Privacy Notice

TheStudySoc is an educational tutoring and university admissions support service.

• Business name: TheStudySoc
• Email: admin@thestudysoc.com

For privacy-related questions, please contact admin@thestudysoc.com.

Depending on the services you use, parent or carer information may include:

• name
• email address
• telephone number
• relationship to the student
• booking information
• payment information
• communications with TheStudySoc

Student information may include:

• name
• age or date of birth
• school or college
• year group
• subjects studied
• examination board where relevant
• academic interests, performance and grades
• university interests and intended course
• university application and personal statement information
• information relating to admissions tests and interviews
• lesson attendance and educational progress
• information provided to help us tailor educational support

Students or parents and carers may provide additional information about a student's educational circumstances or learning requirements where this is relevant to the services being provided. We ask that customers only provide information that is relevant and necessary.

When you use our website, we may collect technical information such as:

• IP address
• browser type
• device type
• pages visited
• approximate location based on IP address
• website usage information
• information submitted through forms

We may use cookies and similar technologies. Where required, we will obtain appropriate consent before using non-essential cookies.

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries
• process bookings
• provide tutoring and revision crash courses
• provide university admissions support, personal statement guidance, interview preparation and admissions test preparation
• communicate with students and parents or carers
• organise sessions and monitor educational progress
• process payments and manage cancellations and refunds
• maintain safeguarding records
• respond to complaints and improve our services
• maintain business records and comply with legal obligations
• protect students and others from harm
• prevent fraud, misuse or security incidents

Depending on the circumstances, we may process personal information because:

• it is necessary to perform a contract with you
• it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract
• we have a legal obligation to process the information
• we have a legitimate interest in operating and improving TheStudySoc
• you have provided consent, where consent is required

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

TheStudySoc provides services to students aged 11 and above.

We recognise that children's personal information requires particular care. We will only collect information that is reasonably necessary for providing our services, managing bookings, supporting education, maintaining safeguarding arrangements or meeting legal obligations.

Students under 18 may contact TheStudySoc directly. Where appropriate, we may communicate with a parent or legal guardian regarding bookings, payments, safeguarding or other matters concerning the student's welfare.

Where a student uses university admissions support, we may process information relating to university choices, degree courses, predicted or achieved grades, personal statements, admissions tests, interviews, academic achievements, extracurricular activities, application deadlines and other information relevant to the student's application.

This information will only be used for providing the agreed educational or admissions support and related administrative purposes. TheStudySoc does not guarantee admission to any university or course.

Some students may choose to provide information relating to health, disability, special educational needs or other circumstances that may affect their learning. We will only process such information where it is necessary and where an appropriate legal basis and additional condition under data protection law applies. Providing such information is generally voluntary unless we explain otherwise.

Payments may be processed through third-party payment providers. Where possible, payment card information will be processed directly by the relevant payment provider rather than being stored by TheStudySoc. TheStudySoc does not intend to store complete payment card numbers or security codes.

We may share personal information with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

• payment providers
• booking and scheduling providers
• website hosting providers
• email providers
• online teaching platforms
• IT and security providers
• accounting or professional advisers
• venues used for TheStudySoc sessions, where necessary
• schools or educational institutions, where appropriate and with a lawful basis
• children's social care, the police and other relevant authorities, where necessary to protect a child or comply with the law

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

Where TheStudySoc has a safeguarding concern, we may need to share relevant information with an appropriate organisation or authority. This may include parents or carers, children's social care, the police, a school or another safeguarding professional.

We will only share information that is relevant and necessary in the circumstances. Protecting a child from harm may require information to be shared without the child's or parent's consent, where legally appropriate.

TheStudySoc primarily communicates with customers and students by email. Our main contact email is admin@thestudysoc.com. Students and parents or carers should use this address when contacting TheStudySoc about bookings, lessons, university admissions support or other services.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, unauthorised disclosure and destruction. These measures may include:

• password protection
• account security
• access controls
• secure cloud services
• secure email
• limiting access to information
• appropriate device security

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, we take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold.

We will not keep personal information for longer than reasonably necessary. Retention periods may depend on the type of information and the reason it was collected. For example:

• enquiry information may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to deal with the enquiry
• booking information may be retained for as long as necessary for administration and legitimate business purposes
• financial records will be retained for the period required by applicable accounting and tax requirements
• educational information may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the service and maintain appropriate business records
• safeguarding information may need to be retained for longer, where necessary to protect children or comply with legal obligations

When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or destroyed.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights under UK data protection law, including the right to:

• request access to personal information we hold about you
• ask us to correct inaccurate information
• request deletion of information in certain circumstances
• request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• object to certain processing
• request data portability, where applicable
• withdraw consent, where we rely on consent

These rights are subject to legal exceptions. To exercise a right, contact admin@thestudysoc.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

If TheStudySoc becomes aware of a personal data breach, we will assess the incident and take appropriate action. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the breach, this may include securing affected accounts, changing passwords, limiting access, investigating what happened, contacting affected individuals and notifying the Information Commissioner's Office where legally required.

TheStudySoc may occasionally send information about its services, courses or educational opportunities. Where consent is required, we will obtain it before sending direct marketing. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe option provided in the communication.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. TheStudySoc is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of websites operated by other organisations. We recommend reviewing the privacy notice of any third-party website you visit.

If you have a concern about how TheStudySoc has handled your personal information, please contact us first at admin@thestudysoc.com. We will try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk/.

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The most recent version will always be published on this page with the date it was last updated.

Data minimisation. TheStudySoc will only collect information that is reasonably necessary for the service being provided. Tutors should not request or record unnecessary personal information about students.

Access to information. Personal information should only be accessed by individuals who need it for their role. Tutors should only access information about students they are working with.

Email and communication. TheStudySoc's approved communication channel is email. Tutors should use professional TheStudySoc communication methods and must not use personal social media accounts to communicate with students about TheStudySoc services.

Sharing information. Personal information must not be shared casually or with unauthorised individuals. Before sharing information, staff should consider who is receiving it, why they need it, whether sharing is necessary, whether there is a lawful basis and whether only the necessary information is being shared.

Safeguarding information must be treated as confidential but may be shared where necessary to protect a child. Safeguarding concerns should be reported to the DSL immediately.

Device security. Any device used to access student information should have a strong password, automatic locking, up-to-date security software and appropriate account protection. Tutors should not leave student information visible or accessible to unauthorised people.

Data breaches. Any suspected data breach should be reported to Simrat Kaur at admin@thestudysoc.com, for example sending information to the wrong person, losing a device containing student information, accidentally sharing a student's information publicly, unauthorised access to an account, or sending a document containing personal information to the wrong recipient.

Review. These procedures will be reviewed regularly and whenever there are significant changes to TheStudySoc's services, systems or data protection obligations.