1. Who We Are

The Practical Design is a design thinking and entrepreneurship education program for children aged 9-15. We run structured, hands-on learning programs through 8-week cohorts, Innovation Taster Workshops, and seasonal bootcamps - teaching kids to think creatively, solve real problems, and build things that matter.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect the personal information you share with us - including information about your child - when you interact with our website, WhatsApp channel, social media pages, or register for any of our programs.

We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. For further information about these laws, visit the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Our Data Protection Lead is Swati Arora. Contact details are at the bottom of this policy.

By engaging with The Practical Design in any capacity, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect two categories of information: information about parents and guardians, and information about children enrolled in our programs.

2.1 Parent and Guardian Information
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Full name, email address, and mobile number (including WhatsApp number)
Emergency contact details
Location (city or neighbourhood, used for scheduling workshops)
Social media profile details (if you engage with us via Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn)
Payment details - processed securely through third-party payment providers; we do not store card or banking information
Communication history - WhatsApp messages, emails, and notes from phone conversations
Survey and feedback responses submitted during or after programs

2.2 Child Information
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We collect only the minimum information about your child that is necessary to deliver our programs:
First name and age or school year
Learning interests and prior experience (shared by parents at the time of enrollment)
Workshop attendance records and program-level progress notes
Photographs and videos taken during sessions - only with your explicit, written consent
Health or accessibility information - only where necessary for safeguarding, inclusion, or the safe delivery of our program, and only with your explicit consent. This is treated as special category data under UK GDPR and handled with the highest level of care.

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may collect:
IP address and device type
Browser and operating system
Pages visited and time spent on site
Referral source - for example, which ad, link, or platform brought you to us


3. How We Collect Your Information

We collect information through:
‍Our website - contact forms, workshop sign-up forms, and registration pages
‍WhatsApp - when you message us directly or click through a WhatsApp link from an ad or our website
‍Facebook and Instagram - through lead generation ads, direct messages, or when you engage with our content
‍Google - through paid search ads and conversion tracking on our website
‍Workshop and event registrations - digital or in-person sign-up forms, including paper consent forms at in-person events
‍School partnerships - registration information shared by partner schools where parents have given consent directly to the school
‍Direct communication - calls, emails, or messages you initiate with our team


4. Lawful Basis for ProcessingUnder UK GDPR, we are required to have a lawful basis for every type of personal data processing we carry out. We rely on the following:

‍Consent - when you give us explicit permission to enroll your child, use photographs or videos, or send you marketing communications. You can withdraw consent at any time.

‍Contract - to manage your child's enrollment and deliver the program you have signed up for.Legal obligation - to comply with safeguarding, child protection, and data protection requirements under UK law.

‍Vital interests - to protect the safety of a child in the case of a medical emergency or welfare concern.

‍Legitimate interests - for workshop administration, program improvement, and communicating with existing participants about relevant updates. We balance this against your rights and will not use legitimate interests where your interests override ours.

For special category data (health or accessibility information), we rely on explicit consent and process this data only when strictly necessary.


5. How We Use Your InformationWe use the information we collect to:

Register and manage your child's enrollment in our programs

Communicate with you about upcoming workshops, session schedules, program updates, and news

Send relevant information about programs, offers, and educational insights via WhatsApp, email, or SMS (where you have opted in)

Personalise follow-up conversations and recommend the right program level for your child

Process payments and send receipts, invoices, and confirmations

Share progress updates and workshop outcomes with parents or guardians

Keep children safe in line with our Safeguarding Policy

Improve our curriculum, session delivery, and overall program quality

Conduct internal analysis to improve our marketing and reach more familiesComply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements

We do not use your child's personal information for any marketing purpose.


6. Photography, Video, and Content Consent

During workshops, bootcamps, and program sessions, we may photograph or film activities for use in:Our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn content

Marketing materials, Reels, and case studies

Our website, blog, and student project showcases

We will always seek explicit written consent from a parent or guardian before using any image or video featuring your child in our content. This consent is separate from program enrollment and is entirely voluntary.You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us. We will remove identifiable images from future use upon receiving your request. Please note that content already published before your withdrawal cannot be retroactively removed from all platforms.

Children are never identified by their full name in any public content without separate written consent.


7. WhatsApp Communications

WhatsApp is our primary channel for lead capture, enrollment conversations, and ongoing parent communication. When you contact us via WhatsApp or join our WhatsApp community:

Your messages and phone number are stored by WhatsApp (Meta) in accordance with their own Privacy Policy

We may save message histories internally to manage your enrollment or to follow up on workshop interest

We use WhatsApp to send program updates, workshop reminders, follow-up messages, and occasional program announcements

You can opt out of WhatsApp communications at any time by responding "STOP" or by contacting us directlyWe do not share your WhatsApp number with any third party for marketing or commercial purposes.


8. Sharing Your InformationWe do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

‍Service providers - payment processors, email platforms, scheduling tools, and other software providers that help us operate our programs. These providers handle data on our behalf and are bound by data processing agreements.

‍School partners - where your child's enrollment was facilitated through a school partnership, we may share relevant logistical information with that school for coordination purposes only, and only where you have already consented to this through the school.

