This Privacy Policy sets out how the College manages personal information provided to or collected by it.

The College is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act. In relation to health records, the College is also bound by the New South Wales Health Privacy Principles contained in the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (Health Records Act).

The College may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to the College’s operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing school environment.

Personal information collected by the College 

The type of information the College collects and holds includes (but is not limited to) personal information, including health and other sensitive information, about:

• Students and parents and/or guardians (‘Parents’) before, during and after the course of a student’s enrolment at the College;
• Job applicants, staff members, volunteers and contractors; and
• Other people who come into contact with the College.

PLC Armidale collects personal information, including information classified as ‘sensitive’ under the Privacy Act 1988, about students, parents and guardians and during the course of a student’s enrolment at the College. The primary purpose of collecting this information is to enable the College to provide education to its students.

Some of the information collected is to satisfy the College’s legal obligations, particularly to enable the College to discharge its duty of care.

Certain laws governing or relating to the operation of schools require that certain information is collected. These include Public Health and Child Protection laws.

How the College collects this information

The College will generally collect personal information held about an individual by way of paper and online forms filled out by parents or students, face-to-face meetings and interviews, emails and telephone calls. On occasions people other than parents and students provide personal information.

Health information about students is sensitive information within the terms of the National Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act. The College will ask you to provide medical reports and information about your daughter from time to time.

How will the College use personal information 

In relation to personal information of students and parents, the College’s primary purpose of collection is to enable the College to provide schooling for the student. This includes satisfying the needs of parents, the needs of the student and the needs of the College throughout the whole period the student is enrolled at the College.

The purposes for which the College uses personal information of students and parents include:

• To keep Parents informed about matters related to their child’s schooling, through correspondence, newsletters and magazines;
• Day-to-day administration of the College;
• Providing a range of educational, co-curricular and organisational tools and services to students;
• Looking after students’ educational, social and medical wellbeing;
• Maintaining contact with former students through the Old Girls’ Union and Foundation;
• Seeking donations and marketing for the College; and
• Satisfying the College’s legal obligations and allow the College to discharge its duty of care.

In some cases where the College requests personal information about a student or parent, if the information requested is not provided, the College may not be able to enrol or continue the enrolment of the student or permit the student to take part in a particular activity.

The College from time to time discloses personal and sensitive information to others for administrative and educational purposes. This includes to other schools, government departments, medical practitioners and people providing services to the College, including specialist visiting teachers, sports and other coaches and volunteers.

Personal information collected from students is regularly disclosed to their parents or guardians as appropriate. The College uses images and/or names of students as part of recognition of their achievements, their participation and for information about the College. If you do not agree to this you must inform the Principal in writing.

Parents may seek access to personal information collected about them and their daughter(s) by contacting the College. Students may also seek access to personal information about themselves. However, there will be occasions when access is denied. Such occasions would include where access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, where access may result in breach of the College’s duty of care to the student, or where students have provided information in confidence.

From time to time the College engages in fundraising activities. Information received from you may be used to make an appeal to you. It may also be disclosed to related organisations such as the Old Girls’ Union, the PLC Armidale Foundation and the Parents’ and Friends Association that assist in the College’s fundraising activities. We will not disclose your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes without your consent.

We may include your contact details in a class or year group list, sporting list or activity list. If you do not agree to this you must inform the Principal in writing.

If you provide the College with the personal information of others, such as doctors or emergency contacts, we encourage you to inform them that you are disclosing that information to the College and why, that they can access that information if they wish, and that the College does not usually disclose the information to third parties.

Any parent, guardian or other person concerned about any aspect of this notice should contact the Principal.

Use or disclosure of personal information about an individual for a purpose other than those state above, or without consent, will not occur.

Employees

Job applicants, staff members and contractors: In relation to personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors, the College’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 the College uses personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors include:

• Administering the individual’s employment or contract, as the case may be;
• Insurance purposes;
• Providing a range of tools and services to staff, volunteers and contractors;
• Seeking donations and marketing for the College; and
• Satisfying the College’s legal obligations, for example, in relation to child protection legislation.

Volunteers

The College also obtains personal information about volunteers who assist the College in its functions or conduct associated activities, such as the Old Girls’ Union.

Marketing and fundraising

The College treats marketing and seeking donations for the future growth and development of the College as an important part of ensuring that the College continues to provide a quality learning environment in which both students and staff thrive. Personal information held by the College may be disclosed to organisations that assist in the College’s fundraising, for example, the College’s Foundation or alumni organisation.

The College retains limited personal information about past students and staff in the College’s archives, which may be used for the purposes described above and historical purposes, including future reference, study or exhibition.

Parents, staff, contractors and other members of the wider School community may from time to time receive fundraising information. School publications, like printed and online newsletters and magazines, which include personal information, may be used for marketing purposes.

Exception in relation to employee records

Under the Privacy Act and Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), the Australian Privacy Principles and Health Privacy Principles do not apply to an employee record. As a result, this Privacy Policy does not apply to the College’s treatment of an employee record, where the treatment is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between the College and employee.

Enquiries and complaints

If you would like further information about the way the College manages the personal information it holds, or wish to complain that you believe that the College has breached the Australian Privacy Principles please contact the Principal. The College will investigate any complaint and will notify you of the making of a decision in relation to your complaint as soon as is practicable after it has been made.