Peer Assisted Writing Scheme privacy notice

The PAWS team holds and processes personal data about students that use this service.

For mentors your:

• University Registration Number (URN)
• First name and surname
• University email
• Course name and department
• Current level of study
• Personal statement.

For mentees your:

• University Registration Number (URN)
• First name and surname
• University email
• Course name and department
• Current level of study.

We only collect the data we need and keep that data up to date.

The University collects only the data we need and we keep the data up to date and only for as long as it is needed.

We collect your personal data in order to:

• Assess your suitability for the scheme
• Contact you regarding the scheme
• Match you to a suitable mentor/mentee
• Award you digital badges in recognition of participation
• Recognise your participation on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

We take our obligations for data handling very seriously and it is therefore important for you to know the lawful basis for us processing your information:

We process data to ensure that we can carry out our public role as an educational and research establishment, meeting legal, moral and contractual obligations as laid out in the University’s Charter.

We also process data in our legitimate interests to understand engagement with PAWS to enable us to enhance the programme in future. These legitimate interests are determined through an assessment made by weighing our requirements against the impact of the processing on you. Our legitimate interests will never override your right to privacy and the freedoms that require the protection of your personal data.

If you are interested in learning more about this legitimate interest assessment, please contact the Data Protection team.

The University processes personal data and special category data in accordance with data protection legislation and Our Data Policy Statement (PDF).

We analyse the effectiveness of our service at an aggregate level so that no individuals are identified from the data. We collate the responses you make to any surveys so that we only use the data in a way that can’t identify individuals and do not use the individual responses you make to the survey.

We keep your personal data in accordance with the University’s retention schedules. This means that your data is kept for no longer than two years after which any identifiable data will be destroyed.

Internally, we share your personal data with colleagues in the following areas:

The University’s Student Administration (Assessment and Awards) team within Academic Registry

We share your full name and URN data with this team so that your participation can be included on your HEAR.

The University’s Research and Evaluation team

We share data in order to enable the University’s Research and Evaluation team to monitor and evaluate the impact of programmes that support the success and progression of students at university. Data collected may be used to compile anonymised reports on success and progression (e.g. reports on retention rates and of ‘good’ degree outcomes and graduate employability rates).

Read the Research and Evaluation team’s Privacy Notice.

Externally, we share your personal data with colleagues in the following areas:

• For mentees we do not share your personal data with any external sources
• For mentors we share your name and email with Unitemps so that you can be paid for your role as a mentor. We share your email with Open Badge Factory to create your digital badge which will be sent to you to use online, for example, LinkedIn.

As an individual whose data we process (a data subject), you have certain rights in relation to the processing. Find detailed information about your rights as a data subject.

You have the right to:

• Withdraw your consent for us to process your personal data where we have relied on that consent as our basis for processing your data.
• Ask us to confirm that your personal data is being processed and to gain access (i.e. have a copy) of that data as well as to be provided with supplemental information about the processing.
• Request that we rectify any inaccuracies where the data we hold on you is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Have your data erased by us, although in certain circumstances we may not be able to do this. The circumstances where this applies can be found in the guide to data subject rights information.
• Restrict the processing of your personal data in certain ways.
• Obtain your personal data for reuse.
• Object to certain processing of your personal data.

If you would like to exercise any of your rights please visit our make a privacy request section.

Make a complaint

If you have any concerns about the way that we have handled your personal data please email the Data Protection team as we would like to have the opportunity to resolve your concerns.

If you’re still unhappy, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (an independent body set up to advise on information rights for the UK) about the way in which we process your personal data.