Part A: By agreeing to this document, you understand and accept the following:
- To abide by B&FC regulations, policies and procedures. Details of college policies can be found on the B&FC website https://www.blackpool.ac.uk/college-policies
- To abide by the regulations of our awarding bodies and B&FC which are displayed in exam rooms. Links to specific awarding body and B&FC HE regulations can also be found on our B&FC website (https://www.blackpool.ac.uk/exams-achievements or https://www.blackpool.ac.uk/he-regulations)
- To take any assessments or examinations we require you to take to achieve your course(s), and that on completion of your course where appropriate B&FC will apply for certification/accreditation on your behalf from the relevant Awarding Organisation. Please note: we reserve the right to charge you for examinations or assessments you fail to attend
- That, if you fail to attend classes, you may be withdrawn from your course. B&FC-sponsored international student attendance is monitored and non-attendance is reported to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
- That B&FC reserves the right to cancel courses which fail to meet minimum class sizes
- That B&FC may withdraw you from examinations if you withdraw from your programme of study or any part of it
- That you will tell us if any of your personal, employment or contact details change
- That, if you are an HE student, you have read and agreed to the B&FC HE Home Student Terms and Conditions 2025/2026
- That, if you loan equipment or resources from B&FC, you are required to abide by B&FC’s policies and return items within the agreed loan period and in the condition in which they were loaned to you
- That you should raise complaints with your B&FC contact/tutor in the first instance. Complaints which are not resolved in this way should be escalated through B&FC’s Compliments, Complaints and Feedback Procedure available on B&FC website. In the unlikely event that this does not achieve a satisfactory outcome, complaints in relation to funded courses may then be raised with the relevant funding body (https://www.gov.uk/complain-further-education-apprenticeship for FE students and Apprentices; 0118 9599813 or https://www.oiahe.org.uk/contact-us/ for HE students)
Fees & Refunds
- You (or your employer/sponsor) are responsible for any course fees incurred
- If your course has annual fees, you must pay fees for each year of the programme. International students and those studying non-funded courses must pay fees in full before they start each academic year.
- You are financially liable for any loaned equipment or resources that you fail to return or return in damaged condition
- Where fees are reduced or waived on the basis of a declaration you sign which is found to be false, you (or your sponsor) are liable for all associated fees
- If we provide support (including equipment) or funding (including bursaries) based on a declaration you sign which is found to be false, we may withdraw that support and you are liable for costs incurred
- B&FC operates a chargeable printing service on College premises.
- B&FC may charge to you any cost arising from your failure to tell us about changes to your employment, benefits or contact details. (e.g., costs for changes to certificates or transcripts)
- B&FC is obliged to notify benefits agencies if your status changes. This may affect your benefits and your fees
- B&FC reserves the right to charge 2% for payments made by International Credit Card and will charge £25 for each failed direct debit payment
- B&FC reserves the right to charge you for examinations or assessments that you fail to attend or any additional administration costs incurred by you as a result (e.g., access arrangements, invigilation costs, resource costs, late fees, and copy certificates)
- B&FC reserves the right to apply sanctions including withholding payments, services or certificates (where appropriate) until all outstanding course fees have been paid in full.
- That, any non-payment of fees or debts owed to B&FC will result in B&FC operating Debt Management procedures. This may include contact by telephone, email or letter and legal action may be taken in pursuit of payments. Failure to comply or respond will usually result in referral to an external legal specialist prior to referral to County Court which will incur additional cost to yourself
- B&FC’s Further Education Fees Policy, Higher Education Fees Policy, International Student Fees Policy, Tuition Fee Payment Policy, Refund Policy and Student Debt Policy are available on our website https://www.blackpool.ac.uk/college-policies.
Ownership of Work
I understand that, unless otherwise agreed in writing, ownership and copyright of all work produced by me during the course of my studies remains with me. B&FC, its successors or assignees shall however retain royalty-free, non-exclusive perpetual rights to reproduce and distribute student work produced as part of any course for the purposes of educational materials, marketing, publicity or otherwise enhancing the reputation of B&FC in all media world-wide.
