Privacy Notice

Last updated: August 2026

West Lancs Tutors respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information fairly, lawfully and securely.

This Privacy Notice explains what information we collect, why we use it, who we may share it with, how long we retain it and the rights available to you.

​

1. Who we are

West Lancs Tutors is operated by David Currie, trading as West Lancs Tutors.

For data-protection purposes, David Currie trading as West Lancs Tutors is the data controller responsible for deciding how and why personal information is used.

Email: admin@westlancstutors.co.uk
 

2. Who this notice applies to

This notice applies to:

• parents and carers requesting or using tuition;

• children and young people receiving tuition;

• current and prospective tutors;

• people making general enquiries;

• people featured in website profiles or testimonials; and

• visitors to our website.

​

3. Information we may collect

​

Parents, carers and families

We may collect:

• parent or carer name;

• email address and telephone number;

• home address, postcode or general location;

• payment and transaction information;

• lesson dates, times, attendance and cancellation records;

• correspondence, enquiries, feedback and complaints;

• the child’s first name, age or year group;

• subjects, educational level, learning requirements and tuition goals;

• availability and preferred lesson format;

• relevant information about health, disability, special educational needs or other circumstances where voluntarily provided and necessary to arrange appropriate support; and

• safeguarding information where a concern is raised.

We ask families not to provide information that is not reasonably required to arrange or manage tuition.

​

Tutors and tutor applicants

We may collect:

• name and contact details;

• address, postcode and areas covered;

• qualifications, teaching status and professional experience;

• subjects and educational levels taught;

• availability and preferred lesson formats;

• employment or professional history and references;

• right-to-work and identity-verification information;

• DBS certificate and Update Service verification information;

• application, onboarding and agreement records;

• lesson, attendance, cancellation and payment records;

• bank details and invoices;

• website profile information and an optional photograph;

• correspondence, feedback, concerns and complaints; and

• information required to investigate professional or safeguarding concerns.

​

Website visitors and enquirers

We may collect:

• information submitted through website forms;

• email correspondence;

• technical information such as IP address, browser and device type;

• website usage and analytics information; and

• cookie preferences.

Further information about cookies will be provided in our Cookie Policy and cookie banner.

​

4. How we receive information

We usually receive information:

• directly from parents, carers, tutors and applicants;

• through Wix website forms;

• through email, telephone or other agreed communications;

• from tutors recording lessons or raising concerns;

• from references or professional verification sources;

• through DBS verification processes;

• from payment providers;

• from website analytics and cookies; or

• from another person making an enquiry or referral with appropriate authority.

Information about a child will normally be provided by their parent or carer. We do not ordinarily ask children to complete website forms or create accounts.

​

5. Why we use information and our lawful bases

We use personal information only where we have a lawful reason to do so.

​

Responding to enquiries and tutor requests

We use contact details and information about tuition requirements to respond to enquiries and search for potentially suitable tutors.

Our lawful bases are taking steps at the parent or applicant’s request before entering into a contract and our legitimate interests in operating an effective tutoring and matching service.

For children’s information, we rely on our legitimate interests in arranging and administering the tuition requested by their parent or carer.

​

Arranging and managing tuition

We use information to:

• consider suitable tutor matches;

• introduce families and tutors;

• arrange and record lessons;

• manage changes and cancellations;

• process payments and tutor invoices;

• provide ongoing support; and

• communicate about the tuition arrangement.

Our lawful bases are performance of our contract with the parent or tutor and our legitimate interests in administering the service and maintaining accurate records.

​

Reviewing tutor applications and completing checks

We use applicant information to assess suitability, verify qualifications and identity, obtain references where required and complete appropriate DBS and right-to-work checks.

Our lawful bases are taking steps before entering into a contract and our legitimate interests in selecting suitable tutors and protecting children and families.

​

Safeguarding

We may use or share information where necessary to identify, record, report or respond to a safeguarding concern.

Our lawful bases may include recognised legitimate interests or legitimate interests in safeguarding children, compliance with legal obligations, protection of vital interests and substantial public interest under applicable data-protection law.

Data-protection law does not prevent information from being shared where this is necessary and proportionate to protect a child from harm.

​

Accounting, taxation and legal compliance

We retain payment, invoice and business records to manage our accounts, meet tax and regulatory obligations and respond to lawful requests.

Our lawful bases are compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests in maintaining accurate business records.

 

Complaints, disputes and legal claims

We may use relevant records to investigate complaints, enforce our agreements, recover money owed, respond to legal claims or obtain professional advice.

Our lawful bases are our legitimate interests in protecting the business and the rights of families and tutors, and compliance with legal obligations where applicable.

​

Website profiles, photographs and testimonials

We will publish an identifiable tutor profile, photograph or testimonial only with the individual’s permission.

Our lawful basis is consent. Consent may be withdrawn at any time, although withdrawal does not affect use that was lawful before it was withdrawn.

​

Marketing

We may send news, service updates or promotional communications where you have consented or where another lawful basis permits this.

You may unsubscribe at any time. We do not sell personal information to third-party marketing organisations.

​

6. Sensitive information

Information about health, disability, special educational needs or safeguarding may qualify as special-category personal data and receives additional protection.

We process this information only where it is necessary and where an additional legal condition applies. Depending on the circumstances, this may include explicit consent, safeguarding children and individuals at risk, substantial public interest or vital interests.

