Privacy Policy

Arinola Childcare Ltd (company number 16666723), of 139 Garland Road, London SE18 2PP, is the data controller for the personal data described below. You can reach us at hello@arinolachildcare.co.uk.

Children's data — the short version

A child cannot meaningfully consent to how their information is used, so we treat every piece of data about your child as belonging to your family. We collect the minimum we need to care for them safely and lawfully, we never sell it, we never use it for marketing, and we never publish a photograph or name of your child anywhere without your specific written permission — which you can withdraw at any time.

What we collect

• Your child's name, date of birth, address and photograph for our register.
• Health information: allergies, dietary needs, medical conditions, medication, immunisations and your GP's details.
• Emergency contacts and the adults authorised to collect your child.
• Your name, address, phone, email and payment details.
• Funded-hours details: eligibility code, National Insurance number and your child's date of birth.
• Learning records: observations, photographs and progress notes about your child.
• Accident, incident, medication and existing-injury records.
• Safeguarding records where a concern has been raised.
• Enquiries you send through this website.

Why we are allowed to hold it

• Legal obligation — the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework, safeguarding law, and HMRC record-keeping rules require most of it.
• Contract — to provide the childcare place you have booked and to invoice you for it.
• Vital interests — in a medical emergency, to protect your child's life.
• Consent — for optional things such as photographs used beyond your child's own record, and for non-essential cookies on this website. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Health and safeguarding information is special category data. We handle it under Article 9(2)(b) and (c) UK GDPR, and under the safeguarding condition in Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we share it with

• Ofsted, where required, including at inspection.
• The Royal Borough of Greenwich, to validate and claim funded hours.
• Children's social care, the police or health professionals, where we have a safeguarding duty. We do not need your consent to make a safeguarding referral, and we may not always be able to tell you in advance.
• Your child's next setting or school, with your agreement, to help them settle.
• Our accountant and our secure record-keeping software provider, under written contracts.

We do not transfer personal data outside the UK.

How long we keep it

• Registration and attendance records: 3 years after your child leaves.
• Accident and medication records: until the child's 25th birthday.
• Safeguarding records: until the child's 25th birthday, or longer where an investigation requires it.
• Financial records: 6 years, as HMRC requires.
• Website enquiries that do not lead to a place: 12 months.

Keeping it safe

Paper records are locked away on site. Digital records are held on password-protected, encrypted devices and accounts with two-factor authentication. Only Arinola and staff who need a record to do their job can see it. Personal phones are not used to photograph children.

Your rights

You can ask to see the data we hold, have it corrected, ask us to delete it where we are not legally required to keep it, restrict or object to how we use it, receive a copy in a portable format, and withdraw any consent you have given. Write to us and we will respond within one month, free of charge. As a parent you can normally exercise these rights on your child's behalf.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. We would appreciate the chance to put it right first.

This website

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