Privacy Policy

Field Studies Council Data Privacy Statement

Field Studies Council is a Limited Company (trading as Field Studies Council and FSC Trading Limited), and a registered Charity (England and Wales No.313364 and Scotland SC039870C). As a UK based charity our handling of your information is controlled by the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations(PECR) 2019. We take our data processing responsibilities very seriously including the privacy of personal information supplied to us by our supporters and employees.

We process personal information to enable us to provide a “not for profit” service for the benefit of schools, college/universities, businesses, organisations, clubs, societies, groups, and individuals, in our role as an environmental education charity. Processing of personal information is necessary to operate as a charity and to offer the products and services that satisfy the requirements and expectations of our supporters. We fully understand that you will want to be assured that the personal information that you provide to us will be handled and used safely, appropriately, and securely. This data privacy statement is part of that assurance and outlines the who, how and why of personal data processing at Field Studies Council, with the aim of reassuring supporters and employees that we perform this vital duty both responsibly and with care.

Who we process information about
We process personal information to varying degrees for the following groups of people:
• supporters (customers, members, volunteers)
• employees (past, prospective, and current)
• trustees
• complainants
• enquirers
• visitors, advisers, suppliers, and representatives of other organisations.

When we collect personal data
We collect personal data about you when:
• You express an interest in our products and services or employment opportunities either over the phone,
via email, live chat, social media, webforms, webinar attendance, contact us provision, when signing up to
newsletters and other communications
• You contact our enquiries, sales, or customer service representatives.
• You attend an event where we are hosting or participating, and you provide us with contact details and
consent to be contacted by us following the event.
• You connect with us through a social media channel, we will know your social media handle and any
information you make available through interactions with our social media channel. However, unless we
undertake additional processing, the social media company remains data-controller of your personal
information.
• You use our website or respond to our emails. We will gather details about your usage of our sites
through cookies, analytics, and similar technologies. This information may include your IP address and
information about your visit. This is also the case if you use our online learning platform.
• You make a purchase either through our website, over the phone, or via email.
• You attend one of our courses or experiences.
• You complete Field Studies Council surveys or enter competitions. These may require you to provide
contact information such as name, phone number, and email address.
• You apply for a subsidy or grant supplied by Field Studies Council.
• You enquire about, and/or apply for employment with Field Studies Council.
• You start employment with Field Studies Council (both paid and voluntary roles)
• You are a visitor to our Head Office or to one of our Field Centres. You may be asked to provide your
name, signature, company name and car registration number.
• You are an employee or visitor to one of our Centres. Personal identifiable images may be captured as
part of CCTV footage at our sites.

When we collect personal data from other sources
Field Studies Council will periodically purchase contact lists from third parties for marketing purposes to help
sustain or grow the charity. These lists relate to corporate, professional, or education sector contacts only.

How we use your data
The personal data we obtain from you is used to:
• Respond to your enquiries/requests
• Deliver our products and services appropriately
• Aid the smooth running of our charity
• Improve our products and services
• Obtain business analytics in relation to user/purchaser/visitor interactions with us
• Promote additional or future Field Studies Council products and services

Your personal data, depending on your relationship with Field Studies Council, may be processed in one or
more of the following ways.

Data processing relating to supporters and enquirers
• Processing payment transactions for courses and merchandise purchased, either face to face, over the
telephone, or online via our website and e-commerce systems.
• Processing of supporter details within our Integrated Bookings System and/or Customer Relations
Management (CRM) system in relation to the sale of products and services and to support appropriate
communication between us and the supporter.
• Processing of enquirer details to respond to requests about our charity, its products, and its services
• Processing to enable Field Studies Council to claim Gift Aid
• Processing of course participants and residential visitor data to enable provision for rooming,
accommodation, and dietary needs.
• Processing of medical details and emergency contact information for course attendees at Field Studies
Council run courses and experiences to ensure appropriate operational, health & safety provision.
• Processing in relation to order, booking and financial administration for products and services purchased
• Processing in relation to dealing with accidents and incidents
• Processing in relation to CCTV to ensure site safety.
• Processing in relation to applications for grants and subsidies offered by us
• Processing course attendance/completion where courses require external accreditation

Data processing relating to marketing & promotional activities
• Where Individual supporters have “consented” to be contacted, brochure, newsletter, and email
campaigns to promote the work, products, and services offered by Field Studies Council.
• Group and educational establishment contact details are processed lawfully for marketing and
promotional purposes based on ‘legitimate interests’ of the charity.
• Data processing and obtaining the relevant consent in relation to photographic images obtained for
marketing purposes that contain personally identifiable images.

