Other people who come in contact with the School.

Personal Information you provide : The School generally collects such personal information by

  • forms and surveys filled out by parents, students and others
  • face-to-face interviews and meetings
  • telephone calls, letters, e-mails, voice-mails etc.

Personal Information that Others provide:

In some circumstances, the School will receive personal information from referees, medical practitioners, counsellors, other schools' reports and references, and others.

Employees' Records - exception : This Policy, the Privacy Act (1988) and the National Privacy Principles do not bind the School in relation to employees' records where the treatment is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between the School and the employee or former employee.

How does and will the School use the Personal Information?

The School will use personal information it collects for the primary purpose of collection (see below), and for other secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose and reasonably expected, or to which you have consented.

Students and parents: In relation to students and parents, the School's primary purpose of collection is to enable the School to provide schooling for the student. This includes satisfying the needs of parents and of the student throughout the whole period the student is enrolled.

The purposes include:

  • to keep parents informed about matters related to their child's schooling through correspondence, reports, newsletters and magazines;
  • day-to-day administration;
  • looking after students' educational, social and medical well-being;
  • assisting the Board and administration in fees, funds raising and marketing;
  • Girton Parents' and Friends' Association and Old Girtonians' Association in their tasks, including building collegial networks;
  • allowing the School to discharge its Duty of Care and other legal obligations, including its obligations to governments and government agencies.

In some cases where the School requests personal information about a student or parent, and if the information requested is not obtained, the School may not be able to enrol the student or may not be able to continue the enrolment of the student.

Job applicants, staff members and contractors: in relation to personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors, the School's primary purpose of collection is to assess and, if successful, to engage the applicant, staff member or contractor, as the case may be.

The purposes for which the School uses personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors include:

  • In administering the individual's employment or contract, as the case may be;
  • For insurance purposes;
  • To satisfy the School's legal and accountability requirements;

Volunteers : the School also obtains personal information about volunteers who assist the School in its functions or conduct or assist associated activities, such as Girton Parents' and Friends' Association or Old Girtonians or co-curriculum, to enable the School and its volunteers to work together.

Marketing and Fundraising: The School treats marketing as an important part of ensuring the School continues to be a quality learning environment in which students and staff thrive.

Parents, staff, contractors and other members of the wider School community may receive from time to time School publications such as newsletters and magazines, which include personal information, for marketing and other communication purposes.

Parents, staff, contractors and the wider School community may also receive fundraising information.

To whom might the School disclose personal information?

The School may disclose personal information, including sensitive information, held about an individual to:

  • Another school, college or university;
  • Government departments;
  • Medical practitioners and counsellors;
  • People and organisations who provide specialist services to the School, including Music Tutors, visiting and student teachers, sports coaches and organisers, travel companies, testing specialists et al;
  • Recipients of School publications, such as newsletters, magazines and those who access the website;
  • Anyone to whom you authorise the School to disclose information.

Sending information abroad beyond Australia's borders:

The School will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:

  • Obtaining the consent of the individual; in some cases, this consent will be implied; or
  • Otherwise complying with National Privacy Principles.

How does the School treat sensitive information?

Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or the use and disclosure that are allowed by law.

Management and security of personal information.

The School's Staff are required to respect the confidentiality of students', parents' and others' personal information and the privacy of individuals.

The School has protocols and practices to protect the personal information the School holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage and password-protected access rights to computerised records.

Updating personal information.

The School tries to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, up-to-date and as complete as it should be. A person may seek to update his/her personal information held by the School by contacting the Headmaster's Secretary. at any time.

The National Privacy Principles require the School not to store personal information longer than necessary. Hence culling of records will occur, and you may be asked more than once to provide information that has been destroyed in the belief it was no longer needed.

You have the right to check the personal information the School holds about you.

Under the Privacy Act, a person has the right to obtain access to any personal information which the School holds about them and to advise the School about any perceived inaccuracy. There are some exceptions to this right set out in the Act .. These exceptions include

  • When the privacy of others may be compromised,
  • When a breach of the Duty of Care may occur,
  • When investigations into poor or criminal behaviour may be compromised.

Students may access to their personal information only through their parents/guardians - see below.

To make a request to access any information the School holds about you or your student-child, please contact the Headmaster in writing (including your signature).

The School may require you to verify your identity, your right to the access and to specify the information you seek. The School reserves the right to charge a fee to cover the cost of verifying your application, locating, reviewing, copying or any other processing. If the information sought is extensive, the School will advise the likely cost in advance.

Consent and rights of access to the personal information of students.

The School respects and affirms the parents' right to make decisions concerning their student-child's education.

Hence, the School will refer any request for consent and notices in relation to personal information of a student to the student's parents or guardian. The School will treat both consent by and notice to parents/guardian as consent on behalf of the students and notice to the student.

The School may, through the discretion of the Head of the School only, grant a student access to the personal information held by the School on that student's request, or the Head may allow a student to give or withhold consent to the use of their personal information, independently of their parents/guardian. This would normally be done only in exceptional circumstances when the age, maturity and circumstances of the student warranted it.

Inquiries.

If you would like further information about the way the School manages the personal information it holds, please contact the Headmaster through the Headmaster's Secretary.

Privacy Officer.

Girton's Privacy Officer is the Headmaster.

CW Jones,

Headmaster.

16th July 2007.

This Policy was drawn up based on advice from the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria .