Privacy Policy & POPIA

1. Accountability

Midrand Reading Academy accepts responsibility for personal information under its control and takes reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is processed in accordance with POPIA.

Personal information is processed only where reasonably necessary to provide educational services, respond to enquiries, manage enrolments, administer lessons, communicate with learners and clients, issue invoices, maintain appropriate records and comply with applicable legal obligations, product orders, school quotation requests and other submitted enquiries.

Where third-party service providers process personal information on behalf of Midrand Reading Academy, reasonable steps are taken to ensure that appropriate privacy and security safeguards are in place.

2. Processing Limitation

Midrand Reading Academy aims to collect only personal information that is adequate, relevant and reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is required.

Depending on the service or interaction, information collected may include:

• Parent or guardian name and surname
• Learner name and surname
• Learner's grade
• Age or date of birth where necessary
• School information where relevant
• Email address
• Telephone or WhatsApp number
• Information submitted through an enquiry or enrolment form
• Information relevant to tutoring or reading support
• Lesson and scheduling information
• Billing, invoice and payment information
• Records of correspondence
• Adult learner information
• Technical website information where applicable

Midrand Reading Academy does not intentionally request personal information that is not reasonably necessary to provide the relevant service.

3. Purpose Specification

Personal information may be collected and processed for purposes including:

• Responding to tutoring and service enquiries
• Enrolling learners or adult students
• Communicating with parents, guardians and students
• Scheduling and administering lessons
• Providing English tuition, Afrikaans tuition, reading intervention services, Adult Conversational English and examination preparation
• Providing information about educational products or services
• Processing and recording payments and issuing invoices
• Maintaining appropriate educational and administrative records
• Meeting accounting, tax, contractual or legal obligations

Personal information will not be retained for longer than reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless retention is required or permitted by law. When information is no longer required, reasonable steps should be taken to securely delete, destroy or de-identify it.

4. Further Processing Limitation

Midrand Reading Academy will not use personal information for a purpose that is incompatible with the purpose for which it was originally collected unless such further processing is permitted by POPIA.

Personal information submitted for an enquiry should primarily be used to respond to that enquiry and, where the individual becomes a client, to administer the resulting educational service.

Midrand Reading Academy does not sell personal information.

Personal information will not be provided to unrelated third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. Information Quality

Midrand Reading Academy takes reasonably practicable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, complete and up to date where necessary.

Parents, guardians, adult students and clients are encouraged to notify Midrand Reading Academy whenever relevant contact or personal information changes. Users may request correction of inaccurate or outdated personal information.

6. Openness and Transparency

Midrand Reading Academy aims to be transparent about the personal information it collects and how that information is used.

Personal information may be collected through website contact forms, website enrolment forms, email, WhatsApp, telephone or direct communication, lesson scheduling, and billing and invoicing processes.

Where personal information is requested, Midrand Reading Academy will take reasonable steps to make the person aware of why the information is required and how it will be used.

7. Security Safeguards

Midrand Reading Academy takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access, unauthorised disclosure, accidental destruction, alteration, misuse and unlawful processing.

Reasonable safeguards may include password-protected accounts, secure devices, controlled access to records, secure website connections, reputable hosting and service providers, appropriate backups, and secure deletion and disposal practices.

Where third-party service providers process information on behalf of Midrand Reading Academy, reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that appropriate confidentiality and security safeguards apply.

Security Compromises

If Midrand Reading Academy has reasonable grounds to believe that personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, the matter will be handled in accordance with applicable POPIA requirements.

Where legally required, appropriate notifications will be made to affected individuals and/or the Information Regulator.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Subject to POPIA and other applicable legislation, individuals may have the right to:

• Ask whether Midrand Reading Academy holds personal information about them
• Request access to personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion or destruction where legally applicable
• Object to certain processing activities
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Object to direct marketing
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

Marketing Communications

Midrand Reading Academy may occasionally communicate information about its educational services, products, courses or examination preparation resources where permitted by law.

Where consent is required for electronic direct marketing, such consent should be obtained separately from service enrolment or enquiry consent. Recipients must be able to opt out of marketing communications.

A person who opts out of marketing communications may still receive necessary administrative communications regarding existing lessons, enrolments, invoices, payments, bookings or services.

Third-Party Service Providers

Midrand Reading Academy may use reputable third-party providers for functions such as website hosting, email, online communication, cloud storage, lesson scheduling, accounting, payment processing, online lessons and website analytics where applicable.

Where such providers process personal information on behalf of Midrand Reading Academy, reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that appropriate privacy and security protections apply. Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, Midrand Reading Academy will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer complies with applicable POPIA requirements.

Cookies and Website Technology

The Midrand Reading Academy website may use essential cookies or similar technologies required for the website to operate correctly.

If analytics, advertising or other non-essential tracking technologies are used, appropriate disclosure and consent mechanisms should be implemented where required. Users may also control cookies through their browser settings.

How Long We Keep Personal Information

Personal information will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or where retention is required or permitted by applicable legislation.

Different categories of information may have different retention periods due to educational, contractual, accounting, tax or legal requirements. Information that is no longer required should be securely deleted, destroyed or de-identified where appropriate.

Contact Us About Your Privacy

For privacy enquiries, requests to access or correct personal information, objections to processing, withdrawal of consent or questions about this Privacy Policy, contact:

Information Regulator

If you believe that your personal information has not been processed in accordance with POPIA, you may first contact Midrand Reading Academy so that the matter can be investigated.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (opens in a new tab).