Data protection notice

We know that you care about how your personal information is used, and we appreciate that you trust us to do so carefully and sensibly.

We are responsible for the personal data we collect and hold and, under data protection legislation, we have a duty to inform you of the different ways in which your data is used, what information we hold and how, why we collect it and our legal basis for doing so, whether we share that data with anyone else and your rights in relation to your personal data.

This Policy sets out how we process the personal data, including data passed to us by third parties, of the following:

  • Prospective students, including enquirers and applicants. This covers the period up to enrolment.

  • Current students. This means students who are enrolling and those currently registered with us.

  • Alumni. This means students who have completed a programme of study, including short courses, with us.

In addition to the information set out in this Policy, you may be provided with further information about the processing of your personal data when you engage with specific services or activities with us, and you may be asked to provide consent to such processing.

Escape Studios is a trading name of AAP Education Limited. Former trading names include Pearson College London and Pearson Business School. Escape Studios is registered with the Independent Commissioner’s Office under registration number Z3188453.

This Privacy notice was last updated in January 2023.

What is personal data?

Personal data is information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual. This could be information that identifies an individual on its own, such as a name or identifying photograph, or it could be information used in combination with other information to identify someone, such as a date of birth or nationality. 

What information does Escape Studios collect about me?

We currently collect and process the following information on our prospective students:

  • Personal details such as name, contact details (address, telephone number, email address), date of birth (age), sex and gender identity

  • Education and work history, and career aspirations

  • Unique identifiers, for example application reference numbers

  • Online identifiers (for example, IP addresses and cookie identifiers). For more information please see our Cookie Policy

  • Proof of identity, e.g. Passport, National Insurance Number

  • Next of kin information

  • Nationality

  • Information on household income

  • Student finance information

  • Identifying photograph or audio/visual recording

  • Attendance at events, such as recruitment events or outreach activities

  • Parental education

We may also collect some special category data:

  • Race/ethnicity

  • Health information (including disabilities)

  • Additional learning needs

  • Care leaver status

How does Escape Studios collect my personal information?

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you, for example, when you register for events, order publications such as a prospectus, use our website chat function or make an application for a programme.

We sometimes collect bank card details for payments made over the telephone but do not store credit/debit card details. We are PCI DSS compliant.

We may also receive personal information on you indirectly, for example:

  • where applications are made through UCAS and Student Loans Company

  • information provided by you to third-party search engines, marketing sites or registering for events via a third-party platform

  • information shared on peer recruitment websites, such as UniBuddy

  • information provided by educational institutions or partners

  • information that is in the public domain, for example through social media sites

What does Escape Studios do with my data?

Your information will be used by marketing, recruitment and admissions staff and may be shared with other departments to support this process or to improve access to services.

We may also share your data with third parties, for example:

  • regulatory bodies, government agencies or other organisations in order to comply with legislation and regulatory requirements;

  • Higher Education Access Tracker Service, to monitor the effectiveness of our outreach activities. Their Privacy Notice can be found here.

  • online platforms or data management system providers with whom we have a contract e.g.:

    • Salesforce – our customer relationship management system

    • SITS:Vision – our student management information system

  • staff within Pearson plc and/or its subsidiaries where we use their services. For example, we currently use Pearson plc IT and finance systems

Where we use third parties to provide services on our behalf (acting as data processors), a written contract will be put in place to ensure that your information will be held in accordance with the requirements of data protection legislation. There are circumstances in which your data may be transferred outside of the EEA, e.g. where we use a third-party cloud services provider based outside the EEA to store personal data. In such cases there will be appropriate safeguards in place to protect the security of your personal information. 

Parents, family members and other guardians are considered to be third parties and your information will not be disclosed to them unless you have given your consent for relevant information in certain circumstances to be shared, or we believe the disclosure is otherwise made in accordance with data protection legislation.

Purposes for processing and our lawful basis for processing your data

Your personal data will be used to manage your enquiry or prospective application to Escape Studios.

We have set out below the purposes and the legal basis upon which we process the personal data of prospective students.

PurposeLegal Basis
Marketing and publicity We will collect personal data from you in order to provide you with information concerning our products and services and where you have registered an interest in a promotional event, such as a taster day or open day. We will not provide you with any marketing emails if you have not opted in to receiving them. You have the option to unsubscribe at any time. If you attend an event at Escape Studios, we may take photographs or video to be used in marketing and publicity materials. Legitimate interests We will process your data in order to pursue our legitimate interests, for example, in promoting and enhancing our products and services.
Pre-application queries and processing and managing applications We will use your information to: • provide guidance on applying to us • provide information on opportunities and support that we can provide • assess your eligibility to study with us • administer online tests as part of your application, where applicable • invite you to workshops • assess your application • create a student record on our Student Management Information System • shortlist candidates for interview and provide details to the interviewers • communicate with you regarding your application In some cases, we will collect special category data, such as health information and race or ethnicity. We collect this data for the following reasons: • to assess whether reasonable adjustments may be required • to monitor access and participation • to comply with regulatory and legal requirements Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. Performance of contract We are required to assess your application before entering into a contract with you when you accept a place with us. For special category data Equality of opportunity or treatment We process special category data to monitor equality of opportunity or treatment. Explicit consent Where we collect information on health to assess whether reasonable adjustments may be required, we rely on explicit consent.
Fees and funding We will process your personal data in order to ascertain the financial details of your contractual relationship with us. Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. Performance of contract We may be required to process your personal data before entering into a contract with you when you accept a place with us.
Internal reporting, statutory reporting and other legal obligations We will process your personal data in order to: • comply with our legal obligations • produce statistics and reporting for internal and statutory reporting purposes • monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our recruitment and outreach activities. Compliance with a legal obligation We will process your personal data in order to comply with legislation, such as Health and Safety. Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. For special category data Equality of opportunity or treatment We process special category data to monitor equality of opportunity or treatment.

What information does Escape Studios collect about me?

We currently collect and process the following information on our enrolling and registered students:

  • Personal details such as name, contact details (address, telephone number, email address), date of birth (age) sex and gender identity

  • Education and work history, and career aspirations

  • Unique identifiers, for example Unique Learner Numbers, Student reference numbers

  • Online identifiers (for example, IP addresses and cookie identifiers). Please see our Cookie Policy for more information

  • Next of kin information

  • Nationality status

  • Information on household income

  • Student finance information

  • Identifying photograph or audio/visual recording

  • Enrolment status and progression information

  • Attendance

We also collect some special category data:

  • Race or ethnicity

  • Health information (including disabilities)

  • Religious or philosophical beliefs

  • Sexual Orientation

  • Additional learning needs

  • Care leaver status

How does Escape Studios collect my personal information?

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you, when you enrol with us.

We may also receive personal information on you from third parties, for example:

  • from government agencies, such as the Student Loans Company, or Learner Records Service

  • information provided by you to third party search engines, marketing sites or registering for events via a third-party platform

  • information that is in the public domain, for example through social media sites

What does Escape Studios do with your data?

Your information will be used by staff in different departments in order to administer your education and student experience and to improve our services.

We may also share your data with third parties, for example:

  • Regulatory bodies, government agencies or other organisations in order to comply with legislation and regulatory requirements. The main agencies with whom we share data are:

    • The Higher Education Statistics Agency, the designated data body of the Office for Students. For more information about their use of your personal data, please see their Collection Notices

    • Your contact details may be passed to the Office for Students in order to administer the National Student Survey

    • The Student Loans Company

    • The Office of the Independent Adjudicator

  • Higher Education Access Tracker Service, to monitor the effectiveness of our outreach activities. Their Privacy Notice can be found here

  • Our validating partner, the University of Kent, which awards our degrees

  • External examiners, as part of our quality assurance processes

  • Where our programme of study leads to a qualification recognised by a professional body, we will disclose data required by those bodies, e.g. Solicitors Regulation Authority, ACCA 

  • Online platforms or data management system providers with whom we have a contract, e.g.:

  • Employers and industry partners, for example to provide feedback and administer internship opportunities

  • Staff within Pearson plc and/or its subsidiaries where we use their services. For example, the College currently uses Pearson plc IT and finance systems

  • External auditors, where necessary to carry out their audit function

  • Debt collection agencies acting on our behalf where you owe us money

  • We may be obliged to contact third parties, such as your next of kin or emergency services in an emergency or where we have serious concerns about your wellbeing or the safety of others

Where we use third parties to provide services on our behalf (acting as data processors), a written contract will be put in place to ensure that your information will be held in accordance with the requirements of data protection legislation. There are circumstances in which your data may be transferred outside of the EEA, e.g. where we use a third-party cloud services provider based outside the EEA to store personal data. In such cases there will be appropriate safeguards in place to protect the security of your personal information. 

