Survey of learner experiences in post-16 education: privacy notice

The Welsh Government is undertaking a survey of learners in Wales. The survey is specifically aimed at current learners in Welsh further education, sixth forms, work-based and adult in the community learning. Its purpose is to study the experiences and wellbeing of learners in post-16 education in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will be used to help the Welsh Government understand the ongoing impacts of Covid-19 on learners, and to identify any additional support needs. 

Welsh Government researchers will gather information through an on-line survey, the link for which will be promoted by Welsh learning providers, related networks and through social media. Participation in this research is voluntary. 

The Welsh Government is the data controller for this research. The information collected through the survey will be included in a research report, which will be published on the Welsh Government website. The Welsh Government will not identify any individuals who respond to the survey in that report.

Your participation in this research is completely voluntary. However, your views and experiences are important in order to help inform Welsh Government policy in this area.

Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier’.

You have received information to access the survey via your learning provider, related networks or social media accounts. This is because the Welsh Government does not hold contact details such as email addresses for all learners. 

Your email or IP address will not be collected as part of the process of completing the online survey and so your responses are anonymous. 

You are not required to complete all questions. If you choose to provide additional personal data as part of the survey we will try not to identify you from, or link your identity to, the responses you provide. 

If you raise a query or complaint and provide personal data requesting a response, the researcher will forward the request only to the relevant Welsh Government official and subsequently delete it from the research data.

The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task, that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government.

Participation is completely voluntary. Research studies such as this are important for the Welsh Government to collect information and evidence about its ability to deliver government priorities. The information collected in this research, for example, will be used to:

• better understand the experiences of learners in school sixth forms, further education, work-based learning and adult learning in the community in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic 
• understand what needs to happen to improve the learning experience of post-16 learners and to support Welsh Government’s decision making on future delivery

Personal data provided to Welsh Government is held on secure servers, and for this project a folder has been created that has access restricted only to the immediate research team. Any personal data provided will be stored in this restricted folder.

This survey is administered using a survey software programme called Smart Survey. We have ensured that Smart Survey is UK GDPR compliant and meets our expectations in terms of the security of any data collected via the software.

Welsh Government’s researchers will use the information gathered to produce a report with headline findings, and this will be published on the Welsh Government website. This report will not include any information that could be used to identify individual participants.

If you provide any personal data in open text responses then this will be anonymised as part of data analysis.

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of this research, specifically you have the right:

• to access a copy of your own data
• for us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances)
• for your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances)
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: 

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF

Phone: 0303 123 1113

Website: www.ico.gov.uk

If you have any further questions about how the data provided as part of this study will be used by the Welsh Government or wish to exercise your rights using the General Data Protection Regulation, please contact:

Name: Claire Griffiths
E-mail address: SchoolsResearch@gov.wales
Telephone number: 03000 251015

The Welsh Government’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales