Privacy Policy

Purpose of this Privacy Policy

This notice explains how NICIE collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable legislation. NICIE only collects pupil data directly in rare and specific circumstances, such as when we are supporting a proposed new Integrated school or a school considering transformation, and have agreed with the school or parent group to manage an Expression of Interest process. We do not manage integrated schools and have no routine access to or responsibility for their pupil records or other operational data. We do not collect or hold pupil data except where necessary for a time-limited and clearly defined purpose.

This privacy notice applies to:

• Prospective, current, and former pupils whose information we may hold;
• Parents, families, carers, and legal guardians;
• Individuals engaging with us through Expressions of Interest (EOI), consultations, or events;
• Individuals who contact us or participate in our programmes, training, evaluations, or events;
• Visitors to our website or users of our online services.

For information about how NICIE processes personal data relating to employees, directors, associates, and volunteers, please refer to NICIE’s separate Internal Staff Privacy Notice, available on request.

Our Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

NICIE processes personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The legal basis we rely on will depend on the specific context and purpose of processing.

We may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under Article 6(1) UK GDPR:

• (a) Consent – where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose.
• (b) Contractual necessity – where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party, or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract (e.g. job applications, employee or volunteer agreements).
• (c) Legal obligation – where processing is necessary for us to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).
• (d) Vital interests – in rare cases, where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life (e.g. safeguarding concerns).
• (e) Public task – where processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or in the exercise of our official authority as a non-departmental public body.
• (f) Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, and these interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms. This may apply to activities which are not core public tasks but are proportionate, expected, and support NICIE’s operations.

Where we process special category data (e.g. ethnicity, religion, health information), we rely on one or more of the following bases under Article 9(2) UK GDPR:

• (a) Explicit consent – where you have clearly agreed to the processing.
• (g) Substantial public interest – including for equality monitoring or educational access, subject to appropriate safeguards.

What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following data:

a) About Children and Young People (in very limited and rare circumstances)

We rarely collect data directly about children or young people. In most cases, this information is held and managed by schools. NICIE may collect limited information only where we are directly supporting an Expression of Interest (EOI) process on behalf of a proposed new integrated school or a school considering transformation. These instances are infrequent, time-bound, and clearly defined, with data collected only for the intended purpose and with appropriate consent. This data may include:

• Name, date of birth, age
• Gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality
• Contact details (address, phone)
• Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility
• Previous school or pre-school attended

b) About Parents/Families/Carers

• Name, contact details
• Ethnicity, religion, language, nationality
• Relationship to child

c) Through Digital or Event Interactions

• Event sign-in data, photos or videos
• Survey responses or feedback forms
• Website usage data (see Cookie Policy)

d) For Operational, Research, or Public Engagement Purposes

• Group photographs or case studies (with consent)
• Public consultation responses
• Complaints or correspondence
• Attendance at NICIE events or workshops

How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal data through:

• Online Expression of Interest forms
• Direct communication (email, phone, in-person)
• Schools or partner organisations (e.g. Education Authority, DE)
• Event registration or surveys
• Website cookies and tracking technologies (see Cookie Policy)

Why We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

Where we rely on public task, this refers to NICIE’s duties as a non-departmental public body under the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

Consent and Children’s Rights

Where we rely on consent, it will be:

• Freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous;
• Withdrawable at any time by contacting admin@nicie.org.uk.

Under UK GDPR, individuals aged 13 and over may lawfully provide their own consent for certain types of data processing. However, NICIE has adopted a more cautious and child-centred approach:

We always seek parental or legal guardian consent for anyone under 18 when processing identifiable information such as photographs or stories for promotional purposes.

In line with children’s rights principles, we will also seek the child or young person’s own agreement wherever appropriate, ensuring they are involved in decisions about how their image or data is used.

Consent for image or video use is normally valid for up to five years, unless withdrawn earlier.

Data Sharing

We may share data with:

• Education Authority (EA)
• Integrated schools (e.g. where data relates to a development proposal or shared initiative)
• Integrated Education Fund (IEF)
• Department of Education (DE)
• New or transforming schools
• Health & Social Care Trusts or PSNI (if legally required)
• Professional advisors or service providers (e.g. IT support or mailing services, under contract)

We do not sell or rent personal data to third parties. Data sharing is carried out under appropriate agreements and legal safeguards.

International Transfers

We do not routinely transfer data outside the UK. Where data is transferred internationally, including to the EU, appropriate safeguards are applied in line with UK GDPR. This may include reliance on adequacy regulations or the use of standard contractual clauses.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain data only as long as necessary. This includes:

• Expression of Interest records: up to 5 years
• Case for Change documentation: up to 10 years
• Event registration: 3 years (unless renewed)
• Photo and video consent for children: 5 years (unless withdrawn earlier)
• General correspondence: typically up to 3 years, or longer where necessary in line with NICIE’s internal data retention policy (currently under review)

Some data may be retained for historical archiving (e.g. founding pupil lists or school photos) where proportionate and subject to rights of erasure.

NICIE’s internal retention policy is currently under review and will determine the specific periods for which we retain different categories of data. For now, data is held only as long as necessary for its original purpose or for compliance with legal and audit requirements.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion (where lawful to do so)
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Restrict or limit certain processing
• Data portability (if applicable)

To exercise these rights, contact NICIE’s Data Controller:

Email: admin@nicie.org.uk
Phone: 028 9694 4200
Address: NICIE, James House, 2–4 Cromac Avenue, Belfast BT7 2JA

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

ICO Northern Ireland
3rd Floor, 14 Cromac Place, Belfast, BT7 2JB
Email: ni@ico.org.uk | Phone: 0303 123 1114

Data Security

We apply technical and organisational measures to keep your data secure. These include:

• Restricted access based on role
• Encrypted storage and secure systems
• Training for all staff
• Incident reporting and breach procedures

In the event of a personal data breach, NICIE follows its internal Data Breach Policy, including procedures for risk assessment, containment, notification, and review. Individuals will be informed without undue delay where required under UK GDPR.

Cookies and Website Analytics

When you visit our website (www.nicie.org), we may collect limited personal data using cookies, web beacons and similar tools. This is explained in our Cookie Policy.

We use cookies to:

• Understand user interaction with the site
• Improve functionality and content
• Enable secure logins or form submissions

Most cookies are used based on your active consent. When you first visit our site, you will be asked to actively choose your cookie preferences. You can change your preferences or withdraw consent at any time using your browser settings or the tools provided on our website.

Continued use of the site after accepting cookies implies agreement with our Cookie Policy.

This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit

Updates to This Privacy Notice

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website. Where appropriate, we will notify you of significant changes.

Data Relating to Job Applicants and Staff

NICIE collects and processes personal data relating to its employees, Board members, contractors, and job applicants in line with its legal obligations as an employer and public body. This includes information such as:

• Contact details and identity documentation
• Employment history, references, and qualifications
• Contractual and payroll information
• Safeguarding or vetting checks (e.g. AccessNI)
• Equal opportunities monitoring data
• Performance or disciplinary records (if applicable)

This data is collected for the purposes of:

• Processing job applications and recruitment
• Administering contracts of employment or governance
• Complying with legal obligations such as safeguarding or tax law

All data is stored securely and retained in accordance with NICIE’s internal retention schedule. For more information, please contact admin@nicie.org.uk.

Full details about how NICIE processes data for employees, directors, associates and volunteers can be found in our Internal Staff Privacy Notice, available on request.

For any questions about this privacy notice, contact our Data Protection Officer at admin@nicie.org.uk.