SEAG Hub

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 28 July 2026

NI Tutoring School (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of the families who use our website and online learning platform. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have over it.

We know that most of the people learning with us are children, so we have written this policy to be as clear and plain as possible, and we take extra care with children’s information.

Who we are

NI Tutoring School is the “data controller” responsible for your personal information. We are an online tutoring service based in Northern Ireland, providing SEAG (Transfer Test) and KS3, GCSE and A-Level preparation, including quizzes, practice tests and progress tracking.

If you have any questions about this policy or your information, please email enquiries@nitutoringschool.com.

A note for parents and guardians

Our platform is designed to be used by children preparing for the Transfer Test and other exams. We ask that a parent or guardian sets up and manages the account, provides consent where needed, and supervises younger children’s use of the site.

  • We collect the minimum information we need to run the service.
  • Account settings default to high privacy.
  • We do not send marketing to children or sell children’s data. We share information only with the trusted service providers described below who help us run the platform, and — where you ask us to arrange tuition — with the tutor we introduce you to.
  • Parents and guardians can access, correct or delete their child’s information at any time by contacting us.

We design and run the platform in line with the ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code (the “Children’s Code”), which sets standards for online services likely to be accessed by children.

The information we collect

Depending on how you use the site, we may collect:

Account and contact information — accounts are set up by a parent or guardian. We use the child’s first name only to personalise their learning; all other account and contact details (the account holder’s name, email address, password stored securely in encrypted form, and payment details) belong to the adult who manages the account.

Learning and progress data — quizzes and practice tests taken, answers submitted, scores, strand/skill breakdowns, personal bests, streaks and other progress information used to power your dashboard and the “My Skills” features.

Tuition enquiry information — if you enquire about one-to-one tuition through our introductions service, we collect the details you give us in that enquiry, such as your name and contact details, the subject and level you are looking for, and any availability or requirements you tell us about.

Payment information — if you subscribe, your card payment is processed securely by Stripe. We do not see or store your full card number; we receive limited details from Stripe such as confirmation of payment, the card type, last four digits, expiry, your subscription status and billing history.

Communications — messages you send us by email or WhatsApp, and your newsletter subscription preferences if you sign up for updates.

Technical and usage information — collected automatically when you visit, such as IP address, device and browser type, pages visited and interactions, gathered through cookies and similar technologies (see “Cookies” below).

How we collect it

  • Directly from you — when you register, subscribe, take a quiz, enquire about tuition, contact us, or sign up for our newsletter.
  • Automatically — through cookies and similar technologies when you use the site.
  • From our payment provider — Stripe shares limited payment and subscription details with us so we can manage your access.

How we use your information, and our legal bases

Under the UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for using your information. We rely on the following:

To provide the service (legal basis: performance of a contract) — creating and managing your account, delivering quizzes and practice tests, tracking and displaying progress, and giving you access to the features you’ve subscribed to.

To take payment and manage subscriptions (contract / legal obligation) — processing subscription payments via Stripe, managing renewals, trials, refunds and keeping records required by law (e.g. tax).

To arrange tuition introductions (performance of a contract) — passing your enquiry to tutors who may be able to help, and releasing contact details once an introduction is agreed and paid for.

To communicate with you — we send service messages such as receipts, trial reminders and important account notices as part of performing our contract with you. We answer enquiries you send us on the basis of our legitimate interests in responding to the people who contact us. We send newsletters and marketing only on the basis set out under “Marketing” below.

To improve and secure the platform (legitimate interests) — understanding how the site is used so we can improve it, fixing problems, and keeping the service and your data secure. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance them against your rights, and you can object at any time by emailing us. We do not use children’s data for behavioural advertising or profiling beyond what is needed to show a child their own learning progress.

To meet legal obligations (legal obligation) — for example keeping financial records and responding to lawful requests.

Automated decisions. We do not make any solely automated decisions about you or your child that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Marketing

We send our newsletter and marketing emails (managed through Mailchimp) to adults, on one of two bases: where you have opted in, or — if you are an existing customer — to tell you about our own similar products and services (such as our SEAG newsletter), unless you have told us not to. Either way, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email, or by emailing us. We do not direct marketing at children.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, keep you logged in, remember preferences, secure the service, and understand how the site is used. This includes:

  • Essential cookies — needed for login, security, payment and core functionality (including our caching layer that keeps pages fast).
  • Analytics — we use Jetpack / WordPress.com Stats to understand site usage in an aggregated way.

Our pages may load a small number of third-party resources (for example web fonts and the MathJax library used to display maths questions) from content delivery networks. You can control cookies through your browser settings; blocking essential cookies may stop parts of the site working. For more detail, please see our Cookie Policy.

Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with trusted service providers (“processors”) who help us run the platform, and only as far as needed:

  • Stripe — payment processing and subscription management. See Stripe’s privacy policy at https://stripe.com/privacy.
  • Automattic / WordPress.com (including Jetpack) — website hosting, backups and site statistics. See https://automattic.com/privacy/.
  • Mailchimp (operated by Intuit) — to manage our newsletter mailing list and send the update emails you’ve subscribed to. See Intuit/Mailchimp’s privacy notice at https://www.intuit.com/privacy/.
  • Professional advisers and authorities — such as accountants, or law enforcement/regulators where we are legally required to disclose information.

Tutors (introductions service). If you enquire about one-to-one tuition, we pass your enquiry to tutors on our list who may be able to help. Once the introduction fee is paid, we release your contact details to the tutor you are matched with, and theirs to you. From that point the tutor is a separate data controller for the information you share with them, and their own privacy practices apply to the tuition arrangement you make directly with them.

We put appropriate agreements in place with these providers so your information is protected.

International transfers

Some of our providers (such as Stripe, Automattic and Mailchimp/Intuit) may process information outside the UK, including in the United States. Where information is transferred outside the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognised under UK data protection law (such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum, or adequacy regulations) to keep it protected.

How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only as long as we need it:

  • Account and learning data — for as long as your account is active, and then deleted or anonymised within 12 months of account closure, unless we need to keep it longer for a legal reason.
  • Payment and financial records — retained for 6 years to meet UK tax and accounting requirements.
  • Tuition enquiries — kept for 12 months from your last contact with us, unless an introduction is made, in which case we keep a record of the introduction with our financial records.
  • Marketing preferences — until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them.

You can ask us to delete your information sooner (see “Your rights” below).

How we protect your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure password storage, access controls, and secure, reputable hosting and payment providers. No online service can be guaranteed 100% secure, but we work to protect your data and to deal quickly with any issues.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • Erase your information (“right to be forgotten”) in certain circumstances.
  • Restrict or object to how we use your information.
  • Data portability — receive certain information in a portable format.
  • Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent (e.g. marketing).

These rights apply to children too. A parent or guardian can exercise them on a child’s behalf. To make a request, email enquiries@nitutoringschool.com. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge.

Complaints

You have a legal right to complain to us about how we have handled your personal information, and we take every complaint seriously. To make a complaint, email enquiries@nitutoringschool.com with the subject line “Data protection complaint”, or write to us at the address for service given in our Terms of Service. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days (usually much sooner), look into it, and tell you the outcome without undue delay.

You also have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), whether or not you complain to us first. Our ICO registration reference is ZC192540.

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Helpline: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, let you know by email or a notice on the site. We review this policy at least once a year.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your personal information? Email: enquiries@nitutoringschool.com NI Tutoring School, a trading name of Thomas Donnelly. Our address for service is given in our Terms of Service.