FSC’s data processing in relation to managing employees
• Keeping accurate and up-to-date employee records including performance, sickness, and disciplinary
information
• Processing of employee details specific to role and job function such as certification and accreditation
• Keeping an accurate and up-to-date record of training completed
• Employee reporting for operational and strategic management of staff to meet the needs of the charity
• Processing personal details in the production of staff payroll and BACS transactions
• Processing of employee data as necessary for income tax, national insurance, and pension purposes
• Processing in relation to additional payments (for example, staff expenses, settlement agreements etc).
• Processing photo consent for personal photographic images used in the creation of marketing and
informational materials.
• Processing employee details in the creation of employee references
• Processing in relation to providing employee benefits (for example, health plan and life assurance).

FSC’s data processing activities for legal and compliance purposes
• Submitting reports to HMRC and for financial auditing purposes
• Submitting reports to Teachers Pension Scheme, the Pensions Trust, NEST, and the Local Government
Pension Scheme
• Keeping records of employees who have completed training for compliance purposes e.g. Safeguarding
• Processing driver details for employees driving company/private vehicles on company business
• Processing in relation to dealing with accidents and incidents

FSC’s data-processing in relation to the Digital Services that we provide
• Processing of customer details to create user accounts to access our web services e.g. website and online
learning platforms
• Processing of employee details to create users account access to a range of digital services
• Processing to automate the creation of employee email signatures
• Processing in relation to CCTV to ensure site safety
• The backup of personal information for security and disaster recovery purposes

FSC’s other data-processing activities
• Processing in relation to staff recruitment and monitoring of the recruitment process.
• Processing by the Publications function of Field Studies Council in relation to authors, royalties, and
copyright consent.
• Processing of payments to suppliers/service providers such as individuals, sole traders, and partnerships

When we share data
We do not share personal information with other organisations for marketing, market research or commercial
gain. In short, we do not sell your data.

To provide the services that we do it is necessary to engage selected suppliers. These mainly relate to digital
systems and platforms that we use to function as a charity. Where we use suppliers to process personal data,
and where Field Studies Council is data controller, we have obtained agreements or contractual assurancesthat
appropriate data-protection compliance is in place.

Field Studies Council also works in partnership with selected organisations to deliver a small number of products
and services. Where we do offer products and services in partnership, there will be a specific need to share
personal data with the partner organisation. If your personal data is to be shared in this manner with a partner
organisation this will be made clear at point of sale before you place your order. Our current list of partner
organisations are:
• The Open University
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• The Royal Parks

Sometimes we are required to share personal information with the individual (data subject) and with other
individuals or organisations where we have a legal obligation or lawful basis to do so. Examples include:
• in response to enquiries / subject access requests by the data subject
• family, associates, or representatives of the data subject in cases of emergency or incident response
• current, past, and prospective employers (in relation to employees of Field Studies Council)
• healthcare and welfare organisations (in relation to employees of Field Studies Council)
• educators and examining bodies (where applicable, both supporters and employees)
• financial organisations (including banking and pensions)
• legal representatives & insurance companies
• emergency services
• regulatory bodies
• local and central government

Employment enquiries and the recruitment process
The personal data you provide when enquiring about employment opportunities and/or during the recruitment
process will be used to supply you with vacancy details and/or process your application for employment with
Field Studies Council. All applications are electronically stored, kept confidential, and not shared with third
parties, except where required to do so by law, or where we have retained the services of a third-party
representative to act on your/our behalf. If you are not appointed, your information will be held securely for a
maximum 12-month period to monitor the recruitment process, and in case of legal challenge. We will also
contact you during this time about future vacancies unless you instruct us not to do so.

