Privacy notice

Medway Adult Education is funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Department for Education (DfE).

To enrol on one of our courses you're agreeing to share your details with the above agencies. You cannot enrol on one of our courses unless you agree to this data sharing.

Find out more about how your data is used by:

How Medway Adult Education use your data

Medway Adult Education will collect and process your personal data under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Article 6e (Public Task)  to carry out their public task of providing education and training.

Your contact details will not be used for marketing or survey purposes without your consent, which can be withdrawn at any time. However, we'll use your contact information to contact you to carry out our duties to you, for example, to notify you of a change of course date, and to obtain data where legally required such as destination surveys.

View Medway Council’s privacy statement

How ESFA use your data

This privacy notice is issued by the ESFA on behalf of the Secretary of State for the DfE to inform learners about the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and how their personal information is used in the ILR.

Your personal information is used by the DfE to exercise our functions under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR and to meet our statutory responsibilities, including under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. Our lawful basis for using your special category personal data is covered under Substantial Public Interest based in law (Article 9(2)(g)) of GDPR legislation. This processing is under Section 54 of the Further and Higher Education Act (1992).

The ILR collects data about learners and learning undertaken. Publicly funded colleges, training organisations, local authorities, and employers (FE providers) must collect and return the data to the ESFA each year under the terms of a funding agreement, contract or grant agreement. It helps ensure that public money distributed through the ESFA is being spent in line with government targets. It's also used for education, training, employment, and well-being purposes, including research.

We retain your ILR learner data for 20 years for operational purposes, such as to fund your learning and to publish official statistics. Your personal data is then retained in our research databases until you're aged 80 years so that it can be used for long-term research purposes.

ILR data is shared with third parties where it complies with DfE data sharing procedures and where the law allows it. The DfE and the English European Social Fund (ESF) Managing Authority (or agents acting on their behalf) may contact learners to carry out research and evaluation to inform the effectiveness of training.

More about the ILR and how your data is collected

For more information about how your personal data is used and your individual rights, see the DfE Personal Information Charter and the DfE privacy notice.

Learning Record Service (LRS)

The LRS issues Unique Learner Numbers (ULN) and creates Personal Learning Records across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It is operated by the ESFA, an executive agency of the DfE.

View the LRS privacy notice and access your Personal Learning Record

How DfE: Multiply (non-substantive activities) use your data

This privacy notice explains how the DfE uses personal information as part of Multiply. This includes information you give to us, or information that we may collect about you.

Multiply is a government-funded programme to help adults improve their numeracy skills.

Non-substantive activity is a provision targeted at those in the local area who would benefit from Multiply funded learning. This is likely to be a more informal and innovative activity and not typically classroom-based.

Why we collect your personal data

When we collect and use this information, we need to follow the law. The main laws are the Data Protection Act (DPA) and the UK GDPR.

The DfE is the data controller for your personal data. We must have a reason to collect your personal data. This is called a 'lawful basis'. Our lawful basis for processing your personal data is covered under 'public task'. This is when we need your personal data to do our work, to provide or fund education.

What data we need

We'll collect the following types of personal data about you, from organisations that we are providing funding to, in order to deliver Multiply on our behalf: 

  • name 
  • date of birth 
  • postcode.

Why we need this data and what we do with it 

We collect and process your personal information in order to monitor the impact of Multiply funding, on non-substantive activity. We'll use it to monitor your progress to further learning, through the ILR.

How long we keep this data

The Multiply programme will only keep your personal information for as long as we need it. We decide how long to keep your personal information based on the needs of the department and the law. 

We'll keep your information for up to 7 years so we can evaluate the success of the Multiply programme. We'll take necessary steps to keep your information safe. It will then be securely destroyed when it is no longer needed. 

Data processors

A data processor is an organisation that processes your information on DfE’s behalf.

We only use data processors to evaluate the impact of Multiply funding on non-substantive activity.

Transferring your personal information overseas

When DfE stores personal information outside the UK, we'll make sure we keep your personal data safe. We follow the data protection law. We also use extra security measures, contracts and data sharing agreements. 

Sharing your personal information

If the law allows it, we might share your personal information with other parts of DfE including the ESFA, and with other government departments. 

We'll share your personal information with:

  • organisations who work for us under a contract
  • organisations that request information to help prevent and detect crime or fraud, where it is lawful to do so. 

DfE may share your personal information in order to evaluate the success of the Multiply programme 

See the DfE Personal Information Charter to find out more about how we use your personal information.

Your rights

You have rights about how and why your information is collected and used. 

These include: 

  • the right to see the personal information we have about you - this is called 'right of access'
  • the right to ask us to change any information you think is not accurate or complete - this is called 'right to rectification'
  • the right to ask us to delete your personal information - this is called 'right to erasure'
  • the right to ask us to stop using your information - this is called 'right to restriction of processing'
  • your 'right to object to processing' of your information.

More about your rights on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website

Finding out what information we have 

You have the right to ask for access to your personal information. This is known as a subject access request (SAR). 

To make a SAR, you can use the DfE contact form or post your request to the Data Protection Office.

Include as much information as you can about:

  • the information you need
  • the years you need the information for
  • which part of the department holds the information (if known).

You’ll also need to tell us your telephone number and address. 

We may need to check your identity and your right to access the information you’re requesting. To check your identity, we may ask for a copy of your passport, photo driving licence or proof of your address. 

We’ll try to respond to your request within 1 month. If your request is complex, this could take a further 2 months, but we’ll tell you if this is the case. 

More about what a SAR is on the ICO website

If you're unhappy with how DfE have used your personal data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. You can also call their helpline on 0303 123 1113 or visit the ICO website.

Contact DfE

If you would like to get in touch with the DfE or request a copy of the personal information DfE holds about you, you can contact them by:

  • using the DfE online contact form
  • phoning the DfE Helpline: 0370 000 2288
  • writing to: Emma Wharram, Data Protection Officer, Department for Education (B2.28), 7 & 8 Wellington Place, Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4AW.