Data Provided To External Bodies
The College returns data to the Office for Students (OfS) about the numbers of students entering the College who were eligible for student loans, plus information on recruitment policies and practices, attendance policies and drop-out and success rates. The College will continue to provide annual returns to the OfS so that eligible students can still access student funding.
The data returned to the OfS has no content currently that can lead to individual students being identified.
Data is also returned to the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA). HESA is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative data about higher education, which it collects on behalf of its customers, which include the government Department for Education, the OfS, and the equivalent organisations for Wales and Scotland.
The data returned to HESA contains personal data, and is recorded for every student regardless of whether they are eligible for and/or in the receipt of student loans. Students cannot opt out of being included in the HESA return, however, a student may choose the option ‘prefer not to say’ in response to questions about what can be regarded as sensitive data.
HESA collects, and is responsible for, the database in which your HESA information is stored. HESA uses this information in its own right, for example to publish statistics about students in higher education. HESA may link information we have provided to other related datasets such as UCAS, NSS, Individual Learner Record and Student Loan Company data (“linked data”). All uses of your HESA information and linked data must comply with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Data is returned to HESA for every student resident in the UK on all courses in all years. Data is returned for every student in current study, until they graduate or withdraw from the course.
You will find more information about this on the HESA website at https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-protection
Students exiting or graduating from the BSc in Acupuncture course will be contacted 6 months after their award is conferred with a request to participate in the Graduate Outcomes survey. The survey collects personal data, details of current employment and the course completed. This important national survey aims to identify the types of work and/or further study new graduates undertake following graduation.
The College participates in the National Student Survey, which gathers information from final year students (undergraduate only at present) regarding their course. The results form an important part of Unistats data, which shows prospective students how satisfied their predecessors have been with their higher education institution and course, and allows them to compare results from several institutions. College results are published on www.unistats.com.
The validating partner holds names and contact details for all students registered with them.
Marks and other assessment-related information for named students are shared with colleagues at the validating partner as part of our Assessment Board processes and for conferment of awards.
The partner’s use of personal data is governed by the current Data Protection Act and GDPR.