All usage shall be for non-commercial purposes only and shall include:
- incorporating student-produced work in B&FC’s learning and teaching materials
- using student-produced work in the marketing and promotion of B&FC, its programmes and activities across all media and formats, whether now known or hereafter devised, including but not limited to the B&FC website and social media channels, leaflets, catalogues and prospectuses
- the use of student-produced work for academic Quality Assurance purposes.
All use of works produced as part of my course shall be done without fee or commercial gain on the part of B&FC. Wherever possible, the source and original artist will be acknowledged.
Warranty and Limitation of Liability: Where B&FC supplies you with materials, products or services, B&FC does not guarantee the suitability or the fitness for purpose of those materials, products or services. B&FC shall have no liability to you for any loss or damage incurred by the student in using any materials, products or services supplied by B&FC.
Waivers: B&FC does not waive any of its rights under this agreement whether or not they are exercised or acted upon.
Governing Law: Both B&FC and you (the student) agree that this contract is governed by English law and that any dispute will be heard in the Courts of England. Nothing in this agreement will limit either party’s liability for fraud
Part B: Your Personal Data and Your Rights
How do we capture and use your data?
We collect personal data from you at enrolment, induction, throughout your course and sometimes after you leave us. We collect this information from you directly but also on paper, online, by surveys, through CCTV/camera and sometimes from other organisations such as your high school, the DfE and the local education authority. The information we collect is used to help us provide learning services and to enable you to benefit from pastoral care, learning support, virtual learning resources, financial support and to evaluate and improve the quality of our services. We are also required to provide personal data to the Department for Education (DfE) who are responsible for funding, planning and encouraging education and training in England.
What data do we capture and use?
We collect a range of data including name, contact details, nationality, residency, previous qualifications, employment history, assessment results, attendance information, destination information and information about employment or work placements you undertake whilst studying with us. We also collect and use sensitive data such as ethnicity, socio-economic indicator, criminal convictions, disability, special educational needs, information about whether you are care experienced and other things that might help us to support you. We may ask for more detailed information to assess whether you can study your chosen course. For example, if you have a significant medical need that affects our ability to keep you or someone else safe.
Why do we need to capture and use your data?
We process your personal data and share it with the organisations listed below because we are legally obliged to do so or because we need to do so in order to deliver the education/training required by our students. Specifically:
- Because it is part of our funding agreement with DfE, OfS or other organisations
- To submit mandatory data returns
- To administrate mandatory surveys (e.g., National Student Survey)
- To register you for a Unique Learner Number (ULN)
- To update your Learner Record Service record and correct any errors
- To provide financial or learning support you may be entitled to
- To comply with the “September Guarantee” or other government obligations
- To make available virtual resources and other services as quickly as possible
- To comply with immigration and counter-terrorism legislation
- To support you in securing employment or progressing to a higher course or better job
- To safeguard you and others
- To register with awarding organisations, request access arrangements and claim certificates
Who has access to your data?
