Research to support the evaluation of the Diamond Reforms: Survey of Year 12 and 13 learners

The Welsh Government has commissioned OB3 Research (OB3) and Miller Research, to undertake research to support the evaluation of the Diamond Reforms to Higher Education in Wales. The aim of this research is to provide evidence to support an assessment of the first three objectives of the Diamond Reforms;

    1. Widening access to Higher Education.

    2. Strengthening part-time provision.

    3. Strengthening postgraduate provision.

As part of this review OB3 will be gathering information through a survey with Year 12 and 13 learners. Participants will be invited to take part in the survey via their school or FE college.

The Welsh Government is the data controller for the research. However, OB3 will anonymise the raw data, before it is shared with the Welsh Government.

The information collected during the project will be included in a report published on the Welsh Government website and possibly in other publications by OB3 and Welsh Government.

Your Participation in this research is completely voluntary. However your views and experiences are important in order to help inform Welsh Government policies.

The contact for this research at OB3 is Nia Bryer

E-mail address: Nia.Bryer@ob3research.co.uk

PRIVACY NOTICE

What personal data do we hold and where do we get this information?

Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier’.

OB3 Research (OB3) and Miller Research do not hold your contact details but have asked your school or college to pass on an invitation to the survey via the email address they hold for you. Your responses to the survey will be anonymous. Your participation is voluntary and if you do not wish to take part or be sent reminders at any stage then please reply to the invitation email and you will not be contacted any more for this research project.

At the end of the survey you will be given the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher. The prize draw is optional, you do not have to provide your email address if you do not want to enter. You will need to provide your name and email address to enter, these details will not be linked to your survey results in any way.

If you enter the prize draw, then OB3 and Miller Research will select a random email address to then send the Love2shop voucher.

We may collect anonymous information about you including your gender and whether you have additional learning needs via a separate form sent to you if and when you are invited to a focus group. The purpose of collecting this information is to report on the representativeness of the focus groups as a whole and it will not be possible to identify your individual responses.

If you choose to provide additional personal data as part of the research we will try not to identify you from, or link your identity to, the responses you provide.

If you raise a query or complaint and provide personal data requesting a response, the researcher will forward the request only to the relevant official and subsequently delete it from the research data.

What is the lawful basis for using your data?

The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task; that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government.

Participation is completely voluntary. Research studies such as this are important for the Welsh Government to collect information and actionable evidence about its ability to deliver government priorities. The information collected in this research, for example, might be used to:

·        explore Welsh-domiciled FE and 6th form learners’ views of HE and awareness of the financial support package. This will involve:

·        Investigate whether debt aversion/views of student loans deter engagement with higher education

·        Exploring whether this has changed as a result of recent events including the COVID pandemic and the cost of living crisis

·        Exploring whether views of the value of HE and the perception of student loan debt vary for different groups with a focus on those under-represented in HE/facing additional barriers to participation

How secure is your personal data?

Personal information provided to OB3 and Miller Research is always stored on a secure server. The data can only be accessed by a limited number of researchers working on this project. OB3 and Miller Research will only use this data for research purposes. OB3 and Miller Research has cyber essentials certification.

When conducting surveys, OB3 and Miller Research use a survey software programme called Snap Surveys. We have ensured that Snap Surveys is UK GDPR compliant and meets our expectations in terms of the security of any data stored or collected via the software.

OB3 and Miller Research has procedures to deal with any suspected data security breaches. If a suspected breach occurs, OB3 will report this to the Welsh Government who will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so.

OB3 and Miller Research will use the information gathered to produce a report that will be published on the Welsh Government website. This report will not include any information that could be used to identify individual participants.

How long do we keep your personal data?

OB3 and Miller Research will hold personal data during the contract period, and any personal data not already removed will be deleted by OB3 and Miller Research within three months of the end of the contract. This includes your contact details where you provided them.

OB3 will provide Welsh Government with an anonymised version of the survey data which will not include information that could identify you.

Individual rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of this review, specifically you have the right:

·         To access a copy of your own data;

·         For us to rectify inaccuracies in that data;

·         To object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances);

·         For your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances); and

·         To lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Phone: 0303 123 1113. Website: www.ico.org.uk

Further Information

If you have any further questions about how the data provided as part of this study will be used by the Welsh Government or wish to exercise your rights using the UK General Data Protection Regulation, please contact:

Name: Emma Hall

E-mail address: emma.hall001@gov.wales

Telephone number: 03000258673

The Welsh Government’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ, Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales.