Details
- Name of Service - Surrey Virtual School
- Directorate - Children Families and Lifelong Learning
- Date of Issue - 23 January 2026
- Date of current version - 23 January 2026
- Review Date - 31 March 2027
Notice
The reasons why we use your personal data
This privacy notice applies to the functions of Surrey Virtual School (SVS).
The main aim of Surrey Virtual School is to champion the education of children in care, previously looked after children, children with a social worker and those in kinship care. The Virtual School Headteacher ensures that the educational achievement of these groups is seen as a priority by everyone who has responsibility for promoting their education and welfare.
This notice provides privacy information for:
- Children and families within the remit of Surrey Virtual School
- Partners working with Surrey Virtual School
It describes how we collect, use and share personal information about you
- in relation to the Surrey Virtual School
- the types of personal information we need to process, including information the law describes as ‘special category data’ because of its sensitivity
It is important that you read this notice, together with any other privacy information we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal information about you, so that you are aware of how and why we are using it.
What processing of personal data is undertaken by the service?
Surrey Virtual School use information about children, young people and their families to meet our legal obligations and responsibilities. We hold the information securely and use it to:
- tailor support in education according to need
- work with education settings to ensure that children and young people within the remit of Surrey Virtual School achieve their educational outcomes
- work with partner agencies and other services to support children and young people within the remit of Surrey Virtual School
- complete statutory returns to the Department for Education (DfE)
What Information do we collect?
To carry out the functions of the SVS we collect your personal data. This includes, but is not limited to:
- name
- gender
- date of birth
- year group
- date became looked after
- unique pupil number
- address and contact details
- education provision, including educating local authority (LA), responsible LA, school history, school attendance, educational attainment and Personal Education Plans (PEPs)
- special category data such as ethnicity and health data
- information detailing any assigned professionals or practitioners
- care order details
- Child in Care status
We also collect information from educational settings. This includes, but is not limited to:
- details of payments to schools
- DfE number
- Governor details
- Evaluation reports
- Ofsted category
How we are allowed to use your personal data
We collect and use your information because of a legal obligation or public task under various UK legislation including but not limited to:
- Children Act 1989: care planning, placement and case review - Statutory Guidance
- Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children - Statutory Guidance
- Promoting the Education of Children with a Social Worker and Children in Kinship Care Arrangements; Virtual School Head role extension guidance.
- As our work is with children, we are required to safeguard their safety and well-being and the work is subject to the Children Act 1989 and Working Together statutory guidance.
- Ofsted (in the event of a local authority inspection of children's services)
Who we share your personal data with
We sometimes need to share the personal information we process with the individual themselves or with other organisations. Where this is necessary, we are required to comply with all aspects of the data protection legislation.
Where necessary and lawful we share information with:
- other relevant services in the LA
- education settings and tuition providers involved with a looked after child we are working with
- the commissioned provider who collects attendance and exclusion information on our behalf
- Ofsted - in the event of an inspection of local authority children's services (ILAC)
- the Department for Education where we are required to provide statutory returns
Personal data being sent or processed outside of the UK and European Economic Area (EEA)
Your data will not be stored or sent outside of the UK or EEA except for any Children Looked after who live, or are educated, outside of the UK.
Retention of data
Data will be retained in accordance with SCC countywide retention policy.
Other information
Your data will be held on SCC systems and will be protected using up-to-date technical and organisational security measures.
Our core data protection obligations and commitments are set out in the council’s Children, Families and Lifelong Learning privacy notice
For further information on our privacy notices, please see information and privacy.