Help! Advice on deputy headteacher asking me about my home life in front of another parent unknown to me!

[Halfpintmumma]

Hi I’ve had an issue with my sons deputy head teacher, she’s asked me if I was still with my sons father, because she had two different addresses one for me & one for my sons father, now I’m not really bothered her asking this as parents don’t always stay together & can co-parent well, which is the case for us. but what has bothered me is another parent who I do not know was sitting in the office with us at this time, I feel like my right to privacy has been invaded. Is this a breach of data protection? What do I do? Who do I report this to?

Can't believe anyone actually gives a fuck

Yeah I'm not sure I agree that it does need changing though. It's another one of those cases where I ask myself what the hell has happened to common sense?

Excellent. So the only real solution to people overhearing things that they almost certainly don't give two hoots about is a fundamental redesign of every medical setting, pharmacy, school office and countless other places, just in case a risk may happen because someone overhears the address of another person.

Sounds like a sensible world.

(I do think OP should raise this specific issue. I just think there's a difference in mindset between a data protection lecturer and someone who actually deals with this day to day. And yes, teacher have limited training - I get about 20 minutes a year - but that's because other training takes priority)

It's more significant than that though. People may also avoid getting help/ explaining issues because they are worried about being heard.

And how can that be solved? Because our school office is an open office with four members of staff, each of whom may need to speak to someone.

Parents do also have the option to call. Even so, we cannot guarantee that others would be unable to overhear what is said by the person answer the phone.

Agree

As is your rudeness and failure to understand my point.

Nobody reads them out though (at least, not that I remember). They ask for you to confirm them and if you were worried about privacy you'd ask to go to a different area. I've even seen signs giving you that option.
It's the difference between "What's your marital status Ms X?" and "Can you confirm you are divorced Ms X"?

Honestly and then people wonder why they have poor relationships with their kids teachers. If you think that these kind of spurious complaints don't affect your child in school, you're wrong. They always do.

Re address at clinic reception, they do ask to confirm you still at xnumber, x street, x town. As for hospital wards, you are asked far more intrusive/ personal questions than your marital status.

This sort of unhinged self-obsessed nonsense is why schools have no time to look after the actual kids

Whilst it might be a ‘breach’, the kindest, easiest, most constructive thing to do would be to speak to the member of staff and explain why it was a breach and (if you wanted to) why it made you feel uncomfortable. The big, dramatic thing to do, is to make it formal. That’s a lot of stress for the member of staff over a minor issue. I’m not sure what you gain by going nuclear.

I know you haven’t asked for this but it is an open forum so here goes: I would be concerned about your mental health with your reaction to this situation. Have you got over your separation as it sounds like you are struggling with the end of your relationship ? It also sounds like you have a lot going on with a non verbal child but, honestly, your reaction is very, very dramatic.