Introduction
The Irish Board of Speech & Drama is an independent speech, drama and communications examination body. Our purpose is to facilitate the acquisition of drama and communication skills and develop the ability of young people to express themselves dramatically. The operation of the Irish Board is governed by a distinct set of human values that emphasise encouragement, inclusivity, professionalism, relevance, flexibility and openness. Our approach to the gathering, management, retention and access to data is governed by the same values.
Information held by the Irish Board of Speech and Drama
Speech, drama and dance teachers
Name, address, email address, phone numbers, name(s) of the schools in which she/he teaches, administrative and qualitative details relating to previous examinations
Diploma candidates and holders
Name, address, email address, phone number, record of exam results
Exam candidates
For each candidate, name, type of exam taken and grade achieved, by year
Purchasers of publications
Name, address, phone number, email address, details of purchase(s)
Examiners
Name, address, phone number, email address, vetting information (including date of birth, any other names), details relating to previous centres examined, bank account details for payments
Purpose of information held
- To facilitate contact and the dissemination of information about the organisation and its operation
- To facilitate the dissemination of essential material for exam entry and administration
- To facilitate the production and award of certificates
- To monitor the progression of candidates
- To facilitate the retrieval of information, certificates and so on by candidates and teachers
- To keep a record of Garda Vetting
- To keep a record of those who are licenced by us to teach speech and drama
- To attract existing and newly qualified teachers to enter our exams
Permission sought to retain information
The Irish Board will seek permission to hold personal data in the following ways:
Speech, drama and dance teachers:
On our booking form we will include a tick box requesting permission to retain vital information relating to each teacher’s name, address, contact information and exam centre details and records in accordance with this policy.
In any broadcast email we will include details as to how the recipient may unsubscribe from our mailing list.
Diploma candidates and holders:
On the examination entry form, in the section in which each candidate accepts the rules of the Irish Board we will include a distinct sentence to the effect that the candidate’s signature will also signify assent to the Irish Board holding and retaining data in accordance with this policy.
Exam candidates:
In order to produce certificates for each candidate, the Irish Board will need to acquire and retain the name, exam type, level and result for each candidate and it will be the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that this is understood by candidates and their parents.
Purchasers of publications:
In the checkout section of dramabooks.ie we will include a tick box that requests permission to record and retain details of the transaction in accordance with this policy.
Examiners:
In the examiner availability form issued annually to examiners the Irish Board will include a tick box by which examiners will assent to the Board recording and retaining data essential to the examining process, in accordance with this policy.
Access and amendment to information
Upon request and once we have adequately verified the identity of the applicant, the IBSD/IBDP will make available to any person whose records we hold, all the information held by us and will make any amendments to that information that may be requested by the applicant.
Deletion of information
Upon written request and once we have adequately verified the identity of the applicant, the IBSD/IBDP will delete any or all of the information held in relation to any applicant. The Irish Board of Speech & Drama/ Irish Board of Dance Performance may be contacted in the following ways for this purpose:
By post to: Irish Board of Speech and Drama, D 11 Nutgrove Office Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
By email to: mail@irishboard.ie
Duration of retention of data
Speech, drama and dance teachers
We need to hold essential contact information in relation to speech, drama and dance teachers in Ireland and Northern Ireland in order to facilitate the dissemination of examination material. We will hold such records in relation to each speech, drama and dance teacher indefinitely unless we are requested to delete them.
Diploma holders
These are people to whom we have awarded certificates of competency and licences to teach. It is essential for our integrity as an awarding body that we keep a comprehensive record of names, contact details and awards provided. We will hold such records in relation to each diploma holder indefinitely unless we are requested to delete them.
Exam candidates
The information held in relation to each exam candidate is minimal (name, type of exam taken and marks awarded, by year). We receive frequent requests for replacement certificates or information on previous exam results. We will hold such records in relation to each exam candidate indefinitely unless we are requested to delete them.
Book purchasers
Gathering information about the identity and contact details of book purchasers is a by-product of the online sales process. Sometimes we may be asked to provide refunds and so such information is useful to retain for a period of time. We will retain information relating to book purchasers until the end of the school year following the school year in which they made their purchase, and then we will delete it.
Examiners
Examiners are the representatives and public face of the Irish Board. We are obliged to hold certain information on each examiner as part of the vetting process. It is essential for us also to hold contact information and details of past work in order to facilitate the effective administration of the examination process. We intend to retain all information held on each examiner until such time as an examiner retires, removes herself or is removed from the examiners’ panel.
Video-based Examinations
Government measures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus during the pandemic in 2020 resulted in the cancellation of face-to-face exams. In order to continue to offer exams, the Irish Board designed a system of exams based on video performances. This involves exam candidates videoing themselves performing the syllabus requirements and uploading the video to a central location managed by the Irish Board. We have made the following policy provisions relating to this process in order to manage the information held by the Irish Board:
• As part of the video exam process, each candidate will be asked to upload a video of her/himself carrying out her/his exam (as outlined in the Irish Board syllabus) to the Irish Board Dropbox account via a link. Here is a link to the Dropbox Privacy Policy.
• The Dropbox upload link will be sent to the teacher and it is the teacher’s responsibility to share the link with each candidate. Therefore, the Irish Board will not have access to or hold any candidates’ email addresses.
• The candidate’s video will be uploaded to a private and secure folder created specifically for their centre/school. The Irish Board will have access to the candidate’s name and the video file that has been sent. The candidate’s email address will not be accessible.
• The Irish Board and the assigned examiner will have access to the exam centre’s private folder for up to 30 days, after which the videos and folder will be deleted. Access to the private folder will not be granted to any other person(s) under any circumstance.
It is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure candidates and parents are aware of how the Irish Board manage personal data during the video exam process. It is also the teacher’s responsibility to seek permission for the candidate’s participation.
This policy
The Irish Board intends to make this policy document available on its websites and will draw attention to its existence on social media. We welcome feedback from our clients and/or members of the public on any aspect of our organisation and we undertake to give due consideration to any feedback received on the contents of this policy.
David Meredith
Director
Irish Board of Speech and Drama
June 2018
(amended in April 2020 to include provisions relating to video-based exams)