ESOL privacy notice

The Connecting Communities ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) SPOC (Single Point of Contact) service is a core component of the Council’s Connecting Communities delivery plan.

The purpose of the service, funded by MHCLG (Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government), is to increase awareness of and access to ESOL provision, streamline learner referrals and create an evidence base that will enable providers to respond better to the emerging needs of the borough’s learners.  The service signposts potential ESOL learners to the most suitable ESOL class in their area and enables providers to offer a course to the learners.

If you have questions regarding this service or our privacy practices, you can contact us by e-mail or in writing. Email Ruth Doyle (ESOL Service Advisor) at Ruth.Doyle@walthamforest.gov.uk

You can also contact us by post. Please write to:

Connecting Communities Unit (Room 001
Waltham Forest Town Hall
Forest Road
Walthamstow E17 4JF

Please note that face-to-face meetings are by appointment only and can be arranged with the service by email.

The information we collect and the process is:  Identifying data (name, surname, gender, date of birth), Ethnicity, Nationality, Demographics, Residence in the EEA/UK, Immigration status, Social benefits, Languages, Schooling, Previous ESOL, Employment status, Reasons for learning, Embedded learning, Hobbies, Children.  This information is collected to enable the SPOC team to signpost to the appropriate provider based on learners' needs. The data collected is the minimum amount of data necessary for the evaluation, referral and reporting to the funder.

The information we collect is processed in order to refer learners to the best type of provision/ESOL classes according to their needs.  Data is also gathered to identify ESOL needs in the borough and any barriers that might affect access to provision. The information we gather is also used to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the service.

The processing of the information we gather is based on the consent of the ESOL learner.  Consent is obtained at the point of collection of the data.  Every effort is made to ensure that the learner is informed of the nature, extent and risks of the processing.  ESOL learners are provided with an information sheet signposting the individual to this Privacy Notice and explaining their rights. 

The information we collect will be shared, where appropriate in the given case, internally with the Adult Learning Service and/or externally with local education establishments such as  Waltham Forest College, ELATT and MTC (Migrant Training Centre), as agreed with the individual during the advice session.

The data will further be shared with our funder (the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), for evaluation and reporting purposes.

We will keep the information for 2 years.  Further processing for research and reporting purposes will be carried out after the data has been anonymised.

Our Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer is Mark Hynes, you contact him by email at data.protectionofficer@walthamforest.gov.uk

Protecting your information

Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.

Your information choice and rights

Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.

Complaints and contact details

These are included in the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.

Information Commissioner’s Office

If we’re unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)