The Trafford and Stockport College Group is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy statement explains how we collect, use and share your personal information, and your rights in relation to the personal information we hold. Trafford and Stockport College Group is the controller of all personal information held by our colleges, and is subject to the Data Protection Act (2018) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
This privacy notice relates to students studying at any of the colleges within the Trafford and Stockport College Group. We may collect, use and share your personal information in order to carry out our public task to provide education and training to you.
Most personal data relating to students is provided directly by you during enrolment or throughout your studies. In some circumstances we may receive information from previous schools, local authorities, awarding bodies, or other education providers to support admissions decisions, safeguarding responsibilities and the provision of additional learning support.
The categories of personal information that we collect, hold and share include:
We may also collect, store and use information about you that falls into ‘special categories’ of more sensitive personal data. This may include information about:
In some circumstances we may process information relating to criminal convictions where this is necessary for safeguarding purposes or where required by law.
The majority of the personal information you provide to us is necessary for us to fulfil our role as a college (our public task) and contract with you to provide educational services tailored to your needs. Failure to supply this information may mean that we are unable to provide the support you require and may be unable to admit you onto one of our programmes.
Data is also collected to ensure that we are able to receive funding to provide education services and failure to provide information will mean that we may be unable to enrol you onto one of our programmes. Some information is provided to us on a voluntary basis. We will inform you whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if you have a choice in this. In such cases, we will ask you for your consent clearly and will provide details about why and how your information will be used.
We may obtain information from third parties, such as your previous school or the local authority where applicable, ensuring continuity of support for those with additional learning or wellbeing needs and monitoring of safeguarding concerns.
We collect your information to help us to meet our legal obligations and to carry out the public task of providing education and training. We use your information to:
We rely on the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR:
Where special category personal data is processed, this is done in accordance with Article 9 of the UK GDPR, for example where necessary for equality monitoring, safeguarding, or the provision of additional learning support.
We store your information securely and in line with our Records and Retention Policy and associated procedures. In many cases, the length of time we keep records is set by external agencies including our funders and the awarding organisations who accredit the qualifications we offer. We hold student information for the following timeframes:
Personal information, characteristics, attendance, medical, special educational needs and prior educational records | 7 years from the end of academic year in which you complete your studies |
Educational records used to evidence achievements | Up to 5 years from the academic year in which you studied depending on different Awarding Organisation’s requirements |
Photographs and other media | Up to 5 years from the end of the academic year in which it was taken/recorded |
Bank Details (allowing us to pay you any awards you are eligible to receive) | 6 months after you complete your studies with us. |
We routinely share student information with:
Where organisations process personal data on behalf of the Group, they act as data processors under contractual agreements which require them to process personal data only in accordance with our instructions and to apply appropriate security measures.
We do not share information about our students with anyone unless it is necessary and in line with the lawful basis for processing listed above, or with the consent of the student concerned. Where data is routinely shared, a data processing agreement will be established to ensure the protection of students’ information.
For the purposes of relevant data protection legislation, the DfE is the data controller for personal data processed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Your personal information is used by the DfE to exercise its functions and to meet its statutory responsibilities, including under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 and to create and maintain a unique learner number (ULN) and a personal learning record (PLR). Your information will be securely destroyed after it is no longer required for these purposes.
Your information may be used for education, training, employment and well-being related purposes, including for research. The DfE and the English European Social Fund (ESF) Managing Authority (or agents acting on their behalf) may contact you in order for them to carry out research and evaluation to inform the effectiveness of training. Your information may also be shared with other third parties for the above purposes, but only where the law allows it and the sharing is in compliance with data protection legislation.
Further information about use of and access to your personal data, details of organisations with whom we regularly share data, information about how long we retain your data, and how to change your consent to being contacted, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-privacy-notice
Your data is held securely on the Trafford and Stockport College Group’s network or in a secure cloud location provided by one of our IT partners. Our databases are accessible to those colleagues who need to use information in their day-to-day activities or as part of our arrangements to keep students safe.
All colleagues have completed the Group’s data protection training programme and receive regular updates to keep their knowledge and understanding up to date. The Trafford and Stockport College Group ensures that appropriate data sharing agreements are in place prior to sharing your personal data with any partners.
The Data Protection Act (2018) and UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) give individuals a number of specific rights in relation to their personal information. You have the right to:
Please contact the Data Protection Officer if you would like to discuss any concerns: dpo@tscg.ac.uk.
You will find up to date information about our Data Protection Officer, how to make a request for your personal information, and other useful information about Data Protection on our website : Data Protection – The Trafford & Stockport College Group (tscg.ac.uk)
You can also write to the Data Protection Officer at dpo@tscg.ac.uk or:
Data Protection Officer
Trafford and Stockport College Group
Manchester Rd
Timperley
Altrincham
WA14 5PQ
If you have a concern relating to the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we would always ask you to raise your concern with us in the first instance. You can e-mail the Data Protection Officer at dpo@tscg.ac.uk.
You may also raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters, via https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
Version: 3.0
Issued: March 2026
