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Adult learning privacy notice

1.0 Council contact details

1.1 Adult Learning Service
North Northamptonshire Council
Registered Office:
Sheerness House
41 Meadow Street
Kettering
NN16 8TL

Tel: 0300 126 3000

Email: [email protected]

This Privacy Notice applies to Northamptonshire Adult Learning Service (NALS), delivered by North Northamptonshire Council. NALS provides learning opportunities to residents across North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire.

The service receives funding through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) and other government-funded programmes. North Northamptonshire Council acts as the lead authority for the service and works with West Northamptonshire Council and approved training providers to deliver learning opportunities and support learners.

As a provider of Adult Skills Fund provision, we are required to collect and process personal information in accordance with funding rules issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and any successor departments responsible for adult skills funding.

2.0 Information that we hold

2.1 Information collected:

  • Name
  • Address
  • DoB
  • Contact details
  • Ethnicity
  • Disability/Additional needs
  • Education/Qualification information
  • National Insurance
  • Employment status
  • Benefit status
  • Gender
  • Residency status
  • Household situation

3.0 How the information is obtained

3.1 Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:

  • You have enrolled on to an adult learning course
  • You have requested information, advice and guidance from the service
  • You have taken part in a course delivered by one of our partner organisations and have agreed for them to share your information with NALS
  • You have registered for an examination or qualification
  • You have registered your interest in one of our courses, or joined a waiting list and asked to be contacted about specific learning opportunities
  • You have participated in the delivery of learning as a volunteer
  • You have applied for learning support, funding or learner assistance
  • We may also receive information from awarding organisations, referral agencies, employers, commissioned training providers and other organisations where there is a lawful basis to do so

3.2 Purpose for processing

We process information for:

  • Delivery of learning programmes and learner support
  • Assessment of eligibility for funded provision
  • Funding, audit and compliance requirements
  • Quality assurance and service improvement
  • Progression and destination tracking
  • Prevention and detection of fraud
  • Research and statistical analysis using anonymised data where appropriate
  • Meeting contractual and reporting requirements with funding bodies.

4.0 What we do with the information

4.1 We use the information that you have given us to:

  • To complete Individualised Learner Record (ILR) returned to DfE to fulfil the statutory requirements of grant funding
  • To complete registration to exam boards to support learners pursuing accreditation
  • To obtain learner destination and progression information to meet funding requirements
  • Create and maintain learner records
  • Assess eligibility for funded provision
  • Make reasonable adjustments and provide learning support

To assess the effectiveness of service delivery in terms of:

  • North Northamptonshire Council adult learning strategy
  • Fulfilling aims, objectives and requirements of key stakeholders such as Ofsted, SEMLEP, NNC, WNC
  • Meeting the learning requirements of Northamptonshire residents and local enterprise

4.2 Agencies we will share the information with:

  • Ofsted
  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • Department for Education (DfE), where required
  • Awarding organisation for accredited provision
  • West Northamptonshire Council
  • NCS Futures
  • West March Systems (TERMS MIS provider)
  • Auditors, inspectors and regulatory bodies
  • Partner organisations supporting learner progression into employment or further learning
  • Other public sector bodies where there is a lawful basis for sharing

We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if required by applicable law. Any information sharing is undertaken in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We have mechanisms in place to share information lawfully and securely.

4.3 ALS do not partake in any systems that use automated decision making. Remitted fee concessions are available on certain courses to learners based on Adult Skills funding rules. This is made clear in our fee policy.

4.4 ALS do not use profiling to make predictions or decisions about learners. As an education provider curriculum staff have an obligation to support learner progression and may make relevant referrals based on a learner’s prior attainment or circumstance. This will only be offered if judged to be in the learner’s interest and might entail referral to a partnership organisation where appropriate.

5.0 How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use

5.1 We keep your personal information for all aspects of processing in line with the council’s retention schedules.

5.2 We will securely dispose of your information in line with retention periods.

6.0 How we store your information

6.1 Your information is securely stored by the provider of our MIS Software, West March Systems. Records will then be archived using our document management service. Documents are stored securely in line with outlined retention schedule.

7.0 Your data protection rights

7.1 The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 15 of the council’s Privacy Policy for further information.

7.2 Please be aware that your rights may differ depending on the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

7.3 The right to withdraw consent. You can ask that we no longer use your details for this processing. If you wish to exercise this right, please contact the Data Protection Officer detailed in section 8.1 below.

8.0 Who to contact

8.1 If you would like further information about how we use your personal information, or you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.

8.2 If you are still dissatisfied once you have contacted the Data Protection Officer, you have the right to complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Last updated 16 July 2026