My dd's Infant school gave her name and address to an outside company?

[girrafey]

Just wondered if anyone knew, or if they could tell me where is best place to go to find out if an infant school is allowed to give out my dd1's name and address to an outside company who then sent her a letter without my consent?

If they had asked for it i would have agreed etc as it was a nice christmas thing, but the fact they have done this without permission is worrying me.

We are also dealing with other issues with the school at the min, so maybe i am extra sensitive.

Thanks.

It is unusual to give out addresses. I would ask the head to explain how they achieved consent for this.

Well, technically you can complain under the data protection act, I think.

I'd be concerned about that too. Has the school profited?

What was the Christmas thing?

DDs preschool did this, dd wrote a letter to santa, who then wrote back to her at home. I am assuming teachers put address on as dd was 3 and didnt know it.

I was a bit cross, as we dont celebrate xmas so i didnt really want her writing letters asking for things she wouldnt be getting. I really wished they had asked or had letter sent to her at preschool.

I didnt say anything to the preschool though.

Bah humbug.

It's a bit bloody offensive to muslim parents too if they don't want a letter from Santa.

It is a breach of the data protection act. Much better would have been for the school to receive the letters and give them out.

yes that was it, they wrote letters in class and then the company has replied with a card. ( i wasnt aware of any of this until the card turned up yesterday), i didnt know who had done it etc until another mum mentioned her dd had one so we guess from school.

like i said if i had been asked i would have agreed, but worried about future occasions if they dont have data protection rules over this etc.

Will mention it and ask, as having a meeting in the new year (over the other issues which include receptionist lying about me and the school going behind my back and and telling dd1 who is 5 that she can eat what i have documented that she doesnt due to medical reasons!!)

Are you Muslim, Shiney?

Yes it is against the law: Data Protection Act.

However, I'd suggest an informal approach in the first instance. Somebody's screwed up but their intentions were probably good so best not to go steaming in.

No, but I know many muslims who do not celebrate christmas and would not take kindly to the icon of Santa invading their home via the postie.

There are many Muslims who get into the spirit of Christmas (it is an old Pagan festival after all) and groan at the well intentioned but ultimately misguided afforts of the chattering classes to 'stick up for Muslim rights', assuming that Muslims are offended over things like this.

It's the kind of thing that gets picked up by the Daily Mail and turned into yet another front page headline about Muslims cancelling Christmas. Muslims can speak for themselves. Please let them do so.

Shiny shoes - I assume you are an atheist?

there are plenty of icons stuck through the letter box by the postie that I don't want cominging through my letter box - in the name of junk mail, soem even addressed to me but their isn't a lot people can do about it

But looking on the bright side we didnt receive anything else so i am pretty certain that we werent added to any mailing lists or anything

I didn't say anything as I didnt want to make a fuss and dd enjoyed writing the letter and walking to the post box and posting it.

I just wish they had thought through the consequences of it for children who don't believe in FC and dont receive Christmas presents.

I dont have a problem with dd writing a list if thats what the class activity is but I am was really surprised when a letter addressed to her arrived at home saying that FC had received her letter and would be visiting her soon, because he wasnt going to.

But she was 3 and couldnt read so I just didnt read that bit to her and didnt say the letter was from FC just gave her the paper doll to play with. Now she is in reception and can read a bit it would have been slightly more of an issue.

I expect the teachers just thought that a free reply sounded like a good idea and didnt think of any of the above.

Isn't this dodgy under child protection laws? To sell the name and address of a primary aged child to an unvetted company? Can't imagine every single employee is CRB checked - which I had to be when working in student finance, because some applicants were still 17. Almost all that contact was via post, phone and email.

If not, then that's a bit of a loophole, no?