Privacy Policy - Educational Assessments
This policy should be read in conjunction with our ‘Privacy Policy - Website’.
Privacy Statement For Educational Assessment
Sandra Francis, Educational Assessor, respects your privacy and wants to be clear about the information she collects, how it is used and your rights to control that information. I will manage psychological records with great concern for privacy and confidentiality and in accordance with current professional and legal standards, including the provisions of UK GDPR requirements.
The Data I Collect
The purpose for processing personal data is to undertake a psychological assessment, which you have agreed for me to do. Educational psychology assessments involve the processing of special category data including information about health, educational achievements, cognitive functioning, personality, interests and family history. Depending upon the nature of my work with you, I have a legitimate interest to collect such personal data for the purpose of forming a professional opinion or diagnosis. In doing so, I will only collect information from you that is relevant to the purpose of undertaking that assessment and the associated feed-back and reporting.
How The Data Will Be Used
You have the right to request the data that is held about you or your child/young person. You can make the request by emailing Sandra Francis via sandrafrancis98@icloud.com. The information will usually be provided free of charge and within one month of the receipt of your request. In some circumstances a charge may be made, the response period extended or a refusal made but this is rare. If I have to carry out any of these actions I will explain why and tell you how to appeal.
You will only be asked for personal information that is relevant for the work being undertaken. The information that will be requested and held will enable me to consult with you or your child/young person to decide:
What kind of involvement is appropriate;
What tests and assessments should be used; and
Whether liaison with other professionals is needed
The Process For Assessment
The specific work carried out will vary according to the individual’s needs and the concerns being investigated. The range of supportive activities that may be undertaken includes:
Classroom observation;
Observation in other settings in the school, for example in small group teaching sessions or nurture group;
Discussion with the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCo) or head of learning/student support if the setting is an FE or HE college;
Discussion with the class teacher/form tutor and other school/college staff;
Work alongside the child/young person in class;
Individual assessment work. This might involve using tests, questionnaires or interview techniques for eliciting views;
Discussion with other external professionals who are working with you or your child/young person e.g. speech therapist, specialist teacher;
Scrutiny of reports or other written information completed by other external professionals working with you or your child/young person;
Scrutiny of school/college information, including SEN records;
Group work or therapeutic work.
Parents and carers will always be offered an appointment to meet with me prior to or during the assessment process. This will usually take place in school and the SENDCo will make the arrangements.
In instances where I am asked to assess a number of pupils / students at a school by the school it may not be possible to meet with parents but the SENDCo will be the point of contact with parents.
I may share your information in some circumstances provided it has been anonymised. For example, I might discuss the work I have done with you or your child/young person with other professionals in order to gain advice and to check that we are drawing reasonable conclusions and making good decisions. This is called supervision and it is common for professionals in health, care and education to ask for advice from their colleagues in this way. If we do discuss the work we have done in supervision, we will not pass on personal information that would allow another professional to identify your child.
Apart from the supervision mentioned above and liaison with external professionals who are working with you or your child/young person I, Sandra Francis, will not share information about you or your child/young person to anyone without your consent unless the law compels me to do so.
Where schools have arranged assessments consent will be sought by the school and the results of the assessment and the process will be shared with the SENDCo.
I have a duty of care towards the individuals with whom I work and therefore I would have to disregard any promise of confidentiality if I thought a child, young person or adult was in any kind of danger and would be harmed, or cause harm, if I did not disclose some information about them or intervene in some way. Under these circumstances the need to keep someone safe from harm over-rides the duty to keep information about them confidential.
How Your Data Will Be Stored
The work carried out with you or your child/young person will initially generate some paper information e.g. handwritten notes about work undertaken or completion of a paper test record booklet. This paper information will be used to create electronic written reports and/or summaries. In giving consent for me to work with you or your child/young person, you are giving permission for written reports or summaries to be completed and for copies to be sent to the school or college. The school/college will also send you a copy of the report/summary that is completed. The report or summary may also be shared with other external professionals who are currently working with you or your child/young person.
Paper information is stored in a locked cabinet at my home – the base I work from. Reports and summaries will be securely stored on a computer or in the cloud with password protection.
All information will be retained as follows:
Once a report has been produced, all paper information with the exception of the original referral form and test papers will be destroyed by shredding.
Any remaining paper information will be retained until the individual reaches the age of 18.
Once a school has left my service, all paper information will be destroyed by shredding after 2 years.
Sandra Francis | Specialist Assessor
This policy was published on 17/4/24.