DBS and criminal-record information is handled only where necessary for assessing suitability to work with children and where processing is permitted under the Data Protection Act 2018.

We will maintain appropriate internal procedures for handling sensitive and criminal-offence information.

​

7. How tutor matching works

When considering a possible match, we aim initially to provide a prospective tutor with only the information reasonably required to assess suitability and availability. This may include:

• the child’s year group;

• required subject and level;

• general location;

• preferred lesson format;

• availability; and

• a general description of the support required.

More detailed information and family contact details will be shared only when reasonably necessary to progress an agreed introduction.

Tutors must use family information only for delivering and managing tuition arranged through West Lancs Tutors and must handle it securely and confidentially.

​

8. Payments

Payments may be processed through Stripe or another payment provider notified to you.

West Lancs Tutors does not ordinarily receive or retain complete debit or credit card details. Payment providers process this information under their own privacy terms and security arrangements.

We retain transaction records such as amounts, dates, payment status, refunds and payment references for accounting and service administration.

​

9. Systems and service providers

We may use trusted service providers to operate the business, including:

• Wix for the website, forms and website-management services;

• Google Workspace, Gmail and Google Sheets for communication, administration and record keeping;

• Stripe for payment processing;

• banks and accounting services;

• IT, hosting and security providers;

• professional advisers and insurers; and

• other carefully selected administrative service providers.

These organisations receive only the information reasonably required to provide their services and must handle it in accordance with applicable data-protection requirements.

​

10. Other circumstances in which information may be shared

We may also share relevant information with:

• a proposed or appointed tutor;

• a parent or carer responsible for the child;

• safeguarding partners, local authorities, social services or the police where necessary;

• HMRC, courts, regulators or other public authorities where legally required;

• professional advisers, insurers or debt-recovery services;

• another service provider where the individual has requested or authorised the referral; or

• a purchaser or successor if the business is sold or reorganised, subject to appropriate safeguards.

We do not sell personal information.

​

11. International transfers

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

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we require an appropriate legal safeguard. This may include a UK adequacy regulation, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses or another safeguard permitted by law.

Information about a particular provider’s safeguards can be requested using the contact details in this notice.

​

12. How long information is retained

We retain information only for as long as reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, safeguarding, accounting or contractual obligations.

Our usual retention periods are:

• General enquiries: normally up to 12 months after the enquiry is closed.

• Unsuccessful tutor applications: normally up to six months after the application decision, unless there is a valid reason to retain them for longer.

• Family, child and tutor service records: normally for six years after the tuition or contractual relationship ends, where required for accounting, contractual or legal-claims purposes.

• Financial and tax records: for the period required by HMRC and applicable law, normally at least six years.

• Website profiles, photographs and testimonials: until consent is withdrawn, the content is no longer required or the relationship ends, subject to reasonable time to remove published material.

• DBS certificate information: full certificate copies will not normally be retained. Where temporary retention is necessary, certificate information will ordinarily be deleted securely within six months of the relevant decision. A limited record that an appropriate check was completed may be retained for safeguarding, audit and legal purposes.

• Safeguarding records: for as long as reasonably necessary under applicable safeguarding guidance, legal requirements and the circumstances of the concern.

Retention periods may be extended where information is required for an ongoing complaint, safeguarding matter, investigation or legal claim. Information will be securely deleted or anonymised when no longer required.

​

13. How we protect information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including:

• restricting access to those who genuinely require it;

• using password-protected accounts and appropriate access controls;

• using reputable service providers;

• limiting the information collected and shared;

• reviewing and deleting records when no longer required;

• avoiding routine retention of full identity and DBS documents; and

• requiring tutors to keep family information confidential and secure.

No internet or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure, but we will respond appropriately to any suspected personal-data breach.

​

14. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis used, you may have the right to:

• request access to your personal information;

• ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;

• request deletion of information;

• ask us to restrict how information is used;

• receive certain information in a portable format;

• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent; and

• complain about how your information has been handled.

• ​

Your right to object

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests and to object at any time to personal information being used for direct marketing.

Some rights are not absolute. We may need to retain or continue using certain information where there is a legal, contractual, safeguarding or compelling legitimate reason.

To exercise a right, email admin@westlancstutors.co.uk. We may request reasonable evidence of identity before responding.

​

15. Children’s information

Parents and carers may exercise data-protection rights on behalf of a child where it is appropriate and lawful to do so.

As children mature, their own views and privacy rights may become increasingly relevant. We will consider the child’s age, understanding, circumstances and best interests when responding to a request involving their information.

​

16. Automated decision-making

West Lancs Tutors does not use solely automated decision-making to accept tutors, select tutor matches or make decisions that have a legal or similarly significant effect.

Tutor applications and proposed matches are reviewed by a person.

​

17. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to external websites. West Lancs Tutors is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external sites, and visitors should read the relevant organisation’s privacy information.

​

18. Changes to this notice

We may update this Privacy Notice when our services, systems or legal obligations change.

The current version will be published on our website with its latest revision date. Where a change materially affects how existing information is used, we will provide appropriate notice.

​

19. Complaints

Please contact us first if you have a concern about how personal information has been handled:

Email: admin@westlancstutors.co.uk

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

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

​

20. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Notice or our use of personal information, contact:

David Currie
Trading as West Lancs Tutors
Email: admin@westlancstutors.co.uk