Statement on confidentiality and data security
Updated 30 October 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofquals-statistics-policies-and-procedures/statement-on-confidentiality
We will ensure that the official statistics we publish do not reveal the identity of any individuals or schools or colleges, or any private information about them.
Private information that we collect for producing official statistics is confidential and we use it for statistical purposes only. All data is collected, stored and used within legal requirements such as the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018)(DPA).
We seek advice from Ofqual’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) as needed to ensure compliance with data protection obligations.
For more information on Ofqual’s general approach to handling personal data, see our personal information charter.
How we define private information
Private information is information that:
- relates to an identifiable legal or natural person
- is not in the public domain or widely known
- could cause them damage, harm or distress if made public
A ‘legal person’ refers to a company or organisation with legal rights and responsibilities. A ‘natural person’ refers to a member of the public. In our publications, the term ‘individual’ includes both legal and natural persons, whether living or deceased.
Information that is lawfully in the public domain and readily accessible does not automatically become confidential when used to produce statistics.
How we ensure confidentiality
To ensure confidentiality, we:
- keep confidential information secure and restrict access to trained staff who understand their responsibilities under data protection laws
- Clearly explain our confidentiality protections to survey participants
- Balance privacy protections with the need to produce useful statistics
- share confidential statistical data with other organisations (such as the Department for Education) for statistical purposes only; these organisations must sign a data sharing agreement outlining the intended use and protection measures and we maintain detailed records of all data transfers
- apply disclosure control (for example, rounding) to numbers wherever it is needed to prevent identification of individuals, or the release of private information
Data security
We take the security of the data we collect very seriously. To ensure that data is used and processed securely, it is:
- stored and processed on secured IT platforms
- only available to authorised staff members
In addition, all authorised staff receive comprehensive training in data protection principles and matters related to the civil service code of conduct. All data is handled in compliance with the UK GDPR and DPA.