Footnote Education Logo; navy blue letters against a white background

Privacy Policy

Policy Owner: Joshua Lynbeck

Approved By: Charlotte Lynbeck

Effective Date: 01/05/2026

Review Date: 01/05/2027

Applies To: All staff, tutors, contractors, volunteers, students, parents/carers, and third-party providers.

1. Introduction

Footnote Education (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect personal data when you use our website, enquire about our services, or engage with our online tuition services.

We provide one-to-one online tuition services in Humanities subjects, including but not limited to History, Politics, and related disciplines.

We process personal data in accordance with:

  • the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”); 

  • the Data Protection Act 2018; 

  • the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (“PECR”); and 

  • any other applicable UK data protection legislation. 

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand how we handle your information.

2. Who We Are

Data Controller:Footnote Education

Email Address:footnoteeducation@gmail.com

Website:www.footnoteeducation.co.uk

For the purposes of data protection law, Footnote Education is the “data controller” responsible for your personal data.

3. The Information We Collect

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

3.1 Student Information

  • Full name 

  • Date of birth 

  • School or college information 

  • Academic year group 

  • Subject interests and academic needs 

  • Educational progress records 

  • Homework, essays and coursework submissions 

  • Session attendance records 

  • Learning support requirements 

3.2 Parent or Guardian Information

Where the student is under 18, we may collect:

  • Parent/guardian names 

  • Email addresses 

  • Telephone numbers 

  • Billing information 

  • Correspondence records 

3.3 Tutor Information

Where applicable, we may collect:

  • CVs and employment history 

  • Qualifications and certifications 

  • DBS information 

  • Identity verification documents 

  • Payment details 

  • Professional references 

3.4 Website and Technical Information

When you use our website, we may automatically collect:

  • IP address 

  • Browser type and version

  • Network

  • Device information 

  • Pages visited 

  • Usage statistics 

  • Cookie data 

Squarespace needs the data to run this website, and to protect and improve its platform and services. You can read more about how Squarespace uses your data (site usage information of end users) for its own purposes in their Privacy Policy. 

When you submit information to this website via webform, we collect:

  • The data requested in the webform to track and respond to your submissions. 

We provide this information to Squarespace, our website hosting provider, so that they can provide website services to us and help us manage our relationship with you. We also provide this information with Google Drive for storage.

This website includes share buttons which enable you to share pages or other content from this site to the following third party services: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. If you click a share button, these third parties may receive your personal data including:

  • Information about your browser, network and device

  • Details about the web page or content you shared or proposed to share

  • Your IP address

This website includes commenting functionality on some pages which enables you to post a comment. This website collects personal information when you post a comment, including:

  • Your name (which will be displayed as part of your posted comment)

  • Your email address (optional)

  • Your website URL (optional)

This website includes ‘likes’ functionality on some blog posts which enables you to ‘like’ a post. This website collects personal information when you like a post including:

  • Browser, network and device information 

  • Details about the web page or content you shared or proposed to share

  • Your IP address

We may send you marketing emails, which you can unsubscribe from by clicking the link at the bottom of the email. We may also email you with messages about your order or account activity. 

For example, we may email you to tell you that:

  • You’ve created a customer account

  • Your customer account password has been reset or update

  • You’ve made a purchase

  • Your order has been shipped

It’s not possible to unsubscribe from these messages. We provide your contact information to Squarespace, our website hosting provider, so they can send these emails to you on our behalf. 

An automated email will sent within 24 hours after you abandon your shopping cart, if all of the following occur:

  • You enter your email address at checkout, or a logged into your customer account 

  • You add a product which is in stock to your shopping cart

  • You close your browser or leave this website without completing your purchase

You can unsubscribe from these messages at the bottom of the email. 

3.5 Payment Information

Payments may be processed through third-party providers. We do not ordinarily store full payment card details.

When you make a purchase from us on this website, we use Squarespace Payments as our payment solution. Squarespace Payments is a fully integrated, native payment solution provided to us by our online store service provider Squarespace. Squarespace Payments makes use of the following third party service providers which will also receive your personal information and process it in accordance with their privacy policies:

When you purchase something on this website, we may automatically collect:

  • Billing and shipping address

  • Details relating to your purchase 

  • Email address

  • Name

  • Phone number

As you go through to checkout, this site may auto-complete your shipping and billing address by sharing what you type with the Google Places API and returning suggestions to you to improve your checkout experience.

