Information about how we look after personal information about yourself and your child or children.

1. Background

On 25th May 2018 a new law came into place. It is known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR is about how personal information is collected about you and your child or children’s study with us and how we use and look after it. This Privacy Policy has been written to give you information about how we obtain and process personal data in connection with the services we provide to you.

2. Our commitment to you

Our commitment is to:-

– keep personal information about you and your child or children safe and private

– not use personal information for any purpose other than in connection with your children’s lessons and keeping you informed of information about Darlington Learning Zone

– make it easy for you to approach us if you have any concerns or questions relating to the holding of personal information

– not provide personal information to others except in cases where we are legally required to do so.

3. Who we are and how we operate

Darlington Learning Zone is a private tuition centre that delivers tailored tuition to students of all abilities.

To be able to operate effectively we do require personal information concerning parents and legal guardians (parents) and the students. We have set out in this document what personal information is collected and how it is used.

Darlington Learning Zone acts as a “Data Controller”. The term Data Controller is applied to a business which determines how personal information about you and your child or children is used.

4. How information is collected from you

Information regarding parents and students will be collected by Darlington Learning Zone tutors.  This might be achieved by providing information verbally, whether face to face or by telephone, completion of paper documents or by electronic means such as through email or interaction with our websites.  It is important that all personal information is accurate when provided to avoid any future problems.  

If any of the personal information provided changes please notify Darlington Learning Zone as soon as possible in order that the personal information can be updated.

5. What personal information will Darlington Learning Zone collect from you?

We may require some or all of the following information about the student:-

– Name;

– Address;

– Contact details (phone; email);

– Date of birth;

– School related information;

– Gender;

– Medical and health related information to provide a safe environment;

– As the student’s studies progress information in relation to the student’s work and progression.

Information which may be required from parents/legal guardians:-

– Name;

– Address;

– Contact details (phone; email);

– Details of others who are authorised points of contact if a primary contact is not available;

– Any other information which may be provided and which is relevant to the education of your child or children.

Darlington Learning Zone may also ask for or receive contextual information about students and/or their parents.  This might, for example, relate to the student’s lifestyle, interests and skills, be about the student’s family including the structure of it and the occupation of the parent(s), any background issues that may be impacting upon the student’s study and whether the student is a native English speaker.

Darlington Learning Zone will not seek any further personal information in relation to parents or students without gaining specific authority. Darlington Learning Zone will not take or publish photographs of students or publish students’ names without your consent as the parent/legal guardian.  

6. Who will Darlington Learning Zone provide personal information to?

Darlington Learning Zone will only provide the personal information referred to above to your child’s/children’s tutor.

Darlington Learning Zone will not provide personal information for use by anyone else without your specific consent or unless this is necessary for health and safety reasons, to comply with child protection policies and procedures, otherwise in relation to child welfare and child protection, for example in cooperating with local and public authorities to comply with legal requirements, or unless it is otherwise provided for in this Privacy Notice.

7. What about outsourcing by Darlington Learning Zone?

It is possible that Darlington Learning Zone will pass personal information to other organisations to assist in the education of a student.  This is not for other organisations to use on their behalf but rather to process information on Darlington Learning Zone’s behalf.  This will be for the efficient and effective administration and running of the business and provision of the tuition programme. An example would be providing a name, date of birth and school year for use of computer based learning software. This data would also be protected under the third party’s GDPR policy.

8. What will Darlington Learning Zone and its tutors use the personal information for?

To fulfil their contractual obligations and to respond to enquiries:-

– to provide the course of tuition;

– administer the course of tuition;

– ensure the quality of the programmes;

– to respond to enquiries about the tuition offered;

– to seek feedback about study experiences;

– to address and communicate about operational issues such as the need to cancel a session suddenly, for example because of illness or bad weather or the need to address and make parents aware of changes to sessions, for example dates and times;

– to record and/or report upon the progress of the student;

– to consider, record and communicate other issues which may be impacting upon or related to the progress of the student;

– to respond to complaints.

To ensure vital interests:-

This relates to the health and safety of a student.  For example, if there was a medical emergency the tutor may need to provide relevant medical information about a student to the emergency services.  Similarly, information may be provided to local or public authorities where welfare and child protection issues arise.

9. When it is Darlington Learning Zone’s legal duty

Darlington Learning Zone may in very rare circumstances be required by child welfare and child protection issues to provide information to local or public authorities including the police.

10. When legitimate interests apply

It is possible that from time to time Darlington Learning Zone may wish to communicate with parents concerning other matters which may be of interest to them or where they may know of others who may have an interest.  The nature of such contact will be:-

– Providing news updates about developments at Darlington Learning Zone. This might for example be in relation to changes to our schedule and timings;

– To communicate about particular study opportunities and useful information about promotions and campaigns.

Any communication under this heading will be of the nature referred to above.  Darlington Learning Zone will not communicate to you under this heading where there is any perceived detriment to you in receiving the communication.

If you do not wish to receive communications under this heading please contact us and we will make sure no communications are sent.

11. When you consent

There are certain uses to which Darlington Learning Zone will not put personal information without your specific consent.  This consent will be requested separately.  Examples of uses where separate consent may be requested are things such as: photographs of the children; using children’s names and/or photographs in publicity material; publication of children’s names in relation to results and awards.

If consent is given it can be withdrawn at any time by providing notification Darlington Learning Zone in writing; by email or verbally in person.

12. Other

We may also use personal information for measurement and statistical purposes.

13. What happens if I don’t wish to provide personal information to Darlington Learning Zone?

Darlington Learning Zone require the personal information set out in this privacy notice in order to ensure that tuition can be safely and effectively delivered to your children and continually developed and improved for the benefit of your children.  Without this information it will not be possible to deliver our services for the benefit of your children or at least not as well as we would like. If you do have an objection to any personal information being used under our “Legitimate Interests” heading you may object to Darlington Learning Zone owners.   If Darlington Learning Zone wish to gather personal information for which consent is required we will obtain that specific consent before gathering that information and you have the right not to provide such information.

14. How long will you keep personal information for?

Darlington Learning Zone will only retain personal information:-

– for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes it was collected for as set out in this Privacy Notice;

– in relation to those that enquire about the services which we can provide we would not normally keep that information for longer than 12 months after the last communication from the enquirer;

– whilst your children are studying at Darlington Learning Zone it is necessary for us to retain the personal information. Thereafter we will not normally keep it for longer than 24 months after your children have ceased to attend Darlington Learning Zone unless we have legitimate reasons, including child protection reasons for doing otherwise;

– in some circumstances you have the right to request erasure of personal information held. This will be addressed below.

15. Your rights in relation to the information held in relation to you or your children

Access – the right to make what is known as a Subject Access Request to either a copy of the personal information which we hold about you or your children.  If you make such a request we are required, in most circumstances, to provide a copy of the personal information without charge and within 30 days.  You may also seek confirmation of the personal information that Darlington Learning Zone hold about either you or your children.  

Correction – it is important that you keep Darlington Learning Zone up to date with any changes to the personal information provided. Subject to that you have the right to ask the Darlington Learning Zone to correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete data held about you or your children.  It is possible that evidence will be required of the new information provided.

Erasure – you are entitled to ask Darlington Learning Zone to delete or remove personal information held where there is no good reason for Darlington Learning Zone to continue to hold it.  It may not always be possible to comply with your request due to ongoing obligations in relation to the personal information.  However, where this is the case you will be informed and be told of the reasons why it is not possible to comply with the request.

Object to processing – you may object to Darlington Learning Zone processing personal information.  There are some circumstances in which it will not be possible to comply with your request, for example if it is necessary to process the information in connection with obligations which Darlington Learning Zone have and which have been explained to you in this document.  If you object to Darlington Learning Zone processing information which has been processed under the legitimate interest head, we will stop processing it.

Restriction of processing – you may ask Darlington Learning Zone to suspend processing of personal information in the following situations:-

– If you want the data accuracy to be established;

– Where the use of the personal information is unlawful but you do not want it to be erased;

– You need the data to be held even though Darlington Learning Zone no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims; or

– You have objected to the use of the data by Darlington Learning Zone but Darlington Learning Zone need time to determine whether they ahve overriding grounds to process it.

Request the transfer of information – sometimes rights apply to request a transfer of personal information held to other organisations.  This right only applies to personal information that is processed by automated means and is held because it was necessary for the performance of the contract with you or personal information which is processed based on consent.

16. Keeping personal information safe

Darlington Learning Zone have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent the personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed.  Access to personal information is limited to Darlington Learning Zone and contractors who have a business need to know the personal information and will only be processed upon instructions from Darlington Learning Zone and procedures have been put in place to deal with any suspected breach of the requirements under the GDPRs and you and/or the Regulator referred to below will be notified of any potentially significant breach.

17. What happens if you want to complain?

It is hoped that you will not have cause to complain.  If you do, complaints relating to Darlington Learning Zone should be referred to the owners where possible.  If it is not possible or appropriate to refer a complaint to Darlington Learning Zone it may be referred to the Regulator. Their contact details are:-

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

For more information contact www.ico.org.uk

18. Miscellaneous

– It is not anticipated that any personal information will be transferred outside of the European Union save where specifically set out in this Notice. We will notify you if this position changes.

– Darlington Learning Zone do not anticipate using automated decision making in relation to the personal information provided.

– This Privacy Notice may be updated from time to time. The latest Privacy Notice will be displayed on Darlington Learning Zone’s website.

19. If I have any questions who do I ask?

Please speak to Darlington Learning Zone’s owners either in person or by using the details below.

September 2022

Contact information

Darlington Learning Zone:

Data Protection Officer

The Imperial Centre

Grange Road

Darlington

DL1 5PE
info@darlingtonlearningzone.co.uk

01325 467770