Privacy Policy
This statement outlines St. Francis Xavier's policy on the
use and management of personal information provided to or
collected by it.
The school is bound by the National Privacy Principles contained
in the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
St. Francis Xavier may, from time to time, review and update
this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology,
changes to the school's operations and practices and to make
sure it remains appropriate to the changing school environment.
What kind of personal information does a school collect
and how does a school collect it?
The type of information schools collect and hold includes
(but is not limited to) personal information, including sensitive
information, about:
- pupils and parents and/or guardians before, during and
after the course of a pupil's enrolment at the school;
- job applicants, staff members, volunteers and contractors;
and
- other people who come into contact with the school.
Personal Information you provide: A school
will generally collect personal information held about an
individual by way of forms filled out by Parents or pupils,
face-to-face meetings and interviews, and telephone calls.
On occasions people other than Parents and pupils provide
personal information.
Personal Information provided by other people:
In some circumstances a school may be provided with personal
information about an individual from a third party, for example
a report provided by a medical professional or a reference
from another school.
Exception in relation to employee records:
Under the Privacy Act the National Privacy Principles do not
apply to an employee record. As a result, this Privacy Policy
does not apply to the School's treatment of an employee record,
where the treatment is directly related to a current or former
employment relationship between the school and employee.
How will a school use the personal information you provide?
A school will use personal information it collects from you
for the primary purpose of collection, and for such other
secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose
of collection and reasonably expected, or to which you have
consented.
Pupils and Parents: In relation to personal
information of pupils and Parents, a school's primary purpose
of collection is to enable the school to provide schooling
for the pupil. This includes satisfying both the needs of
Parents and the needs of the pupil throughout the whole period
the pupil is enrolled at the school.
The purposes for which a school uses personal
information of pupils and Parents include:
- to keep Parents informed about matters related to their
child's schooling, through correspondence, newsletters and
magazines;
- day-to-day administration;
- looking after pupils' educational, social, spiritual and
medical wellbeing;
- seeking donations and marketing for the school;
- to satisfy the school's legal obligations and allow the
school to discharge its duty of care.
In some cases where a school requests personal information
about a pupil or Parent, if the information requested is not
obtained, the school may not be able to enrol or continue
the enrolment of the pupil.
Job applicants, staff members and contractors: In
relation to personal information of job applicants, staff
members and contractors, a 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 a 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;
- seeking funds and marketing for the school;
- to satisfy the School's legal obligations, for example,
in relation to child protection legislation.
Volunteers: A school also obtains personal
information about volunteers who assist the school in its
functions or conduct associated activities to enable the school
and the volunteers to work together.
Marketing and fundraising: Schools treat marketing
and seeking donations for the future growth and development
of the school as an important part of ensuring that the school
continues to be a quality learning environment in which both
pupils and staff thrive. Personal information held by a school
may be disclosed to an organisation that assists in the school's
fundraising, for example, the school's Parents and Friends
or alumni organisation.
Parents, staff, contractors and other members of the wider
school community may from time to time receive fundraising
information. School publications, like newsletters and magazines,
which include personal information, may be used for marketing
purposes.
Who might a school disclose personal information to?
A school may disclose personal information, including sensitive
information, held about an individual to:
- another school;
- government departments;
- your local parish;
- medical practitioners;
- people providing services to the school, including specialist
visiting teachers and sports coaches;
- recipients of school publications, like newsletters and
magazines;
- Parents; and
- anyone you authorise the school to disclose information
to.
Sending information overseas: A 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 the National Privacy Principles.
How does a school treat sensitive information?
In referring to 'sensitive information', a school means:
information relating to a person's racial or ethnic origin,
political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional
or trade association membership, sexual preferences or criminal
record, that is also personal information; and health information
about an individual.
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
or disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed by law.
Management and security of personal information
The schools' staff are required to respect the confidentiality
of pupils' and parents' personal information and the privacy
of individuals.
Each school has in place steps to protect the personal information
the school holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification
or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage
of paper records and pass worded access rights to computerised
records.
Updating personal information
Each school endeavours to ensure that the personal information
it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date. A person may
seek to update their personal information held by a school
by contacting the Principal's Secretary of the school at any
time.
The National Privacy Principles require a school not to store
personal information longer than necessary.
You have the right to check what personal information
a school holds about you.
Under the Commonwealth Privacy Act, an individual has the
right to obtain access to any personal information which the
school holds about them and to advise the school of any perceived
inaccuracy. There are some exceptions to this right set out
in the Act. Pupils will generally have access to their personal
information through their parents, but older pupils may seek
access themselves.
To make a request to access any information the school holds
about you or your child, please contact the school's Principal
in writing.
The school may require you to verify your identity and specify
what information you require. The school may charge a fee
to cover the cost of verifying your application and locating,
retrieving, reviewing and copying any material requested.
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 pupils.
The school respects every Parent's right to make decisions
concerning their child's education.
Generally, a school will refer any requests for consent and
notices in relation to the personal information of a pupil
to the pupil's Parents. A school will treat consent given
by Parents as consent given on behalf of the pupil, and notice
to Parents will act as notice given to the pupil.
Parents may seek access to personal information held by a
school about them or their child by contacting the school's
Principal. However, there will be occasions when access is
denied. Such occasions would include where release of the
information would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy
of others, or where the release may result in a breach of
the school's duty of care to the pupil.
A school may, at its discretion, on the request of a pupil
grant that pupil access to information held by the school
about them, or allow a pupil to give or withhold consent to
the use of their personal information, independently of their
Parents. This would normally be done only when the maturity
of the pupil and/or the pupil's personal circumstances so
warranted.
Enquiries
If you would like further information about the way the school
manages the personal information it holds, please contact
the College Principal.
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