1. Who I am
This website and its services are run by Louise Collingwood-Ellis, trading as The Helpful Headteacher. This policy covers The Helpful Headteacher and The Happy Learners' Club, including school entrance guidance, tutoring, after-school and Saturday groups, and holiday camps.
I am the "data controller" for the information you give me, which means I decide how it is used and I'm responsible for looking after it.
- Email: thehelpfulheadteacher@gmail.com
- ICO registration number: ZC255927
2. What I collect
Information you give me
- Your details: name, email address, phone number and, where needed, your address.
- Your child's details: name, age or year group, current school and the schools you are considering.
- Booking details: the sessions or days you book, who is authorised to collect your child, and emergency contacts.
- Health and support needs: allergies, medical conditions, medication and any special educational needs you choose to tell me about (see section 4).
- Learning information: notes on your child's progress, work samples and feedback I create during tutoring or guidance.
- Consents: your choices about photographs and outings.
- Mailing list details: your name and email if you sign up for a free guide or newsletter.
- Payment records: what you paid and when. I do not see or store your full card details.
Information collected automatically
My website host records basic technical information, such as your IP address and browser type, to keep the site secure and working. My email platform may record whether newsletters are opened. See section 11 for cookies.
3. Why I use it, and my legal basis
Data protection law requires me to have a lawful reason for each use. Here are mine:
| What I do | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Take and manage bookings, run sessions and camps, and keep you updated about them | Contract: I need it to provide the service you've booked |
| Keep your child safe, including emergency contacts and collection arrangements | Contract and legitimate interests; vital interests in an emergency |
| Record safeguarding concerns and share them with the right authorities | Legal obligation |
| Keep financial records for tax | Legal obligation |
| Send newsletters and free resources | Consent. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email |
| Use photographs of sessions on my website or social media | Consent. Only ever with your written permission, which you can withdraw |
| Improve my services and keep my website secure | Legitimate interests |
4. Health, allergy and additional needs information
Information about your child's health, allergies, medication and special educational needs is "special category" data, which the law protects more strongly. I only ask for it so that I can keep your child safe and support them properly.
I process it with your explicit consent, which you give when you complete the booking form. In an emergency I may share it with medical professionals to protect your child's life (vital interests), even if I cannot reach you.
This information is shared only with the adults directly caring for your child, and is deleted once it is no longer needed (see section 8).
5. Children's information
My services are for children, but I collect their information from their parent or carer, not from the children themselves. My website and mailing lists are intended for adults.
I never use children's information for marketing. Children are never named alongside photographs, and I never publish a child's surname or school.
7. Transfers outside the UK
Some of my service providers, including Google, Kit and Netlify, store data in the United States. Where that happens, the transfer is protected by the UK's approved safeguards, such as the UK–US Data Bridge or standard contract clauses approved by the Information Commissioner.
8. How long I keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Booking and contact details | 2 years after your last booking |
| Health, allergy and medication details | Deleted at the end of the term, course or camp they were collected for |
| Accident and incident records | Until your child is 21, as advised for childcare providers |
| Safeguarding records | As required by safeguarding guidance, and passed to the relevant authority where appropriate |
| Financial records | At least 6 years, as required by HMRC |
| Mailing list | Until you unsubscribe |
| Photographs | Until you withdraw consent, or 3 years, whichever comes first |
9. Keeping it safe
I use password-protected accounts with two-step verification, limit access to the people who need it, and do not keep paper records longer than necessary. Paper forms used at sessions are stored securely and shredded when no longer needed.
If something goes wrong and your information is put at risk, I will tell you and, where required, the Information Commissioner's Office.
10. Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the information I hold about you or your child
- ask me to correct anything that's wrong
- ask me to delete your information, unless I need to keep it by law
- ask me to restrict how I use it, or object to how I use it
- ask for your information in a format you can take elsewhere
- withdraw your consent at any time, for example to photographs or newsletters
To use any of these rights, email thehelpfulheadteacher@gmail.com. I'll respond within one month, and there is no charge.
If you're unhappy with how I've handled your information, please talk to me first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
12. Changes to this policy
I'll update this policy if the way I use information changes. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. If the changes are significant, I'll let current families know by email.