This article is based on guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
What is a data protection complaint?
People can complain to you if they believe you haven't correctly followed data protection legislation in the way you’ve handled their personal information (or the personal information of someone they're acting on behalf of).
For example, a pupil or parent could complain about:
- The way you’ve responded to their subject access request (SAR)
- The security measures you’ve used to protect their information
- How you’ve collected or used their personal information
To complain, they don’t have to use legal terms or quote sections of the legislation.
If you’re not sure if someone is making a data protection complaint, you should ask them to clarify so you can make sure you're following the right procedures (your usual complaints procedure might follow different timeframes).
Can pupils make data protection complaints?
However,