Last updated: 13 August 2026

Heights Dance Academy (“HDA”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information we hold about our students, parents, carers, prospective students and website users.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we may share it with, how long we keep it and your rights in relation to your information.

We process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection and privacy legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (“PECR”), as amended from time to time.

Heights Dance Academy provides dance, performing arts and related training and activities for children and young people.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Heights Dance Academy is the data controller for personal information we determine how and why to process.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your personal information, please contact:

Heights Dance Academy

Telephone: 01959 439303
Email: hdakent@gmail.com

This Privacy Policy may apply to:

• Current and former students;
• Parents, carers and legal guardians;
• Prospective students and families making an enquiry;
• Users of our website;
• Registered users of the HDA Parents members area;
• Individuals attending trials, workshops, private lessons, competitions, performances or other HDA activities;
• Teachers, contractors and other individuals who work with HDA where appropriate;
• Other individuals who communicate or interact with Heights Dance Academy.

The personal information we collect depends on your relationship with Heights Dance Academy and the services you use.

We may collect:

• Student and parent/carer names;
• Contact details, including email addresses, telephone numbers and postal addresses where required;
• Date of birth and age;
• Emergency contact information;
• Attendance and absence information;
• Class, enrolment and membership information;
• Information relating to private lessons, performances, examinations, competitions and other HDA activities;
• Relevant health, medical, allergy, injury, disability or additional needs information;
• Relevant safeguarding information;
• Photographs and video footage where appropriate;
• Permissions and consent records;
• Payment and transaction information;
• Communications between you and Heights Dance Academy.

We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for the operation of HDA and the safe provision of our services.

If you enquire about Heights Dance Academy, we may collect:

• Parent/carer name;
• Child's name;
• Child's age or date of birth;
• Email address;
• Telephone number;
• Classes, activities or services you are interested in;
• Preferred days or availability where provided;
• Any other information you choose to provide as part of your enquiry.

Enquiries may be made through our website, email, telephone, social media, online advertising forms or in person.

We use this information to respond to your enquiry, recommend appropriate classes, provide information about availability, arrange a trial where requested and reasonably follow up your enquiry.

Submitting an enquiry does not automatically subscribe you to ongoing marketing communications.

Our website includes a private members area for HDA parents.

Where you register for or use the HDA Parents members area, we may process information including:

• Your name;
• Email address;
• Account or user identification information;
• Login and account activity;
• Information necessary to authenticate and maintain your account;
• Technical information relating to your use of the members area.

We use this information to create and administer accounts, provide authorised access to parent-only content, maintain the security of the members area and provide the online service requested by you.

You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and should not share your password or account access with anyone who is not authorised to use it.

When you use our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by us or by service providers involved in operating our website.

This may include:

• IP address;
• Browser and device information;
• Operating system;
• Pages visited and interactions with the website;
• Date and time of visits;
• Login and security information;
• Cookie and similar technology information.

We may use this information where necessary to operate, maintain and secure our website and members area, troubleshoot technical issues and understand how our website is used.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies may be strictly necessary for the website or HDA Parents members area to function, for example to provide security, maintain a login session or remember essential settings.

We may also use analytics, functionality or other non-essential cookies where appropriate.

Where consent is legally required for a cookie or similar technology, it will not be used until the appropriate consent has been obtained.

Where applicable, further information about the cookies used on our website and the choices available to you will be provided through our cookie notice or cookie consent controls.

We may use personal information to:

• Provide and manage HDA classes and services;
• Register and enrol students;
• Administer memberships;
• Manage the HDA Parents members area;
• Communicate with parents, carers and students about classes, timetables, payments, closures and other matters relating to their participation;
• Maintain attendance and student records;
• Protect the health, safety and welfare of students;
• Manage emergency, medical and additional needs information;
• Respond to enquiries;
• Recommend suitable classes and provide availability information;
• Arrange trial classes;
• Process payments and maintain appropriate financial records;
• Organise examinations, competitions, performances, workshops and events;
• Manage photographs and video footage where appropriate;
• Operate, maintain and protect our website and online services;
• Prevent or investigate misuse, security incidents or fraudulent activity;
• Meet safeguarding, insurance, legal and regulatory requirements;
• Send marketing communications where we are legally permitted to do so;
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

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

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely upon:

Contract – where processing is necessary to enter into or perform an agreement with you or provide a service you have requested.

Legitimate interests – where processing is reasonably necessary for the operation, administration, protection or development of Heights Dance Academy and those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Legal obligation – where processing is necessary for us to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement.

Consent – where you have actively given us permission to use your information for a particular purpose. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Vital interests – in limited circumstances where processing is necessary to protect someone's life.

Different lawful bases may apply to different uses of your information.

Some information we process may be classed as special category personal data under UK data protection law. This may include information relating to a student's health, medical conditions, disabilities or additional needs.

Because of the nature of dance and physical activity, this information can be important for the health, safety and welfare of our students.

We only process special category information where we have both a lawful basis under UK GDPR and an appropriate additional condition for processing that information.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include explicit consent or another condition permitted by data protection law.

We take additional care when handling sensitive information and limit access to those who reasonably need it.

Much of the personal information processed by Heights Dance Academy relates to children and young people.

We take the protection of children's information seriously.

