Data protection information

Information for Staff

• What kinds of personal data does HESA hold?
• Do you hold information about me?
• Guidance for Institutions
• Initial Teacher Training In-Year Record
• DLHE Longitudinal survey
• Data Protection Register
• Website privacy policy
• What does HESA do with this data?
• Equivalent and Lower Qualifications
• How did HESA get this information?
• Do you hold any information about me?
• What sort of data might HESA hold on me?
• How did HESA get this information?
• What happens to the information HESA holds?
• Do you hold any information about me?
• How did HESA get this information?

Do you hold any information about me?

If you are, or have been, a member of staff working for a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI) at any time since August 2004, it is likely that HESA will have a record about you. For the period August 1994 to August 2004 HESA only hold information on academic staff working more than 25% full-time equivalence. The current collection notice which HEIs make available to all staff can be found here.

What sort of data might HESA hold on me?

We DO NOT hold your name, address or any other contact details. We do not use the data to affect you personally in any way. Different amounts of data are held for different categories of staff employment.

We hold the following categories of data (more detail)

Staff Identifier
Date of Birth
Gender
Ethnicity
Disability status
Nationality
Institution employed by
Employment information
Highest academic qualification held and subject
Grade
Date entered current HEI
Employment in previous year
Date left HEI & destination on leaving
Current salary and salary point

How did HESA get this information?

Each HEI is obliged to send HESA a return every year containing a record for each member of staff that they have. The UK higher education funding councils, government departments and agencies, and devolved administrations are required to monitor all the HEIs and the higher education sector generally.

What happens to the information HESA holds?

The HESA record is used for three broad purposes:

1.  Statutory functions

The HESA record is used by the organisations listed below, or agents acting on their behalf, to carry out their public functions connected with education in the UK.

• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
• Welsh Assembly Government
• Scottish Government
• Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland
• Higher Education Funding Council for England
• Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
• Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council
• Training and Development Agency for Schools
• Research Councils
• Department for Children, Schools and Families
• Learning and Skills Council

The HESA record may also be used by the Office for National Statistics and the National Audit Office to fulfil their statutory functions of measuring population levels and monitoring public expenditure.

2.  HESA publications

HESA use the HESA record to produce anonymised data in annual statistical publications. These include some National Statistics publications and online management information services.

3.  Research, equal opportunity, journalism, other legitimate interest/public function

HESA will also supply anonymised data to third parties for the following purposes:

• Equal opportunities monitoring - Your HESA record may contain details of your ethnic group and any disabilities you have. For students domiciled from Northern Ireland and attending an institution in Northern Ireland it may also contain information about religion. This data is only used where it is needed to promote or maintain equality of opportunity or treatment between persons of different racial or ethnic origins, religious beliefs or different states of physical or mental conditions
• Research. This may be academic research, commercial research or other statistical research into education where this is of benefit to the public interest.
• Journalism, where the relevant publication would be in the public interest e.g. league tables

Anonymised data for the above purposes is supplied by HESA to the following types of user:

• Local, regional and national government bodies who have an interest in higher education
• Higher education sector bodies
• Higher education institutions
• Academic researchers and students
• Commercial organisations (e.g. recruitment firms, housing providers, graduate employers)
• Unions
• Non-governmental organisations and charities
• Journalists

We will take precautions to ensure that individuals are not identified from the anonymised data which we process.

What to do if you want further information