Parents, family members and other guardians are considered to be third parties and your information will not be disclosed to them unless you have given your consent for relevant information in certain circumstances to be shared, or we believe the disclosure is otherwise made in accordance with data protection legislation. 

Purposes for processing and our lawful basis for processing your data

Your personal data will be used to manage the delivery and administration of your education and student experience with Escape Studios.

We have set out below the purposes and the legal basis upon which we process the personal data of prospective students

PurposeLegal basis
Enrolment We will collect personal data from you in order to enrol you as a student once you have accepted an offer of a place. At the point of enrolment we will process special category data such as health information, race, ethnicity.Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. Performance of contract The processing of your personal data is necessary in relation to the contract you have entered into with us. For special category data Equality of opportunity or treatment We process special category data to monitor equality of opportunity or treatment.
Delivery and administration of education We will use your information to: • Provide your education • Record your progress, including attendance and engagement • Maintain your student record on our Student Management Information System • Communicate with you about your education We may make audio or visual recordings of lectures but students will be provided with notice beforehand. We may process personal data such as health information, for example if reasonable adjustments are required for teaching or assessment and for monitoring attendance and engagement. Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. Performance of contract The processing of your personal data is necessary in relation to the contract you have entered into with us. For special category data Explicit Consent Where we collect information on health to assess whether reasonable adjustments may be required, we rely on explicit consent.
Delivery and administration of student experience We will process your personal information in order to: • Administer quality assurance processes, such as complaints, appeals, disciplinary matters, extenuating circumstances applications, deferrals, extension requests and academic malpractice • Manage your use of facilities and services e.g. IT, online learning environment, library • Provide support from Student Services, such as administrative support, guidance on our processes and procedures • Provide access to talent development opportunities and events • Provide a counselling service • Produce your Student ID We may process special category data, such as data relating to your health, for example where this is disclosed in an application for extenuating circumstances or to our counselling service. Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. Performance of contract The processing of your personal data is necessary in relation to the contract you have entered into with us. Legitimate interests Sometimes we will process your data in order to pursue our legitimate interests, for example, in promoting our events and services. For special category data Equality of opportunity or treatment We process special category data to monitor equality of opportunity or treatment. Vital interests In the event of concerns about your wellbeing or safety, or that of others, it may be necessary to transfer your personal data to emergency services Explicit consent Where it is unnecessary or inappropriate to rely on vital interests, we will seek consent to the processing of your data at the point of collection.
Internal reporting, statutory reporting and other legal obligations We will process your personal data in order to: • comply with our legal obligations • produce statistics and reporting for internal and statutory reporting purposes • monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our access and participation activities We will process special category personal data, e.g information about disabilities or ethnicity. We also collect information about religious views and/or sexual orientation and, where disclosed, report this information to HESA. Compliance with a legal obligation We will process your personal data in order to comply with legislation, such as Health and Safety. Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. For special category data Equality of opportunity or treatment We process special category data to monitor equality of opportunity or treatment.
Fees and funding We will process your personal data in order to manage the financial aspects of your contractual relationship with us, including the administration of scholarships and bursaries. Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. Performance of contract The processing of your personal data is necessary in relation to the contract you have entered into with us.
Alumni relations We use your data to: • manage and facilitate graduation, including gown hire and publishing names in the programme • maintain contact preferences for alumni activities and talent development Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category. Legitimate interests Sometimes we will process your data in order to pursue our legitimate interests, for example, in promoting our products and services. Consent Where we cannot rely on performance of a task carried out in the public interest or legitimate interest for our processing of data, we will obtain your consent.
Marketing and publicity We will process your personal data in order to provide you with information concerning our events. We may take photographs or video to be used in marketing and publicity materials. Legitimate interests We will process your data in order to pursue our legitimate interests, for example, in promoting our products and services.

What information does Escape Studios collect about me?

We currently collect and process the following information on our enrolling and registered students:

  • Personal details such as name, contact details (address, telephone number, email address), date of birth (age) sex and gender identity

  • Education and work history, and career aspirations

  • Unique identifiers, for example Unique Learner Numbers, Student reference numbers

  • Online identifiers (for example, IP addresses and cookie identifiers). Please see our Cookie Policy for more information

  • Next of kin information

  • Nationality status

  • Information on household income

  • Student finance information

  • Identifying photograph or audio/visual recording

  • Enrolment status and progression information

  • Attendance

We also collect some special category data:

  • Race or ethnicity

  • Health information (including disabilities)

  • Religious or philosophical beliefs

  • Sexual Orientation

  • Additional learning needs

  • Care leaver status

How does Escape Studios collect my personal information?

