Data Protection

On 25 May 2018, the Data Protection Act 1998 was replaced by the Data Protection Act 2018. At CELT, we are committed to transparency about how we use, store, and share your personal data. We ensure that your information is only used for its intended purpose.

1. Why We Need Your Personal Information

To process your application to study with us and issue an offer letter, we require your personal details and additional documentation. We use your passport information to ensure accuracy and verify your identity during enrolment. Your personal details may also be used to contact you about your application.

The personal information required may vary depending on the course you apply for. For example, if you apply for a Holiday English Course for a junior, we will need completed and signed Parent Consent forms. If your application is submitted through an agent, your offer letter will be sent directly to them. Your offer letter may include personal information such as your date of birth and passport number. If you apply for homestay accommodation, we share key information with your homestay provider to ensure the most suitable accommodation is arranged.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

• Process your application and issue your offer letter.
• Collect other relevant information, such as medical details and emergency contact information, to arrange any special accommodations needed.
• Share information within CELT if necessary. For example, we may provide your phone number to our Admin team if they need to contact you regarding a homestay issue.

If you declare any medical conditions, we will inform the relevant people to ensure your safety. For example, if you have a medical condition and apply for homestay accommodation, we may need to inform the homestay provider. Similarly, school staff and teachers may need to be aware of any conditions that could affect you in class. We will always seek your permission first and inform you of how this information is being shared.

3. How Data Is Stored

Your information is stored securely on a student database used solely by CELT. It is also kept in your personal student file, which is held securely.

Personal data may also be stored electronically. If stored in Word or Excel documents, the information is protected with a password. We have strict internal procedures to ensure your personal information is protected.

4. Legitimate Cause

We always strive to obtain your consent before sharing your personal data. However, there may be instances where, given a legitimate cause, we need to share your information. For example, we might share your personal data (such as your name, date of birth, and address) with a doctor if you ask us to help you secure a medical appointment.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

There may be occasions when we need to share your personal data, including but not limited to:

• Sharing information about your course, attendance, and progress with your agent/representative, sponsor, parent, or person responsible for paying your course fees.
• Sharing personal data for academic purposes, including student reports, grades, transcripts, and references, such as assisting you with a university course application.

In any situation where we do not have your permission to use your personal data, we will obtain it as detailed below.

6. How We Obtain Consent

• In Writing: We will always explain why we need to share your personal data and will try to obtain your consent in writing. This may involve asking you to tick a box on a form or sign a declaration. We may also ask you to provide a letter of authorisation.
• Verbally: If we cannot obtain written consent, we may do so verbally. We will record that verbal consent has been obtained and for what reason.

7. Where Your Data Is Stored

Your personal data is stored electronically and in files, which are kept under lock and key. We store your data in the following ways:

• When you apply to study with us, we create a student file to store hard copies of your application form, passport copy, supporting documentation (such as proof of education), and visa(s).
• Your personal data, including your name, date of birth, sex, nationality, address, contact numbers, email address, and age, are entered into our student database, hosted on a secure remote server.
• If we store information about you in Office products (such as Word and Excel), they will be protected with a secure password.
• Information you supply by email will be retained for up to 5 years for audit purposes.
• Academic information stored about you will be held as detailed above.
• In cloud-based applications (such as Dropbox), with secure and monitored access.

8. Retention

If you apply to study with us but do not enrol, we will securely destroy all data held about you, both in paper and electronic form, and your offer will no longer be valid. This process, known as ‘data protection erasure,’ will be completed 21 days after your intended start date if we have not been able to contact you. Should you wish to reapply for the same or another course, a new application and supporting documentation will be required.

9. For Enrolled Applicants

We will retain records for those who enrol and complete their studies with us for 5 years from the course start date for audit and inspection purposes.

10. Deleting Your Personal Information

You have the right to request access to the information we hold about you at any time. This request should be made in writing to the Data Protection Officer. We will acknowledge your request within 48 hours and fulfil it within one calendar month from the date received.

To ensure we provide the information to the correct person, we will take steps to verify your identity. If there is a legitimate cause to delete your personal data, we will do so as follows:

• Delete all your data from our student database.
• Permanently delete electronic communications (emails) that contain personal data and attachments (such as copies of your passport, application forms, and supporting documents) from our systems.
• Remove your data from Office documents (such as Excel and Word).
• Shred paper copies of your personal data using shredders that comply with data protection standards.

These procedures will be followed to securely destroy your personal data in line with our retention procedure. Should you request the deletion of your personal data within the retention timeline, we will discuss this with you and provide written confirmation detailing what information has been deleted and how it was destroyed.

11. Protecting Your Data

We have implemented several measures to protect your personal data:

• Providing our team with data protection and security awareness training.
• Informing all new staff, interns, and volunteers about data protection during induction.
• Maintaining a comprehensive Data Protection Policy.
• Enforcing strict internal procedures to keep your data safe.

12. Verifying Your Identity

We may need to verify your identity to ensure we share information with the correct person. For example, if a former student requests a copy of their certificate over the phone, we will ask three questions to verify their identity, such as full name, date of birth, and dates of study.

If someone requests information on your behalf, we will need (1) your written consent or (2) to speak with you in person and obtain your verbal permission before discussing anything with the other person.

13. Photographs & How We Use Your Image(s)

While the law states that verbal consent is sufficient for taking photos, we may ask you to complete a signed declaration outlining how your image will be used. This may include:

• Marketing materials such as brochures and leaflets.
• Social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• The CELT website.
• Displays throughout the school.
• Videos made for training purposes.

We limit the personal information shared about you. For example, we will only use your first name and never tag or directly link you in a way that could further identify you.

If you are under 18, we will obtain permission to use your image from your parent or guardian.

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