Minor Update to HEAT Privacy Notice

In order to ensure that the HEAT Privacy Notice remains transparent, robust and fit for purpose, we have recently amended Section 9 ‘For how long will your personal data be kept?’. This small change has been actioned due to our expansion into post-entry, and improves transparency for the individual being served the notice, including those who have already entered higher education.

Updated Content

The previous text in Section 9 included the below information:

9. For how long will your personal data be kept?

Where longitudinal tracking permission has been sought/obtained, and if you have:

• • Supplied your first name, last name, postcode and date of birth
  • Not withdrawn your permission to be included in research into equality of opportunity for access and success in higher education

From the year you were ready to enter Higher Education or the year you last engaged with a HEAT Member organisation (whichever is the latest), your data will be used for 15 years for the purpose of monitoring and evaluation. After this time, your information will be marked as ready for deletion to the HEAT member who collected it for this purpose.

Where tracking permission has not been sought/obtained and/or the personal information stored does not meet the track criteria, your data will be marked as ready for deletion to the collecting organisation within 7 years of being stored.

Once the retention period has expired, your information will be truly anonymised and you will no longer be identifiable.

The updated text in Section 9 reads as follows:

9. For how long will your personal data be kept?

Where longitudinal tracking permission has been sought/obtained, and if you have:

• • Supplied your first name, last name, postcode and date of birth
  • Not withdrawn your permission to be included in research into equality of opportunity for access and success in higher education

From the year you were ready to enter Higher Education, or the year you last engaged with a HEAT Member organisation, or when your information was first stored (whichever is the latest), your data will be used for 15 years for the purpose of monitoring and evaluation. After this time, your information will be marked as ready for deletion to the HEAT member who collected it for this purpose.

Where tracking permission has not been sought/obtained and/or the personal information stored does not meet the track criteria, your data will be marked as ready for deletion to the collecting organisation within 7 years of being stored or within 7 years of your last engagement with a HEAT Member organisation (whichever is the latest).

Once the retention period has expired, your information will be truly anonymised and you will no longer be identifiable.

We review the Privacy Notice in detail within the HEAT Legal Review, which occurs every three years. The next Legal Review consultation will take place in Spring 2027. If you have any queries about this change, the Privacy Notice and Data Protection policy or Data Compliancy, please contact HEAT Support.