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you, when you enrol with us.

We may also receive personal information on you from third parties, for example:

  • from government agencies, such as the Student Loans Company, or Learner Records Service

  • information provided by you to third party search engines, marketing sites or registering for events via a third-party platform

  • information that is in the public domain, for example through social media sites

What does Escape Studios do with your data?

Your information will be used by staff in different departments in order to administer your education and student experience and to improve our services.

We may also share your data with third parties, for example:

  • Regulatory bodies, government agencies or other organisations in order to comply with legislation and regulatory requirements. The main agencies with whom we share data are:

    • The Higher Education Statistics Agency, the designated data body of the Office for Students. For more information about their use of your personal data, please see their Collection Notices

    • Your contact details may be passed to the Office for Students in order to administer the National Student Survey

    • The Student Loans Company

    • The Office of the Independent Adjudicator

  • Higher Education Access Tracker Service, to monitor the effectiveness of our outreach activities. Their Privacy Notice can be found here

  • Our validating partner, the University of Kent, which awards our degrees

  • External examiners, as part of our quality assurance processes

  • Where our programme of study leads to a qualification recognised by a professional body, we will disclose data required by those bodies, e.g. Solicitors Regulation Authority, ACCA 

  • Online platforms or data management system providers with whom we have a contract, e.g.:

  • Employers and industry partners, for example to provide feedback and administer internship opportunities

  • Staff within Pearson plc and/or its subsidiaries where we use their services. For example, the College currently uses Pearson plc IT and finance systems

  • External auditors, where necessary to carry out their audit function

  • Debt collection agencies acting on our behalf where you owe us money

  • We may be obliged to contact third parties, such as your next of kin or emergency services in an emergency or where we have serious concerns about your wellbeing or the safety of others

Where we use third parties to provide services on our behalf (acting as data processors), a written contract will be put in place to ensure that your information will be held in accordance with the requirements of data protection legislation. There are circumstances in which your data may be transferred outside of the EEA, e.g. where we use a third-party cloud services provider based outside the EEA to store personal data. In such cases there will be appropriate safeguards in place to protect the security of your personal information. 

Parents, family members and other guardians are considered to be third parties and your information will not be disclosed to them unless you have given your consent for relevant information in certain circumstances to be shared, or we believe the disclosure is otherwise made in accordance with data protection legislation. 

Purposes for processing and our lawful basis for processing your data

Your personal data will be used to manage the delivery and administration of your education and student experience with Escape Studios.

We have set out below the purposes and the legal basis upon which we process the personal data of prospective students

PurposeLegal basis
Maintaining records of student's relationship with Escape Studios and Pearson Business School We will process your data to maintain records of your relationship with us. Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category.
Internal reporting, statutory reporting and other legal obligations We will process your personal data in order to: • Facilitate the Graduate Outcomes survey • produce statistics and reporting for internal and statutory reporting purposes • maintain internal records of graduate outcomes Performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will be processing personal data in our capacity as a registered higher education provider with the Office for Students under the approved (fee cap) category.
Promoting and providing relevant events/activities We will process data in order to: • provide information on events and activities that might be of interest • invite alumni to participate in or speak at events being held by us • improve our events and services • promote Escape Studios though the use of success stories of our graduates We will not provide you with any marketing emails if you have not opted in to receiving them. You have the option to unsubscribe at any time. If you attend an event at Escape Studios, we may take photographs or video to be used in marketing and publicity materials. Legitimate interests We will process your data in order to pursue our legitimate interests, for example, in promoting and enhancing our products and services.

How long will you store my information?

We will only keep your information for as long as we need it to fulfil our purposes, including any relating to legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

  • Your data protection rights - Under data protection law, you have rights including:

  • Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. 

  • Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. 

  • Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. 

  • Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. 

  • Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

  • Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

Further information on your rights can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Who can I contact with questions?

If you have any concerns or questions about our use of your personal information, you can contact us by writing to:

Director of Regulation and Compliance

6 Mitre Passage
North Greenwich
London
SE10 0ER

You can also email us at: hello@escapestudios.ac.uk

If we are unable to address your query or concerns to your satisfaction, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk