Student Governance privacy notice
Information you need to know
The Student Governance department is part of Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). See further information on the institution.
Liverpool John Moores University is the Data Controller.
Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk
LJMU takes your privacy very seriously. This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information and your rights regarding that information. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use your data and to meeting our data protection obligations.
The Student Governance team administer a number of processes at LJMU that require them to use personal data, this includes:
- Student Complaints Procedure
- Academic appeals procedures
- Academic Misconduct Panel appeals procedures
- Personal Circumstances appeals procedures
- Procedures under attendance policies
- Appeal against exclusion and expulsion procedures
- Applicant and student criminal convictions procedures
- Fitness to Study procedures
- Fitness to Practise procedures
- Student Code of Behaviour and Disciplinary procedures
What information are we collecting?
Issues, concerns and allegations may be considered by Student Governance under the university’s procedures and may be raised by the student, other students, members of staff or via external parties (including police and other statutory bodies such as the UKVI, placement providers, student accommodation providers, local authorities, sponsors or representatives).
There are certain types of more sensitive personal data which require a higher level of protection, such as information about a person's health, sexual orientation or criminal convictions.
When considering cases under university procedures, the Student Governance team may be in receipt of a variety of information, which can include the personal data and/or sensitive personal information of students, staff and third parties. Student Governance will only consider information relevant to each individual case.
This can include information and data such as:
Names, contact details, gender and sexuality, ethnicity, religious views, academic profiles (e.g. transcripts, Boards of Examiners minutes, feedback, academic advice etc.) medical or health information (medical letters, disability declarations, needs assessments, Individual Student Learning Plans, records of support and contact from Student Advice and Wellbeing etc.), criminal convictions, cautions and information relating to police investigations (DBS disclosures, probation officer reports, Police and statutory body disclosures, victim of crime disclosures), social media activity (screenshots of social-media comments, photographs, memes etc.).
This list is not exhaustive and is dependent on the specifics of the individual case and the process the case is being considered under. In each case, we will let you know what type of information we need to be able to resolve the matter. We ask that you only send us information relevant to the matter we are dealing with.
Student Governance cases provide an important source of information to the university. Student Governance will collate statistical information and produce annual reports to ensure that relevant issues are identified and addressed appropriately. All statistical records are produced in an anonymous format in order that individuals cannot be identified.
Student Governance procedures operate within the principles of natural justice meaning that full disclosure of allegations made against students and/or staff and supporting evidence will be made available to the relevant parties involved in the case. Personal information provided may be rejected, redacted or anonymised by Student Governance.
Why are we collecting your data and what is the legal basis for this?
LJMU will collect personal data from you for several reasons and will at all times do so in line with the principles of the GDPR, and for one of the legal basis set out in Article 6.
The Student Governance team usually processes information because their processes are an important part of LJMU undertaking a task in the public interest.
In some cases, we need to process data to comply with our contractual obligations that our student(s) and university are party to.
Student Governance may also need to process your data in order to comply with our legal obligations, or to complete tasks under powers granted to us by legislation the University is subject to such as Equality Act 2010 and the Education Act 2004.
We will only process Special Category personal data where you have given us your consent to do so or where it is absolutely necessary. This could be for reasons of substantial public interest or because it is in your vital interests.
Further information about the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIAH) and data protection is available at the OIA website.
Information about criminal convictions
We may only use information relating to criminal convictions where the law allows us to do so. This will usually be where such processing is necessary to carry out our obligations and provided we do so in line with our data protection policy.
We will hold information about criminal convictions where they come to our attention.
We will only collect information about criminal convictions if it is appropriate given the nature of the complaint, concern or issue raised and where we are legally able to do so. Where appropriate, we will collect information about criminal convictions as part of the investigations we are carrying out or we may be notified of such information directly by you or by third parties in the course of you being a student at the university. We will use information about criminal convictions and offences in the following ways:
- In considering an applicant’s admission to a programme under the Applicant and Student Criminal Convictions Policy.