Your data will be shared with some of our employees to provide services to you. Only staff who need access to your data will be able to use it. The personal information you provide will also be shared with the following organisations as required:
- The (1)Department for Education (see below)
- The Learner Records Service
- If you study an HE course, the Office for Students (OfS)
- The University & College Admissions Service (UCAS)
- The Student Loans Company (if you apply for or take a student loan)
- The UK Visa & Immigration Service
- Local Education Authorities
- The police (where we are legally obliged to do so, otherwise we will ask you first)
- Social services (where there is a safeguarding risk, otherwise we will ask you first)
- Auditors, Ofsted or other formal regulatory bodies for the education sector
- Awarding organisations/Exam boards
- Industry skills bodies if your training includes registration of certification with them
- Third parties contracted by B&FC to provide IT, resources or debt management services
- (2)Your sponsor or employer
- Previous school/college and agencies who supported you (with your consent)
(1)How the Department for Education (DfE) Uses Your Personal Information: As well as being a data controller itself, B&FC is a data processor (i.e., processes data) on behalf of the DfE which operates on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education. Personal data we share with the DfE is used to exercise its functions under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR and to meet its statutory responsibilities (including those under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009). The lawful basis for using your special category personal data is covered under Substantial Public Interest based in law (Article 9(2)(g)) of GDPR legislation. This processing is under Section 54 of the Further and Higher Education Act (1992). The personal data used is in the form of a file known as an Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The ILR collects data about students and learning undertaken. Publicly funded colleges, training organisations, local authorities and employers (FE providers) must collect and return the data to the DfE each year under the terms of a funding agreement, contract or grant agreement. It helps ensure that public money distributed through the DfE is being spent in line with government targets. It is also used for education, training, employment, and well-being purposes, including research. The DfE retains ILR data for 20 years for operational purposes (e.g., to fund your learning and to publish official statistics) and for 80 years for long term research purposes. You can find more information about the ILR and data collected here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/individualised-learner-record-ilr
ILR data is shared with third parties where it complies with DfE data sharing procedures and where the law allows it. The DfE (or agents acting on its behalf) may contact you to perform research and evaluation that informs the effectiveness of training.
Find more information about your individual rights and how the DfE uses your personal data, including DfE’s privacy notices, visit the DfE Personal Information Charter https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/personal-information-charter. If you wish to get in touch or request a copy of the personal data DfE holds about you, you can contact DfE online (https://form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education), phone (0370 000 2288) or in writing (Data Protection Officer, Data Protection Officer, Department for Education (B2.28), 7 & 8 Wellington Place, Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4AW). If you are unhappy with how the DfE have used your personal data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office in writing (Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF), by phone (0303 123 1113) or online https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
(2)B&FC may also share information about your progress with your employer or other sponsor if they are paying all or part of your fees. If you do not want us to do that, you will need to pay your own fees. Please contact our Student Administration office to make your payment and change your preferences.
B&FC may contact you regarding certificates which are due to expire to ascertain if you would like to renew them.
If you are aged 16-18 or 19-24 (EHCP/HNS) B&FC will share progress and attendance reports with your parent(s) or guardian(s) to support your educational development.
If you are aged 16-18 or 19-24 (EHCP/HNS) B&FC will provide parent(s) or guardian(s) with access to an eTrackr account or similar platform to view your progress on course.
If you give us name and contact details for a ”next of kin”, we may contact them in an emergency (physical or mental health). You need to give us consent to share information with them for any other purpose (see Consent section).
B&FC (or our partners) are required to contact you sometimes to get feedback or monitor outcomes (including student destinations and employment). We will use the contact details you give us to do this and we may share those details with organisations contracted by government agencies to perform these important tasks.
B&FC needs your consent to use your data for any other purpose. Please express your preferences by ticking the relevant boxes on this form.
How we protect your personal data: We have a range of technical and operational measures in place to protect your data from accidental destruction, misuse or disclosure and we only allow staff to access it if they need to as part of their role. All staff who have access to your data are fully trained in data protection and data management.
How long do we keep your data? We keep different types of data for different lengths of time depending on need and our obligations. These are explained in our Data Protection Code of Practice. Where we ask for your consent to collect or use your data, you can withdraw that consent at any time. You can ask us to delete some or all data items or stop us from using your data for specific purposes. Just request a withdrawal of consent form from data protection office (datarequest@blackpool.ac.uk) or call us on 01253 504064.
If you have any questions or concerns about the collection or use of your personal data, please contact B&FC’s data protection team (01253 504064 or datarequest@blackpool.ac.uk). If you are unhappy with the response, you can escalate your complaint to the Information Commissioner at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ or on 0303 123 1113.