Your Privacy: How We Handle Your Info

Right, so this is our Privacy Policy. It explains what personal information we collect from you, why we collect it, and what we do with it here at PoundWise Skills Sheffield. We know these policies can be a bit dry, but it's important you understand it. We've tried to keep it as clear and straightforward as possible, just like we do with our money lessons. Your trust is a big deal to us, and keeping your information safe is a top priority. We're based in Sheffield, UK, and we follow all the UK data protection rules, including the UK GDPR.

What Information We Collect

When you get in touch with PoundWise Skills Sheffield, sign up for a workshop, or just browse our website, we might collect some bits of information. We only ever collect what we actually need to help you learn about money or improve our services. Here's a rundown:

• Information you give us directly: This is stuff like your name, email address, phone number, and sometimes your age (so we know you're in our target age group for teens and students). If you're under 18, we might ask for a parent or guardian's contact details so we can keep them in the loop and make sure we're all above board. We collect this when you fill out a form, book a course, send us an email, or give us a ring.
• Information we collect automatically: When you visit our website, our system automatically picks up some technical bits. This includes your IP address, what type of browser you're using (like Chrome or Firefox), and how you move around our site – which pages you visit and for how long. This helps us make sure our website is working properly and is easy for you to use. We don't connect these technical details back to you personally to figure out who you are.

We absolutely do not collect any sensitive personal data (like health info or religious beliefs) unless it's strictly necessary for a specific service, and we'd always ask you directly first.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to do a few important things, all aimed at giving you the best money education possible:

• To provide our workshops and services: This is the main one. We use your details to manage your bookings, send you workshop materials, remind you about sessions, and generally make sure you get the most out of learning about bank cards, credit, and savings.
• To communicate with you: We'll use your email or phone to answer your questions, send updates about our workshops, or let you know about new courses we think you might like. We promise not to bombard you with loads of junk.
• To improve our services: By looking at how people use our website and what feedback they give us, we can make our workshops better and our site easier to navigate. This is often done using anonymised data, meaning we can't trace it back to you.
• For legal reasons: Sometimes, we have to keep and use your information to meet our legal duties, like for tax records or if a lawful request comes from the authorities.

We don't ever sell your personal data to other companies for their marketing purposes. That's just not how we do things here at PoundWise Skills Sheffield.

Cookies and How We Use Them

Just like a good biscuit with your cuppa, our website uses cookies. But these aren't for eating! Cookies are small text files that get stored on your computer or phone when you visit a website. They help the website remember things about you or your visit.

Here's why we use them:

• To make our website work: Some cookies are essential. They help the site load properly and let you move between pages.
• To understand how our site is used: We use "analytics cookies" to see which parts of our site are popular and where we can make improvements. This data is usually anonymised, so we can't tell who you are, just how people generally use the site.

You've got control over cookies. Most web browsers let you block or delete cookies if you want to. Just check your browser's settings (usually in "Privacy" or "Security"). Be aware, though, if you turn off essential cookies, some parts of our website might not work quite right.

Who We Share Your Data With

We take your privacy seriously, so we're careful about who we share your information with. Generally, we don't share your data with anyone outside PoundWise Skills Sheffield unless it's absolutely necessary for our services or required by law.

• Service Providers: We use other companies to help us run our business. For example, we might use a secure payment processor to handle workshop fees, an email service to send out newsletters, or a web hosting company to keep our site online. These companies only get the information they need to do their job, and they're bound by strict rules to keep it safe and private. We make sure they meet UK data protection standards.
• Legal Requirements: If the law says we have to, we might share your data with government bodies, law enforcement, or courts. This is pretty rare, but we have to comply with legal requests.

Rest assured, we don't share your details for marketing purposes with any third parties. Your data stays with us, and those we trust to help us provide our money skills workshops.

How We Keep Your Information Safe

Keeping your personal information secure is a big deal for us. We use a mix of technical and organisational measures to protect your data from being lost, misused, or accessed by people who shouldn't see it. This includes things like secure servers, encryption for data when it's moving around, and making sure only the right people on our team can access your details. We regularly review our security practices to keep them up to scratch. While no system is 100% foolproof, we do our best to keep your data under lock and key.

Your Rights Over Your Information

You've got rights when it comes to your personal data, and we respect them fully. Here's what you can ask us to do:

• Access: You can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: If you think any of the information we have about you is wrong or out of date, you can ask us to correct it.
• Deletion (the 'right to be forgotten'): You can ask us to delete your personal information in certain situations, for example, if we no longer need it for the purpose it was collected.
• Restriction: You can ask us to limit how we use your data in specific circumstances.
• Objection: You can object to us processing your data, for example, for direct marketing.
• Data Portability: You can ask us to transfer your data to another organisation in a clear, machine-readable format.

If you want to exercise any of these rights, just get in touch using the contact details at the bottom of this policy. We'll usually need to confirm your identity first, just to make sure it's really you asking.

Changes to This Policy

We might need to update this Privacy Policy now and then, for example, if we change how we collect data or if new laws come in. When we make big changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of the policy. For important changes, we might also let you know directly, like by sending an email. We recommend checking this page every so often to stay in the loop.

Get in Touch

If you've got any questions about this Privacy Policy, or how we handle your personal information, please don't hesitate to give us a shout. We're happy to explain things in plain English.

You can reach us:

• By Email: [email protected]
• By Phone: +44 114 496 0558
• By Post: PoundWise Skills Sheffield, 19 High St, Sheffield S1 2GA, UK

Thanks for trusting PoundWise Skills Sheffield with your information. We're here to help you get sorted with your money, and part of that is being clear and honest about how we operate.