Privacy policy.

By enrolling at The British Online School or using our services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

1. Information we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

1.1 Student information

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Year group
• Email address (where applicable)
• Academic records and progress data
• Attendance and participation records
• Behaviour and engagement data
• Parent/guardian contact details

1.2 Parent / guardian information

• Full name
• Contact information (email, telephone number, address where required)
• Relationship to the student
• Communication records with the School

1.3 Staff information

• Full name
• Job title
• Contact details
• Employment and safeguarding records (where applicable)

1.4 Learning platform data

We collect data generated through the use of our online learning systems, including:

• Lesson attendance and participation
• Submitted assignments and coursework
• Chat, microphone, and lesson engagement data
• Use of School platforms and systems
• Interaction with learning materials

2. How we use personal information

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To deliver education and learning services
• To manage student enrolment and academic progress
• To communicate with parents/guardians and students
• To monitor attendance, engagement, and behaviour
• To safeguard students and maintain a safe learning environment
• To operate and improve our online platforms and systems
• To meet legal, regulatory, and safeguarding obligations
• To issue reports, references, and academic feedback

3. Google Workspace for Education

The British Online School uses Google Workspace for Education, including tools such as Google Classroom, Google Meet, Google Docs and Google Drive. These tools are used strictly for educational purposes, including:

• Delivering live lessons
• Setting and submitting assignments
• Sharing learning materials
• Communication between staff and students

Access to Google Workspace accounts is restricted to authorised users only and is managed by the School. Google Workspace does not use student data for advertising purposes.

4. Sharing of information

We may share personal data in the following circumstances:

4.1 Internal staff

With teachers, tutors and School leadership to support education and student welfare.

4.2 Parents / guardians

With parents or legal guardians regarding academic progress, attendance, behaviour and School communications.

4.3 Service providers

With trusted third-party providers (including Google and secure educational platforms) who support School operations. These providers are contractually required to protect data and use it only for specified purposes.

4.4 Legal and regulatory requirements

Where required, we may share information with regulatory bodies, law enforcement or legal authorities.

5. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including:

• Secure, access-controlled learning platforms
• Staff training on data protection and safeguarding
• Password-protected systems and accounts
• Regular system monitoring and updates
• Restricted access to sensitive information

While we take all reasonable steps to protect data, no system can be guaranteed 100% secure.

6. Recording of lessons

The School may record live lessons for:

• Safeguarding purposes
• Quality assurance
• Staff training
• Student learning support

Recordings are stored securely and are only accessible to authorised staff and enrolled students where appropriate.

7. Data retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to:

• Provide educational services
• Meet safeguarding obligations
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• Support academic reporting and records

Data is securely deleted or anonymised when no longer required.

8. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, parents and eligible students have the right to:

• Access: request access to personal data held by the School.
• Correction: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: request deletion of personal data where appropriate and legally permitted.
• Restriction: request restriction of how data is processed in certain circumstances.

Requests should be made to info@britishonlineschool.co.uk.

9. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Like most websites, we use a small number of cookies and similar technologies (such as browser local storage) on our public website. This section explains what we use, why, and how you can control them. It applies to our marketing website only — our learning platforms are governed by the sections above.

9.1 Your choices

When you first visit our website you will see a cookie banner. Non-essential (analytics) cookies are only set if you select “Accept all”. If you select “Essential only”, no analytics cookies are placed and no analytics scripts are loaded. You can change your decision at any time using the “Cookie settings” link in the footer of any page, or by clearing cookies and site data in your browser. Essential cookies cannot be switched off, as the site relies on them to work and to remember your preference.

9.2 Legal basis

We place strictly necessary (essential) cookies on the basis of our legitimate interest in providing a functioning website. Analytics cookies are placed only with your consent, in line with the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). You may withdraw your consent at any time using the methods described in section 9.1, with no effect on the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

9.3 Cookies and storage we use

9.4 Analytics — Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand, in aggregate, how visitors find and use our website so that we can improve it. These cookies and the associated script are loaded only after you consent via the banner. IP addresses are anonymised/truncated by Google, and we do not use analytics to identify individual visitors. Google processes this data as described in Google’s Privacy Policy and How Google uses information from sites that use its services.

9.5 Managing cookies in your browser

In addition to our banner, most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect how the website works and will prevent us from remembering your cookie preference.

10. Media, publicity and student work

The School may use student work, achievements, testimonials and anonymised data for educational, safeguarding, promotional and marketing purposes where appropriate consent has been provided during enrolment.

Parents may withdraw consent at any time by contacting the School in writing. The School will take reasonable steps to update future use, but cannot guarantee removal of materials already published or distributed.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Where significant changes are made, we will notify parents/guardians via email or School communication channels. Continued use of School services after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact

For any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact the British Online School Administration Team.