Data Sharing with NHS

Data is customarily supplied to NHS colleagues for two purposes. The first is to ensure continuity of health care when pupils move from one school to another or change home address. The second is to facilitate the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). Guidance on both is available for download.

The sharing of data when pupils change school or address is notified to data subjects via the issuing of Privacy Notices.  A document available for download below gives guidance on the extent of the data that should be supplied for this purpose.

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is an annual programme to measure the height and weight of all children in Reception and Year 6. The NCMP information is used to help the NHS and local authorities plan and provide better health services for children. The latest Department of Health guidance for schools, together with further information on the NCMP, may be found on the Department of Health website.

Schools ICT Services have produced a report that will extract the required data from SIMS. This may be downloaded from the SIMs Support Page of the Schools ICT website (see link below) or by entering the search term 'NCMP' in the 'Search Schools ICT' box at the top right of any SICTS web page.

Schools should note that a wider range of data is required for the NCMP. Section 1.26 of the DoH guidance says "Schools may need to provide PCT staff with class lists containing the school name and unique reference number, pupil names, sex, dates of birth, ethnicity codes, home postcodes and home addresses when results are to be sent to parents for all pupils in Reception Year and Year 6". Also, section 1.31 explains that the collection and processing of information is governed by legal provisions in regulations under the NHS Act 2006.

Useful downloads

Guidance on Data for Continuity of Health Care