Student services helpzones privacy notice

Student Services Helpzones

1. Identity and contact details of the Data Controller

The University of Gloucestershire is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a Data Controller and is committed to protecting the rights of individuals in line with Data Protection legislation.
A copy of this registration can be found here.

2. Contact details of the Data Protection Officer

The Data Protection Officer is responsible for advising the University on compliance with Data Protection legislation and monitoring its performance against it. If you have any concerns regarding the way in
which the University is processing your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer at:

Data Protection Officer
University of Gloucestershire
Registrar’s Directorate
Fullwood House
The Park
Cheltenham, GL50 2RH
Email: [email protected]

3. What information do we collect about you?

The Student Services Helpzones hold data provided by you at registration with the service, at the initial enquiry point where relevant and at any subsequent appointments/enquiries made. Our records include;

• Personal identifiers and biographical information (e.g., your student number and your date of birth);
• Contact details (e.g., your address, email and telephone numbers);
• Sensitive personal data (e.g., why you are seeking support, details of any health and medical conditions, disability, details of support you have had in the past, notes written by Student Services staff following appointments or after other contacts with us);
• Information about your personal circumstances (including those relating to academic, welfare, financial, religious or similar beliefs and sexual orientation where disclosed);
• Study related information (e.g., course, level of study, modules, grades, personal tutor meetings campus and other information related to your student record).

4. How will your information be used?

Student Helpzones will use your data to offer appropriate support to you, including:

• Responding to requests for advice and guidance; offering tailored and specialised support;
• Offering you an appointment that is suitable to your needs and requirements;
• Liaising with relevant professional services and/or academic colleagues in seeking resolution/further advice and guidance in resolving your query where appropriate;
• Recording and processing any mitigating circumstances extension requests made by you for assessments or examinations;
• Recording the work as an aide memoire for staff in ongoing support arrangements;
• Recording progress and outcomes of interventions where relevant;
• Promoting our services and making referrals to other University Support Services;
• Ensuring we are meeting our safeguarding requirements;
• Responding to any complaints you make about our services;
• Monitoring, evaluating, auditing and developing our services – data will be anonymised.

5. What is our lawful basis for processing your personal data?

Personal information disclosed to us will not be shared with other University staff or external organisations without your specific or, where necessary explicit consent.

• We may process your personal data as it is necessary for the performance of a contract the University has with you;
• Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interest of the University or third party subject to overridden interests of the data subject;
• It is necessary to protect your or another person’s vital interests;
• It is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

6. Who receives your information?

Where necessary, personal information will be shared internally within Student Services with appropriately trained staff and with other departments across the University such as Student Records, the Students’ Union and Finance. Information will not be disclosed to third parties without consent.

We will only share information we have about you if we have permission or if:

• It is required by law
• It is required for medical reasons
• We have reasonable belief that you have breached the University’s regulations or policies
• There is a serious risk of harm to yourself or others

7. Transfers to third countries / international organisations and safeguards in place

Your personal data will not be transferred outside of the European Economic Area.

8. How long will your information be held?

Student Services will retain your personal data for a period of 6 years after you graduate or leave the University.

9. What are your Rights?

Under Data Protection Legislation you have the following rights:

• to request access to, and copies of, the personal data that we hold about you;
• to request that we cease processing your personal data;
• to request that we do not send you any marketing communications;
• to request us to correct the personal data we hold about you if it is incorrect;
• to request that we erase your personal data;
• to request that we restrict our data processing activities (and, where our processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent, without affecting the lawfulness of our processing based on consent before its withdrawal);
• to receive from us the personal data you have provided to us, in a reasonable format specified by you, to another data controller;
• to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to any of our particular processing activities where you feel this has a disproportionate impact on your rights and freedoms.

Please note that the above rights are not absolute, and we may be entitled to refuse requests where exceptions apply.

Any requests or objections should be made in writing to the University’s Data Protection Officer using the contact details in Section 2 of this Privacy Notice.

10. How to make a complaint

If you are unhappy with the way in which your personal data has been processed you may in the first instance contact the University’s Data Protection Officer using the contact details in Section 2 of this Privacy Notice.

If you still remain dissatisfied, then you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision. The ICO can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk