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Privacy Policy

Our opening comments

Our Privacy Notice explains the types of personal data we may collect about you when you interact with us. It also explains how we use your data, and keep it safe.

We hope the following sections will answer any questions you have but if not, please do get in touch with us.

1. Personal data – when do we collect this?

  • When you visit our websites, and carry out the following processes:
  • When you enrol on a course of study.
  • When you submit a course enquiry.
  • When you download a copy of our free trial lesson.
  • When you submit a call back request.
  • When you submit your details and create an online account.
  • When you email us directly to request information on our courses and services.

2. Personal data - what do we collect?

  • If you have a course registration with us: your name, gender, date of birth, billing/delivery address, orders and receipts, email and telephone number. For your security, we’ll also keep an encrypted record of your login password. If you have selected to pay for your course via debit/credit card, these details will be stored for ongoing payment/refund requirements.
  • If you have submitted a course enquiry, downloaded our free trial lesson or requested a call back request, we will hold your Name, email address and/or your telephone number to ensure we can carry out a service as per your request

3. Personal data – How and why we use this?

We want to ensure your study is specific to your personal requirements and that your progression is seamless through your examinations. For this purpose we need your information to process mock & final exam bookings, course and exam payments and to keep you up to date with relevant course updates and/launches.

If you have enquired in relation to our course and services we would like to keep you aware of any new course and industry developments and advise on any special promotions that are being offered.

The data privacy law allows this as part of our legitimate interest in understanding our students needs so we can provide the highest levels of service.

Of course, if you wish to change how we use your data, you’ll find details in the ‘What are my rights?’ section below.

Remember, if you choose not to share your personal data with us, or refuse certain contact permissions, we might not be able to provide the full tutorial services you require.

Here’s how we’ll use your personal data and why:

  • To process any orders that you make by using our websites of by phone. If we don’t collect your personal data during checkout, we won’t be able to process your order and comply with our legal obligations. 
  • To respond to your queries, refund requests and complaints. Handling the information you provide enables us to respond. We may also keep a record of these to inform any future communication with us and to demonstrate how we communicated with you throughout. We do this on the basis of our contractual obligations to you, our legal obligations and our legitimate interests in providing you with the best service and understanding how we can improve our service based on your experience. 
  • To protect our business and your account from fraud and other illegal activities. This includes using your personal data to maintain, update and safeguard your account.
  • To process payments and to prevent fraudulent transactions. We do this on the basis of our legitimate business interests. This also helps to protect our customers from fraud.
  • With your consent, we will use your personal data, preferences and details of your transactions to keep you informed by email, web and telephone  about relevant products and services including tailored special offers, discounts, promotions, events, competitions and so on.

You are free to opt out of hearing from us by any of these channels at any time.

  • To send you communications required by law or which are necessary to inform you about our changes to the services we provide you. For example, updates to this Privacy Notice, syllabus updates, qualification changes and legally required information relating to your orders. These service messages will not include any promotional content and do not require prior consent when sent by email or text message. If we do not use your personal data for these purposes, we would be unable to comply with our legal obligations.
  • To send you survey and feedback requests to help improve our services. These messages will not include any promotional content and do not require prior consent when sent by email. We have a legitimate interest to do so as this helps make our tutorial and educational services more relevant to you.

You are free to opt out of receiving these requests from us at any time by updating your preferences in your online account.

  • To process your enrolment requests (for example on an ICB course). Sometimes, we’ll need to share your details with a third party who is providing a service (such as ICB). We do so to ensure you get maximum benefit from your study. Without sharing your personal data, we’d be unable to fulfil your request.

4. Filtering your data for personalised direct marketing

We want to bring you offers and promotions that are most relevant to your career goals. To help us form a better, overall understanding of you, we combine your personal data gathered, for example your study history.

5. Personal data – how is this protected?

  • We know how much data security matters to all our customers. With this in mind we will treat your data with the utmost care and take all appropriate steps to protect it.
  • We secure access to all transactional areas of our websites and apps using ‘https’ technology.
  • Access to your personal data is password-protected, and sensitive data such as payment card information) is secured and encrypted to ensure it is protected.
  • We regularly monitor our system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks, and we carry out penetration testing to identify ways to further strengthen security.

6. Personal data– how long do we keep this?

Whenever we collect or process your personal data, we’ll only keep it for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

At the end of that retention period, your data will either be deleted completely or filtered, so that it can be used in a non-identifiable way for statistical analysis and business planning.

When you enrol, we’ll keep the personal data you give us for five years so we can comply with our legal and contractual obligations. If your order included a warranty attached to software, data will be kept until the end of the warranty period.

7. Personal data – who we share this with?

We sometimes share your personal data with trusted third parties. Here’s the policy we apply to those organisations to keep your data safe and protect your privacy:

  • We provide only the information they need to perform their specific services.
  • They may only use your data for the exact purposes we specify in our contract with them, and we work closely with them to ensure that your privacy is respected and protected at all times.
  • If we stop using their services, any of your data held by them will either be deleted or rendered anonymous.

Examples of the kind of third parties we work with are:

  • IT companies who support our website and other business systems.
  • Operational companies such as delivery couriers.
  • Direct marketing companies who help us manage our electronic communications with you.
  • Software companies where product registration is necessary.

We may share your data with the following businesses:

  • Etellect (Website & Student Management Systems administrator)
  • Kite IT (IT Support)
  • Parcel Force and other relevant courier businesses
  • Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  • Association of Accounting Technicians
  • CPD Service
  • Sage
  • Trustpilot

8. Personal data - your rights

An overview of your different rights; You have the right to request:

  • Access to the personal data we hold about you, free of charge.
  • The correction of your personal data when incorrect, out of date or incomplete.
  • For example, when you withdraw consent, or object and we have no legitimate overriding interest, or once the purpose for which we hold the data has come to an end (such as the end of a warranty).
  • That we stop using your personal data for direct marketing (either through specific channels, or all channels).
  • That we stop any consent-based processing of your personal data after you withdraw that consent.

You have te right to request a copy of any information about you that we holds at any time, and also to have that information corrected if it is inaccurate. To ask for your information, please contact: Data Protection Manager, Ideal Schools, 60 St. Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4AG, or email: DPM@idealschools.co.uk .To amend your information please update your online account, or contact our Customer Services team.

If we choose not to action your request we will explain to you the reasons for this.

Your right to withdraw consent:

Whenever you have given us your consent to use your personal data, you have the right to change your mind at any time and withdraw that consent.

Where we rely on our legitimate interest:

In cases where we are processing your personal data on the basis of our legitimate interest, you can ask us to stop for reasons connected to your individual situation. We must then do so unless we believe we have a legitimate overriding reason to continue processing your personal data.

Direct marketing:

You have the right to stop the use of your personal data for direct marketing activity through all channels, or selected channels. We must always comply with your request.

Checking your identity:

To protect the confidentiality of your information, we will ask you to verify your identity before proceeding with any request you make under this Privacy Notice. If you have authorised a third party to submit a request on your behalf, we will ask them to prove they have your permission to act.

9. Personal data – how to prevents its use for direct marketing?

There are several ways you can stop direct marketing communications from us:

  • Click the ‘unsubscribe’ link in any email communication that we send you. We will then stop any further emails from that particular division.
  • If you have an online account, log in and change your preferences.
  • Write to our Customer Services team at: Ideal Schools, 60 St. Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4AG .

Note that you may continue to receive communications for a short period after changing your preferences while our systems are fully updated.

10. Contacting the Regulator

If you feel that your data has not been handled correctly, or you are unhappy with our response to any requests you have made to us regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

You can contact them on 0303 123 1113.

Or go online to www.ico.org.uk/concerns (we can't be responsible for the content of external websites)

If you are based outside the UK, you have the right to lodge your complaint with the relevant data protection regulator in your country of residence.

11. If you live outside the UK

By using our services or providing your personal data to us, you expressly consent to the processing of your personal data by us or on our behalf. Of course, you still have the right to ask us not to process your data in certain ways, and if you do so, we will respect your wishes.

12. Any questions?

We hope this Privacy Notice has been helpful in setting out the way we handle your personal data and your rights to control it.

If you have any questions that haven’t been covered, please contact our Data Protection Manager who will be pleased to help you:

Email us at DPM@idealschools.co.uk

Or write to us at Ideal Schools, 60 St. Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4AG

This policy was updated on 24/05/2018