Privacy Notice

Last updated: August 2026

Mendip Performing Arts Academy ("MPAA", "we", "us" or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information we collect about our students, parents and carers.

This Privacy Notice explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and your rights in relation to your personal information.

1. Who are we?

Mendip Performing Arts Academy is responsible for the personal information collected through our classes, lessons, workshops, examinations, events, website and related services.

Contact email: mendipperformingarts@gmail.com

If you have any questions about how we use your personal information, please contact us using this email address.

2. What information do we collect?

Depending on your relationship with MPAA, we may collect:

Parent/carer information

• Name

• Email address

• Telephone number

• Information relating to your child's enrolment and attendance

• Payment and billing information where necessary

Student information

• Name

• Date of birth

• Class or lesson information

• Attendance and participation records

• Information relating to progress, examinations and achievements

• Information relevant to safeguarding, health, safety and wellbeing

Health and additional-needs information

Where a parent/carer chooses to provide it, we may collect information about a student's medical conditions, allergies, disabilities, additional needs or other health information that is relevant to their safety, wellbeing or participation in our activities.

Health information is treated as special category personal data and receives additional protection under UK data protection law.

We ask parents/carers to provide only information that is relevant to their child's care and participation at MPAA.

Photography and video

Where appropriate consent has been provided, we may collect photographs and/or video recordings of students participating in classes, rehearsals, performances and events.

These may be used for Academy promotional purposes, including our website and social media.

Photography and video consent is optional and is kept separate from acceptance of our general Terms & Conditions.

3. Why do we collect and use your information?

We use personal information for purposes including:

• Processing registrations and enrolments

• Managing classes, lessons, workshops and examinations

• Communicating with parents/carers and students

• Taking attendance

• Managing payments and accounts

• Responding to enquiries

• Supporting students' safety, wellbeing and participation

• Managing safeguarding responsibilities

• Providing appropriate teaching and support

• Entering students for examinations and related activities

• Organising performances, showcases and events

• Dealing with complaints or concerns

• Meeting legal and regulatory obligations

• Maintaining appropriate business and financial records

• Improving the services we provide

We only collect information that is relevant and reasonably necessary for these purposes.

4. Our lawful bases for using personal information

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

Contract

We may use personal information where it is necessary to provide the classes, lessons or other services that you have enrolled for, or to take steps at your request before entering into an agreement.

For example, we need a student's name and a parent/carer's contact details in order to administer their enrolment and communicate about their classes.

Legal obligation

We may process information where we are required to do so by law, including maintaining appropriate financial, accounting or other records.

Legitimate interests

We may process information where it is necessary for our legitimate interests as a performing arts academy, provided that those interests are not overridden by the individual's rights and interests.

This may include administering classes, communicating with families, maintaining appropriate records, managing our business and protecting the safety and wellbeing of students.

Consent

Where appropriate, we may ask for consent for specific purposes, such as photography/video or certain types of marketing communication.

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that we have already carried out lawfully before consent was withdrawn.

5. How we use health information

Information about a student's health, disability, allergies or medical conditions may be particularly sensitive.

We only ask for information that is relevant to the student's safety, wellbeing or participation at MPAA.

Where we process health information, we ensure that we have an appropriate lawful basis and additional condition under data protection law.

Access to health information is limited to people who need it for legitimate teaching, safety, safeguarding or administrative purposes.

6. Who do we share information with?

We do not sell personal information.

We may share relevant personal information with trusted organisations or service providers where this is necessary to operate MPAA or meet our legal responsibilities.

These may include:

• Google – we use Google Forms and associated Google services to collect and store registration information.

• GoCardless – we use GoCardless to process recurring payments and manage payment-related information.

• LAMDA and other examination organisations – where necessary to enter students for examinations or administer examination services.

• Professional advisers or authorities where this is necessary or legally required.

• Emergency services or appropriate safeguarding authorities where necessary to protect a student or another person.

