Stop and Think: Privacy notice

In line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we want to inform you how information will be processed in the evaluation of Stop and Think. In this privacy notice, we explain the legal basis for data processing, who will have access to participants’ personal data, how data will be used, stored and deleted, and who you can contact with a query or a complaint.

Who’s who?

This evaluation is being carried out by independent evaluators, the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) will deliver the programme.

You can find out more about NatCen at www.natcen.ac.uk.

You can find out more about the EEF at www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.

You can find out more about the BIT at www.bi.team/.

Who will access personal data?

NatCen are carrying out this evaluation and named individuals on the NatCen research team will have access to:

  • Sample files provided by schools containing School Unique Reference Numbers (for the National Pupil Database or the NPD) and the following details for all Year 3 and Year 5 pupils:

     1. Unique Pupil Number (UPN) – for the NPD
     2. Date of birth
     3. First name
     4. Last name
     5. Free School Meal (FSM) status
     6. Year group
     7. Class (if a multi-form-entry school)
  • Pupil attainment data from the NPD and pupil assessment data from our impact evaluation (as detailed below)
  • School and teachers’/staff members’ names and contact details provided by the Behavioural Insights Team
  • Audio recordings from pupil focus groups, teacher focus groups and teacher/staff member interviews
  • Teacher survey responses

McGowan Transcriptions (www.mcgowantranscriptions.co.uk) is the transcription service NatCen use to transcribe our interview and focus group data. They will have access to recordings and transcripts from all interviews and focus groups. McGowan Transcriptions is on NatCen’s approved supplier list, and is compliant with all our information security policies.

Formara Print (www.formara.co.uk) is the printing company NatCen use. They will print documents containing pupil names, UPNs and dates of birth.

Experienced NatCen interviewers will visit schools to supervise pupil assessments. They will have access to pupil details only for the schools where they supervise assessments.   

How will the data be used?

The data collected will be used for research purposes only.

We will a) collect pupil assessment data and b) use attainment data from the National Pupil Database (NPD) in our impact evaluation. We will compare results of children who do and do not take part in Stop and Think, to see whether the programme makes a difference to how well they do in maths and science. All assessment and attainment data will be pseudonymised before being analysed.

For the pupil assessments, pupils will complete:

  • science and maths progress tests (by GL Assessment) and
  • science and maths misconception tests (by NatCen and Oxford MeasurEd).

For the science and maths progress tests, schools will be able to access their school’s pupil-level test results via GL Assessment’s results portal. For the science and maths misconception tests, NatCen will not share test results with schools.

Information and opinions gathered from pupil focus groups, teacher focus groups, teacher/staff member interviews and teacher surveys will be used in our process evaluation to understand how the programme works in practice and what children and schools think of it. All responses will be pseudonymised before being analysed.

All impact evaluation and process evaluation data will be treated with the strictest confidence – no schools, teachers, staff members or pupils will be identified in any report arising from the research.

NatCen will securely delete personal information about participants no more than one year after the evaluation is finished (by September 2025 at the latest).

Assessment results will be linked with information about the pupils from the National Pupil Database (NPD). At the end of the evaluation, the pseudonymised data will be shared with the Department for Education, and with the Office for National Statistics. It will also be stored in the EEF archive (managed by FFT Education) where other research teams can access it. The archive does not contain direct identifiers like pupil names, contact details and date of birth, but does hold a Pupil Matching Reference (PMR). The PMR is used for further matching to the NPD and other administrative datasets that may be required as part of subsequent research.

The legal basis for processing data

For the duration of the evaluation, NatCen is a data controller. This means we are responsible for deciding the purpose and legal basis for processing data. The legal basis is “legitimate interest”. This means we believe that there is a genuine reason for us to process this data (to evaluate Stop and Think), this data is needed to fulfil this purpose (we could not evaluate Stop and Think without this information) and using this data will not interfere with individuals’ interests, rights or freedoms.

After the evaluation ends, data from the impact evaluation will be stored in the EEF archive (as detailed above). At this point, the EEF will become the data controller.

Who can I contact with a query or a complaint?

You have the right to raise any concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via their website at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/.

If you are a parent/carer, you have the right to object to your child’s information being used in this evaluation. If you do not want your child’s information to be used, please contact the Stop and Think Lead at your child’s school. You can also email us via StopAndThinkEvaluation@natcen.ac.uk.

Contact information

If you have any questions about the evaluation, including how personal information will be processed, please contact the NatCen research team at StopAndThinkEvaluation@natcen.ac.uk.