Data sharing to support UCAS in matching free school meals data to higher education applications: privacy notice

1. How did Welsh Government obtain the data?

The Welsh Government receives your personal data, via a secure online data transfer website, from schools and Local Authorities as part of the pupil level annual statutory data collections. On receipt of your personal data, the Welsh Government becomes the data controller.

2. For which pupils are we sharing data?

We will share the data we collected about you when you were in year 11 and whether you were eligible for free school meals at any time during the six years up to and including when you were in year 11.

3. What is the lawful basis for processing/sharing your data?

The Welsh Government relies on the legal basis, as set in The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (Wales) Regulations 2007, in receiving the data.

The Welsh Government relies on the lawful basis for processing data received in the statutory data collection exercises under Article 6(1)(e) of GDPR; the data is processed in line with our public task and in the official authority vested in us to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government.

4. Who are we sharing the data with?

We will be sharing your data with UCAS who will match the data to learners who have submitted a UCAS application, UCAS will then share this data with HEIs as part of the application, thus giving more contextual information to universities.

5. What are we sharing?

We are sharing the following data items about you from when you were in year 11:

• forename
• middle name(s)
• surname
• gender
• date of birth
• home Postcode
• school number
• pupil free school meals eligibility (FSM) at any time during the six
• years up to and including when you were in year 11
• pupil free school meal transitional protection

6. Why are we sharing the data?

The purpose of sharing data with UCAS is for:

• your data will be matched to learners who have submitted a UCAS application, UCAS will then share this data with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) as part of the application, thus giving more contextual information to universities
• your data will be used to undertake analysis of learner numbers relating to progression rates to higher education. UCAS will share this statistical research with WG, enabling the identification of any required policy interventions and to promote wider participation in Higher Education for learners in Wales. This will build towards equity of access to education for learners from all backgrounds

7. What will UCAS do with the data?

Further information can be found in the UCAS privacy notice.

8. Your rights under the GDPR

You have the right to:

• have access to the personal data that the Welsh Government are processing about you
• require the Welsh Government to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• (in some circumstances) object to processing on grounds relating to your particular situation
• the right to restrict processing (in some circumstances)
• lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office who is the independent regulator for data protection

For further information about the information which the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you wish to exercise your rights, please contact the Welsh Government’s School Information and Improvement Branch and/or Data Protection Officer in the first instance, details as follows:

School Information and Improvement Branch

The Education Directorate
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Email: IMS@gov.wales

Data Protection Officer

Welsh Government
Cathays Park
CARDIFF
CF10 3NQ
Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales

To contact the Information Commissioner’s Office

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone helpline: 029 2067 8400 (Wales helpline)
Email: wales@ico.org.uk