We only collect and use children's personal information where there is an appropriate reason to do so, including to:

• Provide dance and performing arts training;
• Administer classes and memberships;
• Protect students' health, safety and welfare;
• Manage emergency and medical information;
• Organise examinations, competitions, performances and activities;
• Meet safeguarding and legal obligations.

Where appropriate, information and permissions relating to children are obtained from or communicated through their parent or legal guardian.

We may take or receive photographs and video footage relating to HDA classes, training, performances, competitions and other activities.

Photographs and video may be used for purposes including:

• Training and educational purposes;
• Celebrating student achievements;
• HDA social media;
• Our website;
• Advertising and promotional materials;
• Displays or other HDA communications.

Where consent is required, appropriate permission will be obtained before using photographs or video for that purpose.

Where we rely on consent for optional promotional use, consent can be withdrawn by contacting us. Withdrawal will not affect use that took place lawfully before consent was withdrawn, and it may not always be possible to recall material that has already been legitimately published or distributed.

We may receive enquiries through:

• Our website;
• Email;
• Telephone;
• Facebook;
• Instagram;
• Online advertising and lead-generation forms, including Meta platforms;
• Other social media services;
• In-person enquiries.

Where you voluntarily submit your contact information through an enquiry or lead form, we use that information to respond to your request and contact you about relevant HDA classes, availability or trial opportunities.

Third-party platforms may also process information when you use their services. Their own privacy policies and terms may apply separately to their processing of your information.

Responding to an enquiry you have made is different from subscribing you to ongoing direct marketing.

If you ask us for information about Heights Dance Academy, we may contact you to provide the information requested and reasonably follow up that particular enquiry.

For ongoing marketing by email, text message or other electronic communication, we will comply with applicable data protection law and PECR.

Where consent is required, we will ask for it separately and clearly. Where the law permits us to send marketing without consent, such as where the applicable requirements for the products and services “soft opt-in” are satisfied, we will provide an appropriate opportunity to opt out.

You can ask us to stop sending direct marketing at any time by contacting us at hdakent@gmail.com or by using an unsubscribe or opt-out method provided in the communication.

You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time.

We do not sell personal information.

Where reasonably necessary, we may share information with organisations that help us operate Heights Dance Academy or provide services to our students.

These may include:

• Class management, administration and booking providers;
• Payment processing providers;
• Website hosting and website service providers;
• Email, communications and IT service providers;
• Providers involved in operating the HDA Parents members area;
• Advertising and social media platforms where relevant;
• Examination boards and dance organisations;
• Competition and event organisers where necessary for participation;
• Venues where relevant information is reasonably required;
• Teachers, contractors or service providers where they reasonably require information to perform their role;
• Insurers and professional advisers;
• Safeguarding organisations;
• Regulatory, government, law enforcement or other authorities where required or permitted by law.

Where an organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate data protection arrangements are in place.

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

Some of the technology and service providers we use may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer complies with applicable UK data protection law and that an appropriate level of protection is provided.

This may include relying on UK adequacy regulations or appropriate contractual or other legally recognised safeguards.

We only keep personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including where information needs to be retained to meet legal, financial, safeguarding, insurance, regulatory or dispute-related requirements.

When determining an appropriate retention period, we may consider:

• The type and amount of information;
• Its sensitivity;
• Why it was collected;
• Whether it remains necessary;
• The potential risks associated with retaining it;
• Relevant legal, safeguarding, insurance and accounting requirements.

Student and parent/carer information may therefore need to be retained for an appropriate period after a student leaves Heights Dance Academy.

Information relating solely to a prospective student's enquiry will only be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to and follow up the enquiry, unless the individual subsequently becomes a customer or there is another lawful reason to retain the information.

Account information relating to the HDA Parents members area may be retained for as long as the account remains active and for an appropriate period afterwards where necessary for security, administration, legal or record-keeping purposes.

Information that is no longer required will be securely deleted, anonymised or disposed of as appropriate.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful loss, misuse, alteration, unauthorised access or disclosure.

Access to personal information is limited to individuals and service providers who reasonably need access for an appropriate purpose.

We also take reasonable steps to maintain the security of our website and HDA Parents members area.

If a personal data breach occurs, we will assess it and notify affected individuals and/or the Information Commissioner's Office where we are legally required to do so.

While we take appropriate precautions, no method of transmitting information over the internet or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Heights Dance Academy does not currently use personal information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

If this changes, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide the information required by law.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Access – ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• Rectification – ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Erasure – ask us to delete personal information in certain circumstances;
• Restriction – ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances;
• Object – object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
• Data portability – ask us to transfer certain information to you or another organisation where applicable;
• Withdraw consent – withdraw your consent at any time where we rely upon consent.

You also have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions and will not necessarily apply in every circumstance.

If you wish to exercise your rights, please contact:

hdakent@gmail.com

We will respond to valid requests in accordance with applicable data protection law.

If you have concerns about how Heights Dance Academy has collected or used your personal information, please contact us first so that we have the opportunity to address your concerns.

Email: hdakent@gmail.com
Telephone: 01959 439303

You also have the right to make a complaint to the UK's data protection regulator:

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Further information is available on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, website, technology, business practices or applicable legal requirements.

The latest version will be published on our website.

We encourage parents and website users to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

Last updated: 13 August 2026