- In considering whether a student can continue on a programme of study under the Applicant and Student Criminal Convictions Policy.
- In considering an applicant’s or student’s Fitness to Practise on programmes regulated by Professional Bodies.
The university’s Applicant and Criminal Convictions Policy is available on the guidance policy and process webpages.
What is the source of this personal data?
Most of the information we process about you will have been provided by you when you use our services. Some information may come from other internal sources such as your tutor or other members of staff or our Student Advice and Wellbeing team. In some circumstances, we may also receive data about you from external sources such as the police or other law enforcement bodies, student accommodation providers or health professionals.
Who has access to this data?
Your personal data will be used only by authorised LJMU staff who have need to. Examples of the types of staff may include:
- Officers/Advisers and administrators in the Student Governance team.
- Staff responding to or investigating the issues (Faculty and Services Staff, Investigating Officers and Panel members).
- Student Advice and Wellbeing.
- Finance and the legal Team, when the data is necessary for performing their roles or for university business.
Third Parties:
- Police.
- Disclosure and Baring Service.
- Social Services departments within Local Authorities.
- The Office of the Independent Adjudicator.
- Third party software providers engaged by the university to provide a service for us.
- If you use our ‘Report and Support’ service, then your data will be held by our software provider, Culture Shift. More information on how Culture Shift process your personal data can be found on the Culture Shift website.
Student Governance will not discuss students’ personal information with third parties not relevant to the case, for example, parents; landlords; employers; or sponsors, without prior written consent from the student.
Where more than one individual is named in a case normally those individuals will be party only to the matter(s) of concern and outcome(s) that are directly specific to them.
In exceptional circumstances, for example where the outcome of a case or a university procedure has a direct effect on the health, wellbeing and safeguarding of other students and staff, information may be shared with relevant third parties without your consent.
How does the University protect your data?
The University takes data protection very seriously and at all times your personal data will be handled in line with the University’s Information Security Policy.
Personal information will be stored on our secure internal network, or if in paper form kept in our secure offices or secure offsite storage provided by Iron Mountain Incorporated.
For how long does the University keep your data?
All relevant information relating to a case is stored, retained, and destroyed in line with the University Retention Schedule.
Your rights
As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:
- access and obtain a copy of your data on request, this could be in a portable electronic format
- require the University to change incorrect or incomplete data if you think that it is inaccurate or out of date
- require the University to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary or legally required for the purposes of processing
If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer DPO@ljmu.ac.uk
What if you do not provide data?
We will only be able to offer a level of service commensurate to the information you provide to us. To enable us to provide the best service possible and a fair outcome in your case we ask that you provide us with all the information necessary to investigate and resolve the matter.
Students and staff should also note that the removal of personal information relevant to the case may result in Student Governance not being able to continue to look into the matter, may limit the investigation and response or decisions will be made based on the information available.
Transfers of data outside the UK
Generally, we do not send your personal data outside the UK. However, in some specific cases we may transfer the personal data we collect to countries outside the UK in order to perform our contract with you/or a contract with another organisation that requires your personal data i.e. a collaboration agreement with a university or other educational provider or partner based outside of the UK. Where we do this, we will ensure that your personal information is protected by way of an ‘adequacy regulation’ with the UK or by putting alternative appropriate measures in place to ensure that your personal information is treated by those third parties in a way that is consistent with and which respects the UK laws on data protection. For example model contractual clauses, data sharing/data processing agreement and binding corporate rules (where applicable).
Automated decision making
The university’s Student Governance team will not make any decisions about you automatically using a computer, based on your personal data. All decisions affecting you will be taken by a human.
How to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office?
You have the right to complain to The Information Commissioner if you believe that our processing of your personal data does not meet our data protection obligations. The Information Commissioner can be contacted:
Post: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK95AF.
Telephone: 0303 123 1113.
Email: contact can be made by accessing the ICO website