This privacy notice explains how Aquinas College ("the College", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses and protects your personal data, and outlines your rights under data protection law.
This notice applies to:
Current employees
Former employees
Job applicants and prospective employees
We are committed to processing personal data in accordance with:
UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
Data Protection Act 2018
Aquinas College is the data controller for the personal data we process.
We collect personal data in the following ways:
Information you provide during recruitment (e.g. application forms, CVs)
Information from recruitment agencies
References from previous employers
Results of pre-employment checks (e.g. DBS, right to work, medical checks)
Direct communication (email, phone, website)
During your employment (e.g. performance, attendance, training)
We may collect:
Name, address, email, telephone number
Date of birth, National Insurance number
Employment history and qualifications
References
Bank details and payroll information
Emergency contact details
Driving licence and vehicle details (if relevant)
We may process:
Health and medical information
Disability information
Racial or ethnic origin
Religious or philosophical beliefs
Trade union membership
Criminal convictions and DBS information
We process your personal data under the following legal bases:
To fulfil your employment contract (e.g. paying salary, providing benefits)
To comply with UK law (e.g. tax, safeguarding, right to work checks)
For running and managing the College effectively (e.g. workforce planning, security)
Where required, we rely on:
Employment law obligations
Health and safety requirements
Public interest (e.g. safeguarding)
Explicit consent (only where appropriate)
Payroll and pensions
Benefits and leave (including maternity/paternity)
Emergency contacts
Tax and National Insurance reporting
Safeguarding requirements
Equality monitoring
Immigration compliance
Recruitment and onboarding
Training and development
Performance management
Disciplinary and grievance procedures
Health and safety
Security systems (including CCTV)
We will only process sensitive data when necessary, including:
Assessing fitness to work
Supporting employees with disabilities
Managing sickness absence
Meeting safeguarding requirements
Monitoring equality and diversity (on a voluntary basis)
We ensure appropriate safeguards are always in place.
We may share your personal data with:
Payroll and pension providers
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
Government bodies and regulators
Auditors
Law enforcement agencies (where required)
Sector organisations (e.g. SFCA), usually in anonymised form
We only share data where necessary and lawful.
We do not routinely transfer your personal data outside the UK.
If we ever need to do so, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR.
We retain your personal data only as long as necessary:
Typically 6 years after employment ends
Some records (e.g. pension or safeguarding records) may be kept longer where legally required
Further details are available in our Data Retention Policy.
We have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect your data, including:
Restricted access on a need-to-know basis
Secure IT systems and data storage
Policies and procedures to prevent loss or misuse
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
Access your personal data
Correct inaccurate data
Erase your data (in certain circumstances)
Restrict processing
Object to processing
Data portability
Withdraw consent (where applicable)
You also have the right to:
Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
It is important that your personal data is accurate and up to date.
Please inform the Human Resources department promptly of any changes.
If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:
Data Protection Officer
Aquinas College
Nangreave Road
Stockport
SK2 6TH
📧 Email: dpo@aquinas.ac.uk
📞 Telephone: 0161 483 3237
If you are not satisfied with how your data is handled, you can contact:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk
We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will always be made available to staff.