Privacy notice
Who we are
HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) carries out inspections and reviews of education and related services in Scotland to promote improvement and ensure positive outcomes for learners.
HMIE is the controller for the personal information described in this notice.
Why we collect personal information
We collect and use personal information to enable us to carry out our statutory functions. This includes:
- planning and undertaking inspections
- evaluating and reporting on the quality of educational provision
- engaging with learners, parents, staff and other stakeholders
- supporting improvement in education and related services
- monitoring and improving our own performance
- meeting our legal and regulatory obligation
We will only use personal information for purposes that are compatible with these functions.
How do we get information?
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us for one of the following reasons:
- managing inspection and review programmes, including timelines, live inspection tracking, and pre and post inspection processes
- as part of evidence provided to us by our partners when undertaking an education inspection of review
- information provided through questionnaires, surveys, consultations and interviews during an inspection process
- audio, written or digital submissions where these are provided for national reviews, case studies or examples of good practice
- views, comments and feedback from wider stakeholder engagement opportunities
- you have made an enquiry, complaint or information request from us
- you visited our website and consent to the use of cookies
- you have applied for a position with us
Legal basis for processing
We process personal information under the following lawful bases:
- Public task – processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority
- Legal obligation – where processing is necessary for compliance with legal obligations
- Consent – where you have given your consent for specific activities (for example, voluntary surveys or case studies)
- Contract - processing is necessary for a contract we have with you, or because you have asked us to take specific steps before entering into a employment or procurement contract
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
How we share your information
We may share personal information with other organisations where this is necessary and lawful, including:
- the Scottish Government and other public bodies
- local authorities and education providers
- organisations contracted to support HMIE activities
We ensure that any information sharing is carried out in accordance with data protection legislation and appropriate safeguards are in place.
Information from inspections may be published in reports. We take steps to ensure that individuals are not identified unless there is a clear and lawful basis to do so.
How long we keep your information
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. Retention periods are set in line with HMIE’s records management arrangements and legal requirements.
How we keep your information secure
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. These include:
- secure IT systems and data storage
- controls on access to information
- staff training on data protection and information security
Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we use your information, you can contact:
HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)
Email: SAR@HMIE.gov.scot
Data Protection Officer
HMIE’s Data Protection Officer is provided by Tkm Consulting (Craigellachie) Limited. Their contact details are: info@tkmconsulting.co.uk
Your rights
Under data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal information, including:
Right of access - You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you (known as a Subject Access Request). This right always applies, although some exemptions may mean you do not receive all the information we process.
Right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to correct or update personal information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. This right always applies.
Right to erasure - You have the right to request that we delete your personal information in certain circumstances. However, this is not an absolute right and may not apply where we have a legal obligation to retain the data or where processing is otherwise lawful.
Right to restrict processing - You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. This means we may store your data but not use it.
Right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information where we process it as part of our public task. We will consider your objection and respond in accordance with the law.
Right to data portability - You have the right to request that we transfer the personal information you have provided to us to another organisation, or to you. This right only applies where processing is based on your consent or on a contract, and where the processing is carried out by automated means.
To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details below.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled.
You can also raise a complaint through HMIE’s internal complaints process.
Changes to this privacy notice
We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website.