Privacy

RGS Worcester maintains a database of alumni (former pupils) / ex-staff / friends / supporters / parents in order to stay in touch with our community and keep them updated about news, events, careers initiatives and fundraising activities.

Some of our database (but not all) choose to join our online community by registering on this website and creating an online profile. In both instances (individuals with offline database records and individuals with online profiles), we collect and store personal information (or ‘data’) about you. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and follow the Privacy Policy Alumni and Fundraising August 2024 which sets out what information we collect about you, where and how we use (‘process’) it. We may change this Privacy Notice from time to time. Please check this page occasionally to make sure you are happy with any changes.

If you have any questions about the Alumni and Fundraising Privacy Notice or concerning your personal information, please contact Scott MacDonald (Foundation Director) at foundation@rgsw.org.uk.

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and any subsequent UK legislation covering data protection, the Data Controller is the School's Privacy and Compliance Officer, John Jones.

In conjunction with what is listed in the Alumni and Fundraising Privacy Notice the personal information we collect through this website may include:

Participation in our events, emails, competitions, surveys and other activities
Donations made to RGS Worcester and/or The RGSW and AOS Foundation
Geo-location data (your geographical location based on your IP address)
Log-ins and activity on the website
A record of payments made via the website (but we do not store your credit/ debit card details as these are processed securely externally by a third-party payment provider) which could include event tickets, shop purchases or online donations
Consent options and communication preferences
Content (such as announcements, stories, photos, documents, comments, events, jobs) that you post on this website or provide to us by other means
Messages that you send to other community members via the direct messaging system when logged in to this website

Updating your consent preferences through the website
If you have an online profile on this website you can update your consent options by logging-in and clicking on ‘My Settings’ in your profile. Scroll down to find your ‘Consent options’ where you will see a list of consents and the options ‘opt-in’, ‘opt-out’ and ‘unspecified’.

Via ‘My Settings’ you can also choose to hide your profile from Google, limit access to your profile so that it’s only viewable to your connections and adjust some of the automatic notifications that you receive from this website. Please note that your name (but not full profile) may appear in various places around the community website, such as a ‘Recent Joiners’ box and in ‘Search’ results irrespective of the privacy settings you have selected.

If we are using consent as our legal basis for processing your data, we must have an explicit ‘opt-in’ from you for this specific type of processing.

If we are using legitimate interests as our legal basis for processing your data, we will process your data responsibly in a way that you would reasonably expect, and you can opt-out at any stage.

If you click ‘unsubscribe’ at the bottom of one of our emails sent you will be automatically opted-out of these types of email communications in the future.

If you want to contact us about your consent preferences please contact Scott MacDonald by telephone/ email on 01905 613391 / foundation@rgsw.org.uk.

How we keep your information safe
We understand the importance of keeping your personal information secure and take appropriate steps to safeguard it.

Your data is stored on a dedicated, secure cloud server hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the EU and managed by our website provider, ToucanTech. Industry standard firewalls, anti-virus, encryption and back-up methods are in place, as well as strict data handling protocols.

We always ensure only authorised persons have access to your information, which means only our approved employees and contractors, and that everyone who has access is appropriately trained in data management.

If you have an online profile for this website you are responsible for keeping your login details (email and password) confidential and we ask that you do not share your password with anyone.

No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. So, whilst we strive to safeguard your information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you provide online and you do this at your own risk.

Who has access to your information?

In addition to the parties listed in the Alumni and Fundraising Privacy Notice, users on the website may have their data shared by web hosting, email hosting, analytics and search engine providers that enable us to run our community database and improve our website and its use

Other than this we will not share your information with other organisations without your consent.

Keeping your information up to date through the website
Please would you let us know if your contact details change. Online members can update your details directly by logging-in to the website and clicking on ‘My Settings’ under your profile. You can also update your details by contacting us at foundation@rgsw.org.uk.

Cookies
Some information and data may be automatically collected through the use of cookies on this website. Cookies are small text files employed on the website to recognise repeat users and allow us to observe behaviour and compile aggregate data in order to improve the user-experience we provide for our website visitors.

The law states that we can store cookies on your machine if they are essential to the operation of the website, but that for all others we need your permission to do so. The list below explains the cookies we use and why:

Cookie Description	Name	Purpose
Session Cookie	RGS Worcester_Member_Code RGS Worcester_PyroCMS	Used to remember you as you travel from page to page in a single session (without leaving the website) in order to provide a continuous and unified experience
Functional Cookie	RGS Worcester_Identify	Used to remember your login details when you return to the website after previously logging out, by storing them in your browser. This cookie is turned off by default and is only activated when you select the ‘Remember Me’ check box during login.

Opting out of cookies
If you do not wish to receive cookies from us or any other website, you should be able to turn cookies off on your web browser: please follow your browser provider’s instruction in order to do so. Unfortunately, we cannot accept liability for any malfunctioning of your computer or its installed web browser as a result of any attempt to turn off cookies.

To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.

Use of aggregated data
Where data can be aggregated and anonymised, our website provider (ToucanTech) might use this for research purposes without restriction. For example, they may monitor traffic patterns, site usage, response rates and data trends to help make improvement to the website software. They are entitled to do this because the resulting data will not personally identify you and will therefore no longer constitute personal data for the purposes of data protection laws.

How long we keep your information for
We will hold your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the relevant activity. Where we rely on your consent to contact you for direct email marketing/ fundraising purposes, we will treat your consent as lasting only for as long as it is reasonable to do so. We may periodically ask you to renew your consent.

If you ask us to stop contacting you, we will keep a record of your contact details and limited information needed to ensure we comply with your request. If you ask us to remove your personal data from our database we will delete all the information we hold apart from your name and the dates that you attended RGS Worcester, The Alice Ottley School or Dodderhill School and archive your record in our database.

Your rights
You have the right to request details of how we use your personal information through making a Subject Access Request. Such requests have to be made in writing by contacting the Privacy and Compliance Officer, John Jones, at RGS Worcester, Upper Tything, Worcester, WR1 1HP.

You also have the following rights:

to request rectification of information that is inaccurate or out of date;
to erasure of your information (the “right to be forgotten”);
to restrict the way in which we are dealing with and using your information;
to request that your information be provided to you in a format that is secure and suitable for re-use (the “right to portability”);
in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

All of these rights are subject to certain safeguards and limits or exemptions. To exercise any of these rights, you should contact John Jones at the above address.

If you are not happy with the way in which we have processed or dealt with your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Further details about how to complain can be found here https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

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This Policy was last updated in August 2024.