Mastering Maths Evaluation: privacy notice

18 November 2024 update: The key update in this information sheet, compared to the previous version you received, is the inclusion of details regarding the types of personal information that will be collected from students participating in cognitive interviews, and how this information will be used. These students are separate from those taking part in the trial.

16 October 2024 update: The key changes compared to the previous information sheet you received are that colleges will also transfer your GCSE candidate number and Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) to the evaluation team. In addition, your GCSE Maths marks will be accessed either via your college, or the exam board.

In line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we need to let you know how your information will be processed. In this privacy notice, we explain: 

  • the legal basis for data processing;
  • who will have access to your personal data;
  • how your data will be used, stored, and deleted; 
  • what your rights are according to GDPR, and 
  • who you can contact with a query or a complaint.

Who’s who?

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) have funded the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to carry out an independent evaluation of the Mastering Maths programme. The programme was developed by academics at the University of Nottingham. They will work with teachers to deliver the Mastering Maths programme in Further Education settings. You can find out more about these organisations using the following links:

The funders: Education Endowment Foundation: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/ 

The evaluation team: The National Centre for Social Research: https://www.natcen.ac.uk/ 

The delivery team: School of Education, University of Nottingham: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/about/index.aspx 

What is the legal basis for processing data?

NatCen is the data controller for this project. This means that they are responsible for deciding the purpose and legal basis for processing data.

NatCen’s legal basis for processing the data is ‘legitimate interest’. This means that we believe that there is a genuine reason for us to process this data (to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mastering Maths programme), that this data is needed to fulfil this purpose (we could not evaluate the Mastering Mathematics programme without this information), and that using this data will not interfere with individuals’ interests, rights, or freedoms. 

You can contact NatCen with any questions about the evaluation and the processing of data at MasteringMaths@natcen.ac.uk.

Who will have access to personal data?

Named individuals at NatCen will have access to personal data.

For students taking part in the trial, NatCen will collect first names, last names, dates of birth, post codes, Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs), Unique Candidate Identifiers (UCI), and GCSE candidate numbers. This data will be securely shared with the Department for Education (DfE) so that it can be linked to the National Pupil Database for accessing other student data, which will be done using the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS). In January or February 2025, NatCen will obtain an updated list of students indicating those who took part in the November resits and their results. Students who are no longer in the class of the participating teacher will be removed from the trial, and their data deleted. NatCen will also collect students’ raw GCSE Maths scores following the exams in the spring of 2025. These data will either be securely transferred by colleges to the NatCen research team or accessed via the exam boards. Through the National Pupil Database, NatCen will also have access to students’ prior maths attainment at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 and their past Free School Meal eligibility. 

For teachers and other staff, the delivery team at the University of Nottingham will collect contact details of teachers, senior leaders, and data managers in each participating college setting. This will help the delivery of the Mastering Maths programme. Please note that the University of Nottingham are the data controller for any data that they collect. You can read more about UoN’s approach to data protection here: nottingham.ac.uk/utilities/privacy/privacy.aspx 

The contact details of teachers and data managers are also needed for NatCen’s independent evaluation, and the delivery team will therefore share these data with NatCen through a secure server.

NatCen will also collect, process, and analyse: 

  1. audio-recordings of interviews, transcripts of interviews, and observation and survey data from students and teachers;
  2. attendance registers that capture individual teachers’ attendance in professional development sessions and lesson study groups (collected by the delivery team)
  3. compliance logs that capture how many Mastering Maths lessons individual teachers teach during the delivery period (collected by the delivery team)
  4. logs of implementation issues (collected by the delivery team)

For students taking part in cognitive interviews, NatCen will collect their first name, surname, age, the college they attend, and their contact details. 

McGowan Transcriptions (https://www.mcgowantranscriptions.co.uk/) is the transcription service we use to transcribe our interview data. They will have access to recordings and transcriptions from interviews with students and teachers. McGowan Transcriptions is on NatCen’s approved supplier list and is compliant with our information security (IS) policies.

Simmons Printers (http://www.simmonsprinters.com/) is the printing agency we use to print questionnaires. They will have access to teacher names as well as student names. Simmons Printers is on NatCen’s approved supplier list and is compliant with our IS policies.

Propeller Research is the recruitment agency who will recruit students to take part in cognitive interviews. They will have access to each student’s name, age, and the college they attend. Propeller Research is on NatCen’s approved supplier list and is compliant with our IS policies.

After the study, impact evaluation data (e.g., student data, attendance registers, compliance logs) will be shared with the EEF and their archive manager, FFT Education, for the purposes of research and archiving (see below).

How will the data be used?

During the study

The data we collect will be used for research purposes only. NatCen will store and handle all data securely and confidentially in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. No personal information will ever be transferred outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). All data will be anonymised and treated with the strictest confidence. 

Personal data from students taking part in the cognitive interviews will be used to screen them, to ensure students taking part in interviews reflect those taking part in the trial.

Trial students’ personal data (first names, last names, dates of birth) will be used for accessing data from the National Pupil Database, which along with their GCSE Maths raw scores will be used to inform the impact evaluation of Mastering Maths. The contact details of teachers, senior leaders and data managers will be used for sending out invitations to surveys and case studies, and to aid with the sharing of students’ GCSE scores. Data collected from interviews, surveys, observations, and attendance lists will be used to inform the impact and process evaluation.

After the study

Reports and publications arising from this research will not identify any individual research participant or college.

Impact evaluation data collected as part of all EEF evaluations are archived for research purposes and the EEF will be the data controller of the archived data. The archived data will be managed by FFT Education on behalf of the EEF, making them the data processor. At the end of the evaluation, NatCen will prepare data files and analysis syntax for archiving in the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Secure Research Service (SRS). The SRS team will then transfer files from the project space to the FFT Education space within the SRS.

The archived data will not contain direct identifiers like student name and date of birth, but does hold a Pupil Matching Reference (PMR). PMR is an identifier that contains no personal information. It will enable potential further matching to the National Pupil Database and other administrative datasets without accessing direct identifiers of the students. Once the archiving process is completed, the archive will be open to the research community for analysis within the SRS. The archived data will potentially be shared with other parties, relinked to the National Pupil Database, or linked to other datasets. For further information, see the EEF’s archive privacy notice.

Who can I contact with a query or a complaint?

You have certain legal rights under UK GDPR, and it is our duty to protect these rights. For example, we must always be transparent about which personal information we hold of you, and why. You can read more about your individual legal rights on the Information Commissioner’s Office website: ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/individual-rights/.

You can always contact the research team at NatCen if you have any questions about how your personal information is processed. You can do so by emailing MasteringMaths@natcen.ac.uk or calling us on 0808 164 0397.

If you have any concerns about how your data is used, you can also contact NatCen’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@natcen.ac.uk.

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please go to www.ico.org.uk for more information