Privacy Policy

The French & German Tutor is operated by myself, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. For data protection purposes, I am the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

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Website: www.thefrenchandgermantutor.com
Email: hello@thefrenchandgermantutor.com

 

2. Information I may collect

 

Depending on how you contact me and the services you use, I may collect:

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• the name and contact details of a learner, parent or guardian;

• the learner’s age, school year, subjects, examination board and learning priorities;

• information provided through an enquiry form, email or consultation;

• lesson bookings, attendance records and lesson notes;

• information about progress, targets, feedback and agreed learning support;

• payment and transaction information;

• communications between you and The French & German Tutor;

• technical information collected when you use the website, such as an IP address, device information and cookie preferences; and

• relevant health, accessibility, safeguarding or additional learning information that you or a parent or guardian chooses to provide.

 

I will only ask for information that is reasonably necessary to provide tuition safely and effectively.

 

3. Information about children

 

Many learners using my services are under 18. Children’s personal information requires particular protection.

 

Where a learner is under 18, I will normally communicate about bookings, payments and contractual matters with their parent or guardian. I may communicate directly with the learner where this is appropriate for tuition, such as sharing lesson materials, feedback or joining information.

 

I will use children’s information only where it is necessary to provide tuition, protect their welfare, meet legal or safeguarding responsibilities, or pursue a legitimate educational or business purpose that does not override the child’s rights and interests.

I do not use children’s personal information for profiling, behavioural advertising or unrelated marketing.

 

4. How I use personal information

 

I may use personal information to:

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• respond to tuition enquiries;

• arrange consultations, lessons and assessments;

• provide personalised tuition and learning materials;

• monitor learning, attendance and progress;

• communicate with learners and their parents or guardians;

• administer bookings, cancellations, invoices and payments;

• maintain appropriate safeguarding and business records;

• manage complaints or resolve disputes;

• improve my website and tuition services;

• comply with tax, accounting, legal and regulatory obligations; and

• send service-related information or marketing communications where permitted.

 

5. Lawful bases for using information

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Under UK data protection law, I must have a lawful basis for using personal information. Depending on the circumstances, I rely on:

Contract: where the information is needed to arrange or provide tuition and administer bookings and payments.

Legitimate interests: where it is reasonably necessary to operate and improve the business, respond to enquiries, maintain suitable records, protect the security of services or communicate with clients. I consider the rights and interests of learners, particularly children, before relying on this basis.

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Legal obligation: where information must be retained or disclosed to comply with tax, accounting, safeguarding or other legal responsibilities.

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Consent: where you have actively agreed to a particular use, such as receiving optional marketing communications or providing certain sensitive information. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

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Vital interests: in exceptional circumstances where using or sharing information is necessary to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

Where special-category information is processed, such as relevant health or accessibility information, I will rely on an appropriate additional legal condition, which may include explicit consent or the protection of vital interests.

 

6. Payments

 

Payments may be processed through secure third-party providers such as Wix Payments, PayPal or another payment service displayed at checkout.

 

The payment provider will process your payment details under its own privacy policy. I do not normally receive or retain complete debit or credit card details. I may receive information such as the payer’s name, payment amount, transaction reference and payment status.

 

7. Website, cookies and analytics

 

My website is hosted using Wix. Wix may process technical information necessary to operate, secure and maintain the website.

The website may use cookies and similar technologies. Essential cookies may be used without consent where they are necessary for the website to work. Optional cookies, including certain analytics or marketing cookies, should only be activated after you have made a choice through the website’s cookie banner.

 

Further information about the cookies currently used should be available through the website’s cookie settings or separate Cookie Policy.

 

8. Online tuition platforms

 

Online lessons and communications may take place through services such as Google Meet, Google Workspace or other agreed online platforms.

 

These providers may process names, email addresses, account details, technical information and lesson communications in accordance with their own privacy policies.

 

Lessons will not normally be recorded. If recording is proposed for a particular purpose, this will be discussed in advance and appropriate permission will be obtained.

 

9. Sharing personal information

 

I do not sell personal information.

 

I may share limited information with trusted service providers where this is necessary to operate the business, including:

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• website hosting and form providers;

• email, calendar and online lesson platforms;

• payment processors;

• bookkeeping, accounting or professional advisers;

• cloud storage and IT service providers; and

• government, regulatory, safeguarding or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or justified.

 

Service providers are expected to use personal information only for the relevant service and to protect it appropriately.

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If I believe that a child or another person is at risk of harm, I may share relevant information with a parent or guardian, safeguarding authority, emergency service or other appropriate organisation. Where possible and appropriate, I will explain this before information is shared.

 

10. International transfers

 

Some service providers may store or process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

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Where this occurs, I will rely on safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as UK adequacy regulations, approved contractual protections or another lawful transfer mechanism.

 

11. How long information is retained

 

I retain personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed.

 

As a general guide:

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• unsuccessful or inactive enquiries will normally be deleted within 12 months;

• routine lesson notes and progress records will normally be retained for up to 12 months after tuition ends, unless there is a reason to keep them longer;

• contracts, invoices and financial transaction records may be retained for up to six years to meet tax, accounting and legal requirements;

• safeguarding, complaint or dispute records may be kept for longer where this is necessary to protect individuals or meet legal or professional responsibilities; and

• marketing information will be retained until consent is withdrawn or the information is no longer required.

 

Information may be anonymised rather than deleted where it is useful for statistical or business-planning purposes and can no longer identify an individual.

 

12. Security

 

I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse or disclosure.

 

These measures may include password-protected accounts, access controls, secure payment services, appropriate device security and limiting access to information to those who genuinely require it.

No internet-based service can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If I become aware of a personal-data breach that presents a risk to individuals, I will take appropriate action and make any notifications required by law.

 

13. Marketing

 

I may contact existing or prospective clients about relevant tuition services where I have consent or another lawful basis to do so.

 

You can ask me to stop sending marketing communications at any time by using an unsubscribe option, where provided, or emailing hello@thefrenchandgermantutor.com.

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Service messages about an existing enquiry, booking, payment or lesson are not marketing messages.

 

14. Your data protection rights

 

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

 

• ask for access to your personal information;

• ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;

• ask for information to be deleted;

• ask for the use of information to be restricted;

• object to certain uses of your information;

• receive certain information in a portable format; and

• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

 

These rights may be subject to legal limitations. Children have data protection rights in their own name, although a parent or guardian may sometimes exercise those rights on their behalf.

 

To make a request, email hello@thefrenchandgermantutor.com. I may need to confirm your identity before responding.

 

15. Complaints

 

If you have questions or concerns about how your information is handled, please contact:

The French & German Tutor
Email: hello@thefrenchandgermantutor.com

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You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

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

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

 

16. Links to other websites

 

The website may contain links to third-party websites or services. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of those organisations. You should read their privacy information before providing personal details.

 

17. Changes to this policy

 

I may update this Privacy Policy when the business, website, service providers or legal requirements change. The latest version will be published on the website with an updated revision date.