1. Who is responsible for your data
SPARK SCHOLARS Ltd, which operates sparkairesearch.com, is the “controller” of the personal information described in this policy. Our registered address is Squirrel's Croft, Old Kiln Lane, Brockham, Surrey, RH3 7LP, United Kingdom. You can reach us about anything in this policy at [email protected].
2. Information we collect
Information you give us
- Registration and enquiry details — such as your name, email address, and any information you enter when you register for a programme or contact us (for example through our online forms, which are provided by Tally).
- Participant details — where you register on behalf of a student under 18, the details you provide about that participant.
- Payment information — when you pay for a programme, our payment provider Stripe collects and processes your card or payment details directly. We receive confirmation of payment and limited transaction details, but we do not receive or store your full card number.
Information we collect automatically
- Basic technical data — like most websites, our hosting provider may keep server logs (such as your IP address and browser type) to keep the site secure and running reliably. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies, and we do not track how you use the site.
3. How and why we use your information
| What we do | Lawful basis (UK GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Register you for a programme, take payment, and provide the programme | Performance of a contract with you |
| Send you booking confirmations, joining instructions, and essential service emails | Performance of a contract with you |
| Respond to your enquiries and provide support | Legitimate interests (helping people who contact us) |
| Keep our website secure and running reliably | Legitimate interests (protecting and maintaining our site) |
| Keep records and meet our legal, accounting, and tax obligations | Legal obligation |
We only send marketing emails where you have asked us to or otherwise agreed to receive them, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
4. Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with service providers who help us run SPARK, and who process it on our instructions, including:
- Tally — online registration and enquiry forms;
- Stripe — secure payment processing;
- our website hosting and email providers, which store and deliver the data needed to run the site and contact you.
We may also disclose information where we are required to by law, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
5. International transfers
Some of our providers are based outside the UK. Where your information is transferred abroad, we rely on appropriate safeguards — such as UK adequacy regulations or the International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum and standard contractual clauses — so that it remains protected.
6. How long we keep your information
We keep your information only for as long as we need it for the purposes above. Booking and payment records are kept for as long as required to meet our legal and accounting obligations (typically at least six years). Enquiry and analytics data are kept for shorter periods, after which they are deleted or anonymised.
7. Children’s privacy
Our programmes are aimed at students, and some participants are under 18. Where a participant is under 18, we ask a parent or guardian to register and consent on their behalf. We collect only the information we need to deliver the programme safely and will provide it, or delete it, on request from the parent or guardian.
8. Cookies and tracking
We only use cookies and similar technologies that are strictly necessary for the site to work. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies, and we do not track your activity across other websites. You can control or block cookies through your browser settings.
9. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
- ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances;
- object to, or ask us to restrict, certain processing;
- ask us to transfer your information to another provider (portability);
- withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected]. We will respond within the time limits set by law (usually one month).
10. Complaints
We hope to resolve any concern you have, so please contact us first. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated; where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to let you know.
12. Contact us
For any privacy question or request, email us at [email protected].