‍Safeguarding authorities - where required to protect the welfare of a child, we may share information with Children's Social Care, the police, or other relevant statutory bodies. This overrides normal data protection rules where a child's safety is at risk.

‍Legal requirements - where required by applicable law, regulation, or court order.

‍Business continuity - in the event of a merger, acquisition, or transfer of business assets, your information may be transferred to a successor entity under the same privacy protections.

9. International Data TransfersSome of the third-party tools we use transfer personal data outside the UK to servers based in the United States. We are required under UK GDPR to tell you about this.

The tools involved and the purpose of each transfer are:

‍Meta Pixel (Meta Platforms Inc., US) - advertising performance measurement and audience targeting via Facebook and Instagram

‍Google Analytics (Google LLC, US) - website behaviour analytics

‍Google Ads Conversion Tracking (Google LLC, US) - ad conversion measurement

‍WhatsApp Business (Meta Platforms Inc., US) - parent and lead communication

Meta and Google both participate in data transfer frameworks and use Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK Information Commissioner's Office to ensure that your data benefits from equivalent protection when transferred to the US.

You can review their transfer safeguards here:
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Meta: facebook.com/privacy/policy
Google: policies.google.com/privacy


10. Paid Advertising and Third-Party PlatformsWe run paid advertising campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. To do this, we use the following third-party tracking tools installed on our website:

‍Meta Pixel - a tracking tool provided by Meta Platforms Inc. It tracks actions taken on our website (such as form submissions and page views) so we can measure ad performance, build custom audiences, and serve retargeted ads to people who have visited our site.

‍Google Ads Conversion Tracking - a tool provided by Google LLC that tracks when a visitor completes a specific action (such as submitting a workshop registration form) after clicking one of our Google ads.

You can manage your ad preferences here:

Meta (Facebook/Instagram): facebook.com/ads/preferences
Google: myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy

We do not share personally identifiable information with any advertising platform beyond what is required for standard ad delivery and conversion tracking.


11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. The specific tools we use include:

‍Google Analytics - provided by Google LLC, this tracks how visitors navigate our website (pages visited, time on site, referral sources). Data is anonymised and aggregated. You can opt out via Google's opt-out browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

‍Meta Pixel cookies - set by the Meta Pixel (described above) to track cross-site behaviour for advertising purposes.

‍Session cookies - temporary cookies that keep our website functioning correctly during your visit. These are deleted when you close your browser.You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit certain features on our website or affect how ads from us appear on other platforms.


12. How We Store Personal Data

We store personal data using both digital and physical systems:

‍Digital data is stored in encrypted, password-protected systems. Access is restricted to team members who require it to deliver our programs.

‍Paper forms (including signed consent forms and registration sheets) are stored securely and shredded after processing. Safeguarding-related paper records are retained in line with our Safeguarding Policy.

No method of transmission over the internet is entirely secure. While we take every reasonable precaution, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the ICO promptly in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.


13. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for the duration of your child's participation in our programs plus one year following their last activity with us, unless a longer retention period is required by law (for example, for financial, tax, or safeguarding records).

When information is no longer required, we securely delete digital records and shred or destroy any physical documents. If you request deletion of your data, we will respond within 30 days, subject to any legal retention obligations.


14. Children's Privacy

Our programs are designed for children aged 9-15. We take the protection of children's data seriously.

We collect only the minimum information necessary about children, and we do so only with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardianWe do not allow children to submit personal information directly to us without a parent or guardian's involvement

We do not use children's information for advertising, profiling, or marketing purposes - ever

Health or accessibility data about a child is treated as special category data and handled with additional safeguards

All enrollment, communication, and commercial interactions are handled exclusively with the parent or guardian

If you believe your child's personal information has been collected without your consent, please contact us immediately. We will investigate and remove the information without delay.
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15. School Partnerships and Third-Party Events

Where we operate in partnership with schools or community organisations, those institutions may share parent and student contact details with us for the purpose of facilitating workshop registrations.

In these cases:

We use the information only to deliver the agreed workshop or program

We do not use school-sourced contacts for any unrelated marketing without separate opt-in consent

Partner schools are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent from parents before sharing information with us
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16. Your Rights Under UK GDPRAs a parent or guardian, you have the following rights over your personal data and your child's personal data:

‍Access - request a copy of the personal information we hold about you or your child

‍Correction - ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information

‍Deletion - request that we delete your or your child's personal data, subject to legal retention requirements

‍Restriction - ask us to restrict how we use your data while a concern is being resolved

‍Portability - request your data in a structured, machine-readable format

‍Object - object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests

‍Withdraw consent - withdraw consent for marketing communications, photography, or video use at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below. We will respond within one month.You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully:

‍ICO - ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
0303 123 1113

17. Links to Third-Party Websites and Platforms

Our website, emails, and WhatsApp messages may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, or resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before sharing any personal information with them.

18. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our programs, technology, or legal obligations. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you via WhatsApp or email.We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

19. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Lead:
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‍Swati Arora - Data Protection Lead
‍The Practical Design
Email: practicaldesignco@gmail.com
‍Phone: +44-7549934074
Website: www.ThePracticalDesign.com
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We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly and transparently.

This policy is compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all programs, workshops, bootcamps, and communications operated under The Practical Design brand.