We only share information that is relevant and necessary for the particular purpose.

Where third-party organisations process personal information on our behalf, we take appropriate steps to ensure that the information is handled securely and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

7. Google Forms and online storage

We use Google Forms to collect registration information.

Information submitted through our registration form may be stored within our Google account and associated cloud storage.

Access to registration information is restricted to authorised individuals who need it for Academy administration, teaching, safeguarding or other legitimate purposes.

We take reasonable steps to keep our Google account and stored information secure.

8. How long do we keep your information?

We aim to keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

Current students

Registration, contact, attendance and relevant health/additional-needs information is retained while the student is enrolled at MPAA.

Students who leave MPAA

We generally retain registration and relevant student information for 6 months after a student leaves the Academy, after which it will be securely deleted unless there is a legitimate reason or legal requirement to retain it for longer.

Financial information

Financial and payment records may be retained for longer where required for accounting, tax or other legal purposes.

Consent records

Records of photography/video consent may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to demonstrate the consent that was provided.

We periodically review the information we hold and securely delete information that is no longer required.

9. Keeping your information secure

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal information from:

• Unauthorised access

• Loss

• Accidental disclosure

• Unauthorised alteration

• Destruction

• Other inappropriate use

Access to personal information is limited to people who need it for legitimate Academy purposes.

However, no electronic storage or transmission system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

10. Marketing communications

We may contact parents/carers about matters directly relating to their child's classes, lessons, payments, attendance, performances, examinations or other Academy activities. These communications are part of administering the services we provide.

Where we send promotional communications about new services, workshops, classes or other opportunities, we will provide an appropriate opportunity to opt out or, where required, obtain consent.

You can ask us to stop receiving marketing communications at any time by contacting:

mendipperformingarts@gmail.com

11. Photography and video

Photography and video consent is optional.

Where consent has been provided, images or recordings may be used for the purposes explained when consent was obtained, such as promoting MPAA through our website or social media.

You can withdraw photography/video consent at any time by contacting:

mendipperformingarts@gmail.com

If you withdraw consent, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that future use of your child's image is stopped. Withdrawal will not necessarily require us to remove material that has already been published where this is not reasonably practicable.

12. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you have rights under UK data protection law, including the right to:

• Ask for access to personal information we hold about you or your child.

• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.

• Ask us to delete personal information where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it.

• Ask us to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances.

• Object to certain types of processing, including some processing based on legitimate interests.

• Withdraw consent where we are relying on consent.

• Ask for certain information to be provided in a portable format where the right to data portability applies.

These rights are subject to certain legal conditions and exemptions, so they may not apply in every circumstance.

If you would like to exercise one of these rights, please contact:

mendipperformingarts@gmail.com

We will normally respond to requests within the period required by applicable data protection law.

13. Children's information

MPAA provides services to children and therefore takes the protection of children's personal information particularly seriously.

We collect only information that is relevant to providing our services, supporting students and maintaining their safety and wellbeing.

We aim to provide privacy information to parents/carers in a clear and understandable way.

Where appropriate, we will also consider the age and understanding of the child when handling their personal information and exercising data protection rights.

14. What happens if you do not provide information?

Some information is necessary for us to provide our services safely and effectively.

For example, we need a student's name and a parent/carer's contact details in order to administer their enrolment.

If relevant health, medical or additional-needs information is not provided, we may not be able to make appropriate arrangements to support a student's safety or participation.

We only request information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

15. Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes to our services, the information we collect, the way we use information or changes in data protection law.

The latest version will always be published on our website.

Last updated: August 2026

16. Making a complaint

If you have concerns about how we have used your personal information, please contact us first:

mendipperformingarts@gmail.com

We will do our best to resolve your concerns.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent supervisory authority for data protection.

Information about making a complaint is available from the ICO website.

Mendip Performing Arts Academy
Email: mendipperformingarts@gmail.com
Privacy Notice last updated: August 2026