4. How We Collect Your Information

We collect information:

  • directly from you via enquiry forms, registration forms and communications; 

  • during tuition sessions; 

  • through our website and cookies; 

  • from parents or guardians; 

  • from tutors and contractors; 

  • through third-party payment or video conferencing platforms. 

5. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data.

We rely on the following lawful bases:

5.1 Contractual Necessity

Processing necessary to provide tuition services, manage bookings, issue invoices and communicate with clients.

5.2 Legitimate Interests

Processing necessary for:

  • improving our services; 

  • safeguarding students; 

  • managing business operations; 

  • preventing fraud; 

  • maintaining records; 

  • ensuring website security. 

We ensure our legitimate interests do not override individuals’ rights and freedoms.

5.3 Legal Obligation

Processing required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including safeguarding and tax requirements.

5.4 Consent

We may rely on consent for:

  • marketing communications; 

  • non-essential cookies; 

  • recording lessons where appropriate; 

  • use of testimonials or photographs. 

Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

6. Children’s Data

We provide educational services to children and young people, including individuals under the age of 18.

Where students are under 18, we normally collect personal data through or with the consent of a parent or guardian.

We take additional care when handling children’s personal data and ensure processing is fair, lawful and proportionate.

7. Special Category Data

In limited circumstances, we may process special category data, such as information relating to:

  • learning difficulties; 

  • disabilities; 

  • health conditions relevant to learning; 

  • safeguarding matters. 

We only process such information where necessary and where a lawful condition under Article 9 UK GDPR applies.

8. How We Use Personal Data

We may use personal data to:

  • provide tuition services; 

  • assess educational needs; 

  • schedule and deliver lessons; 

  • communicate with students and parents; 

  • monitor academic progress; 

  • process payments; 

  • improve our services; 

  • maintain safeguarding procedures; 

  • respond to enquiries; 

  • comply with legal obligations; 

  • administer tutor recruitment; 

  • send service updates. 

Where consent has been provided, we may also send marketing communications regarding our services.

9. Lesson Recordings

Online lessons may occasionally be recorded for:

  • safeguarding purposes; 

  • quality assurance; 

  • training; 

  • student revision support. 

Where recordings are made, we will inform participants in advance and obtain consent where required.

Recordings will be securely stored and retained only for as long as necessary.

10. Sharing Personal Data

We do not sell personal data.

We may share information with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

  • payment processors; 

  • cloud storage providers; 

  • email and communication providers; 

  • video conferencing platforms; 

  • IT support providers; 

  • professional advisers; 

  • regulatory authorities; 

  • safeguarding authorities where legally required. 

All third-party service providers are required to process personal data securely and lawfully.

11. International Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers may store or process data outside the United Kingdom.

Where international transfers occur, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

  • adequacy regulations; 

  • International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs); 

  • standard contractual clauses; 

  • other lawful transfer mechanisms. 

12. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against:

  • unauthorised access; 

  • accidental loss; 

  • misuse; 

  • alteration; 

  • disclosure; 

  • destruction. 

Security measures may include:

  • encrypted systems; 

  • password protection; 

  • restricted access controls; 

  • secure cloud storage; 

  • staff confidentiality obligations. 

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

13. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting and safeguarding requirements.

Typical retention periods may include:

Data Type

Retention Period

Student records - Up to 6 years after final lesson

Financial records- 6 years

Marketing data- Until consent withdrawn

Tutor recruitment records - Up to 1 year

Safeguarding records - As legally required

We may retain anonymised data for statistical purposes.

14. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, individuals have the following rights:

  • the right to be informed; 

  • the right of access; 

  • the right to rectification; 

  • the right to erasure; 

  • the right to restrict processing; 

  • the right to data portability; 

  • the right to object; 

  • rights relating to automated decision-making. 

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details provided above.

We may require proof of identity before responding to requests.

15. Marketing Communications

We may send newsletters or updates about our services where:

  • you have consented; or 

  • we are otherwise permitted to do so under PECR. 

You may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in communications or by contacting us directly.

16. Cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • ensure website functionality; 

  • analyse website traffic; 

  • improve user experience; 

  • remember preferences. 

You may manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or cookie banner.

For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.

17. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites.

Users should read the privacy policies of any third-party websites they visit.

18. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we process your personal data, please contact us first so we can attempt to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”):

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

19. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, technical or operational changes.

The latest version will always be available on our website.

20. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact:

Charlotte Lynbeck

Co-Founder & Business Manager

footnoteeducation@gmail.com

Policy Approval

Name: Charlotte Lynbeck 

Role: Co-Founder & Business Manager

Signature: CED Lynbeck

Date: 01/05/2026