Field Studies Council Websites
Field Studies Council is committed to the privacy and security of visitors to our websites. You can use most of
the features without disclosing any personal information. However, use of some features such as registering an
online account, placing an order, or completing any enquiry form, will ask you to provide some personal
information. By registering an online account, placing an order, or making an enquiry, you consent to the
collection and processing of your personal data under the terms of this policy.

Website Cookies
We use essential cookies to make our website work. We use additional cookies to remember your settings, to
understand how you use our site so we can improve it for you, and to make our marketing efforts as useful as
possible. You can choose to reject all non-essential cookies if you wish to do so.

Security of online payments
Field Studies Council uses a PCI Level 1 service provider to handle online payments on its behalf, which utilises
AES-256 encryption of card numbers. This level of compliance and security is the most stringent level of
certification available in the payments industry. By using trusted and class-leading payments services this
removes the need for FSC to store debit/credit card numbers on any of its systems.

Links to third party websites
Field Studies Council websites and online learning platforms may contain links to external sites not run by us.
We cannot be held responsible for the privacy policies of these websites even if you are accessing them via our
websites. In such cases, we would advise that you check the policy of each site that you visit. If you are visiting
our website via a third-party website, we cannot be held responsible for the policies of that third-party site.

Where we store our data
The personal data you supply to us electronically or by paper-based methods is processed in the UK and stored
on computer systems and secure data-centres based in the UK and Ireland.

Transfer of personal data
Personal data we hold about supporters and employees is stored within the UK & Ireland. This also includes our
data backups. As data-controller will not transfer your personal data to locations outside of the EEA (European
Economic Area) without GDPR/EU Security Shield level data protection compliance in place.

Data Security
We have security measures in place to protect (to the best of our ability and financial means as a charity) against
loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. Information security policies are in place and are regularly reviewed, and
our systems use technologies to secure data both in transmission and storage.

Staff Confidentiality & Training
We take all reasonable steps to ensure the integrity of our employees with access to personal data. A
confidentiality agreement forms part of the terms and conditions of employment as requirement in article 28
(3b) of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Our employees who handle personal information
undertake data protection training every 3 years.

Data Retention
Personal data is processed in different ways for different purposes but is only retained for as long as necessary
in the context for which it was originally collected/obtained. Below are some key retention periods of note.
• Personal data relating to course attendees is retained only for 1 month after course completion unless the
course is an accredited course with certification at the end.
• With financial data related to the products and services we sell (including orders and details of the
purchaser) we are required by law to retain for the current financial year and the following six years
(known as the 6 years +1 retention period and is the standard retention period as required by HMRC).
• Accident, injury, or incident logs/reports are retained for 21 years to cover the period of potential
litigation against the charity.
Once the limit of the retention period is reached, personal data is either deleted or anonymised.

Your acceptance of our data processing and privacy arrangements
By using our sites, services, entering a contract of sale or employment, or engaging in discussions with us about
the products and services, volunteering, or employment opportunities that we offer, we take this as your
acceptance of our data privacy statement. If you do not agree to this, then you are advised not to use our sites,
make bookings or purchases, or engage with us in discussions about our products, services, or employment
opportunities in a manner where we will need to process your personal information.

Your data rights
Any personal information submitted via our websites, in person, by telephone, by post, by email, or by other
electronic methods is treated in accordance with current UK data protection legislation. To find out more visit
https://ico.org.uk/

You may request a copy of personal data that we hold about you at any time. This is referred to as making a
‘Subject Access Request’. You can find out more about this by visiting https://ico.org.uk/your-datamatters/your-right-to-get-copies-of-your-data/

If you have any data queries not covered by this privacy statement, contact us using the details below:

Data Protection Officer
Field Studies Council
Head Office
Preston Montford
Shrewsbury
SY4 1HW

Email – dataprotection@field-studies-council.org

Last Update: 22 November 2023