REC Privacy Notice – 12 March 2024

About us

The Religious Education Council of England and Wales represents the collective interests of a wide variety of professional associations and faith and belief communities in deepening and strengthening the provision for religious education. We provide a multi-faith and belief forum where national organisations with an interest in supporting and promoting religious education in schools and colleges can share matters of common concern. We are open to all organisations committed to our aims and who fulfil our membership requirements.

The Religious Education Council of England and Wales is a charity and a company limited by guarantee under company number 5907308, and charity number 1116543. Our registered address and contact details can be found in the header and at the end of this notice.

Your privacy is important to us and we will not do anything to violate your trust.

What type of information we have

We currently collect and process the following information:

  • Although our members are organisations we hold the names and contact details of their authorised representatives. This includes organisations in the process of applying for membership.
  • We also hold the names and contact details of our trustees and the other members of our committees. If expenses are claimed we will hold bank details.
  • We collect information, including names and contact details, as part of the application process for employees, volunteers, and contractors.
  • We have the contact details of those individuals who have asked for a monthly email update, newsletters, or other updates and communication on our activities.
  • We have the contact details of schools and staff, and store information regarding the assessment process, for those who have registered, applied, or completed the RE Quality Mark.

How we get the information and why we have it

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:

  • Involvement with a member organisation or one applying for membership.
  • Becoming a trustee, volunteer, employee, or contractor.
  • Registering for, applying for, undertaking, or completing the RE Quality Mark.
  • Asking for a monthly email update, newsletter, marketing communication, or other update, or communication on our activities, either directly to us or through Mailchimp.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:

(a) Your consent, where you have asked for

  • a monthly email update, newsletter, marketing communication, or other update, or communication on our activities. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting us using the information in this notice.

(b) We have a contractual obligation, which applies to part of our relationship with employees, contractors, or,  RE Quality Mark registered schools.

(c) We have a legal obligation. This applies to information required to draw up and evidence our accounts and any returns required by either Companies House, HM Revenue and Customs, or the Charity Commission.

(f) We have a legitimate interest given the nature of our organisation, which also applies to our relationship with employees and contractors.

What we do with the information we have

We use the information that you have given us as follows:

  • Current data relating to the representatives of member organisations is used to contact those organisations and communicate news of meetings and of the work of the REC, and may be used to share matters of interest related to religious education.
  • Trustee, staff, and volunteer data is retained in order to fulfil our legal and other duties and to ensure correct payment by our bank.
  • Meeting contractual and legal obligations regarding provision of the RE Quality Mark, including assessments, awards, and communications, to registered schools and staff.
  • Providing a monthly email update, newsletter, marketing communication, or other update or communication on our activities to those who have requested it.

How we store your information

Current member organisation data is retained for as long as is required for the effective functioning of the REC. Superseded data is deleted when we are advised of new data. Data relating to a member organisation that leaves membership of the REC is deleted where it is not required for effective functioning of the REC.

Data collected when recruiting staff and contractors is retained for that member of staff or contractor while engaged and for a limited period afterwards. Data relating to unsuccessful applicants is retained securely for a limited period.

Data is kept securely on our email server, in password protected files, or in locked phyiscal files, only accessible to the Executive Officer and REC employees or volunteers, authorised by the EO, who requires the information in order to communicate with, or fulfil our obligations to, a member organisation, staff member, REQM registered school, or contractor.

Data regarding those who have signed up for email updates, newsletters, marketing communications, or other updates or communication on our activities, including members, REQM School staff, and others who have requested these updates, are managed by us and through Mailchimp.com, if they acknowledged or requested their information be transferred to Mailchimp.com for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy practices.

To unsubscribe from an RE Council mailing list, monthly email update, newsletter, marketing communication, or other update, or communication on our activities, please click here.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

  • Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
  • Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
  • Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
  • Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
  • Your right to object to processing – You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
  • Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not usually required to pay any charge for exercising your rights, although we are allowed to charge an administrative fee based on the costs incurred by us, if the request is excessive or repeated. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Please contact us if you wish to make a request at:

Religious Education Council of England and Wales
Northgate House
North Gate
New Basford
Nottingham
NG7 7BQ

Email: info@religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk

How to complain

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this privacy notice

We may make changes to this Privacy Notice from time to time and will post the updated version on our website at religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk.

This version: 12 March 2024