Privacy notice for information sharing with The Union.

We work closely with The Union. We will share certain information about our students so that they can be enrolled with The Union, be kept up to date and participate with the services and opportunities on offer.

This notice provides information that is in addition to information contained in The Union’s own privacy notice. Please do read this notice to understand how we work with them, and if you have any questions please contact us using the contact details provided at the end of this notice.

Who we are

Throughout this notice, “University”, “we”, “our” and “us” refer to the Manchester Metropolitan University. The University is the Data Controller of student data. The Union is an independent charity, who become Controller of student information once they receive it.

The personal data we process

We share personal information relating to our students, including information of a sensitive nature, with The Union. This includes:

• your name, contact details (including address), date of birth and gender
• details of disability and ethnicity
• course details, including department, faculty and start and end dates and fee status

We may also share additional data on a non-regular basis, where there is a justifiable need, such as award completion and progression information.

The purpose of the processing

Keeping students informed

To ensure that all students are informed of, and able to fully participate in, the services and opportunities available through The Union.

The information is also used by The Union to support its online membership features on its website, which allows students to engage with The Union’s services digitally (for example, voting in elections, joining clubs and societies, and applying for volunteering opportunities, some of which may have eligibility criteria).

Our basis for processing

The services offered through The Union are deemed to be a condition of the student contract.

Statistical analysis of information 

Information is shared with The Union relating to enrolment, progression and degree classification. This data is required for statistical analysis including:

• to append demographic data to The Union participation data (for example, voters, club and society members and committees, registered volunteers, Teaching Awards nominations, advice centre users) in order to monitor trends and diversity/inclusion.
• to monitor and track of trends by priority groups, by appending demographics to survey responses in order to enrich the data and support more detailed demographic analysis (for example, the annual Induction Survey).
• to generate demographic reports of The Union membership.  This ensures that The Union is able to understand and advocate for the discrete needs of their diverse membership, undertake robust monitoring and evaluation of their activities, their impact and any links to student outcomes and, finally, to evidence how The Union are meeting equality and diversity obligations.

Our basis for processing

This data allows The Union to improve its offering to its members, to allow for the best experience possible. This is deemed to be a key part of the membership, a condition of the student contract.

Sensitive special category data 

Sensitive special category data (disability and ethnicity) are required by The Union to monitor diversity and inclusivity of services and participation to ensure all students are receiving equal treatment and opportunities.

Our basis for processing

We use your data in this way to ensure inclusivity and accessibility of services and activities to all members – to promote and ensure equality of opportunity for all students or members, in the substantial public interest. The Union also need to be able to support key projects and partnership initiatives with the university such as the Race Equity work and the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) ambassador programme.

The recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data

The Union also share some data with Manchester Met. This relates to member engagement and participation (such as whether the member is a member of a society, a registered volunteer or voter). This allows the University and The Union to explore relationships between participation and attainment. Details relating to student outcome are not shared with The Union in an identifiable format.

Data retention

The Union will retain a record of your membership and information relating to your participation for a period of six years after you leave the University.

Your rights in respect of the processing.

The UK General Data Protection Regulation provides data subjects with the following data subject rights:

• The right to be informed – this privacy notice assists with fulfilling these obligations.
• The right of access.
• The right to rectification.
• The right to erasure.
• The right to restrict processing.
• The right to data portability.
• The right to object.

Please note, that these rights apply in certain circumstances, for example according to the lawful basis utilised by the University. The right of access to personal information held about you exists in order to be aware of, and verify, the lawfulness of the processing. Please use the contact information below to exercise these rights.

Contacting us

For questions or concerns about this Privacy Notice, or our use of your personal information, please contact [email protected] in the first instance.

Our Data Protection Officer can also be contacted using [email protected], by calling 0161 247 3884 or in writing to: Data Protection Officer, Legal Services, All Saints Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15 6BH.

Right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as the supervisory authority in respect of the processing of your personal data. We would encourage you to expend our internal complaints procedure through our initial contact and the University Data Protection Officer, prior to contacting the ICO. Please contact: [email protected] or telephone: 0303 123 1113. For any further contact information please see the contact us page on the ICO website.

Updates to this privacy notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time in response to changing legal, technical or business developments. When we update our privacy notice, we will take appropriate measures to inform you, consistent with the significance of the changes we make.