Privacy notice.

Effective from: September 2026
Next scheduled review: August 2027

1. WHO WE ARE

Leanne Hughes Theatre School (LHTS) provides dance, theatre and performance training for children, young people and adults.

For data-protection purposes, LHTS is the data controller responsible for deciding how and why personal information is collected and used.

Contact details:

Leanne Hughes Theatre School
LHTS Studios
Enterprise Way, off Grovebury Road
Leighton Buzzard
LU7 4SZ

Email: lhtheatreschool@gmail.com
Telephone: 07872 589800

The person responsible for data protection at LHTS is Leanne Hughes.

2. WHO THIS NOTICE APPLIES TO

This notice applies to personal information relating to:

• Current, former and prospective pupils
• Parents, guardians and carers
• Emergency contacts and authorised collection contacts
• People making enquiries or booking trials
• Participants in examinations, festivals, performances, workshops and other LHTS activities
• Visitors and people communicating with LHTS

A separate privacy notice may apply to staff, contractors and volunteers.

3. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

Depending on the services and activities involved, we may collect:

Pupil information

• Full name
• Date of birth and age
• Address
• Photograph
• Classes, grades and attendance
• Dance and performance experience
• Examination entries and results
• Festival and performance entries
• Casting, costume and measurement information
• Progress, placement and achievement information
• Correspondence relating to the pupil
• Images, video and audio recordings where appropriate

Parent or carer information

• Name
• Address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Relationship to the pupil
• Account and invoicing information
• Communication preferences
• Records of correspondence and agreements

Emergency and collection information

• Emergency-contact names and telephone numbers
• Relationship to the pupil
• People authorised to collect the pupil
• Relevant collection restrictions or safeguarding arrangements

Medical, health and access information

• Medical conditions
• Allergies
• Injuries
• Medication
• Disabilities
• Special educational needs
• Access requirements
• Relevant mental-health or wellbeing information
• Information required to support safe participation

Financial and transaction information

• Fees charged
• Payments received
• Amounts outstanding
• Discounts and payment arrangements
• Records of refunds or credits
• Information required for accounting and tax purposes

We do not normally collect or store complete payment-card or bank-account security details. Payments made through a payment provider are also subject to that provider’s privacy arrangements.

Safeguarding and incident information

• Safeguarding concerns and disclosures
• Accident and first-aid records
• Behaviour or welfare concerns
• Allegations or complaints
• Referrals and communications with safeguarding agencies
• Information about collection or family arrangements where relevant to a child’s safety

Technical and communication information

• Information submitted through Class Manager, Google Forms, email or another approved system
• Date and time of form submissions or policy agreements
• Messages and correspondence
• Records of consent and permission choices
• Basic technical information generated by the services we use, where applicable

4. HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION

We may collect information:

• Directly from parents, carers, pupils or adult students
• Through trial, registration and policy-agreement forms
• Through Class Manager and the Parent Portal
• Through emails, telephone calls and messages
• From teachers, chaperones and authorised LHTS staff
• During classes, rehearsals, examinations, performances and events
• From examining bodies, festival organisers, venues or local authorities
• From healthcare or safeguarding professionals where appropriate
• From photographs, recordings and attendance records
• From publicly available sources where there is a proper reason to use them

Parents must ensure that information provided to LHTS is accurate and that they are authorised to provide information relating to emergency contacts and other third parties.

5. WHY WE USE PERSONAL INFORMATION

We use personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries
• Arrange and manage trial classes
• Recommend suitable classes and levels
• Register and enrol pupils
• Provide dance and theatre training
• Maintain class registers
• Monitor attendance, progress and achievement
• Communicate with pupils and families
• Raise invoices and manage payments
• Arrange examinations and coaching
• Organise festivals, shows, rehearsals and performances
• Obtain child-performance licences and other permissions
• Arrange costumes, programmes and casting
• Support medical, disability, access and wellbeing needs
• Respond to accidents and emergencies
• Safeguard children and adults at risk
• Investigate concerns, complaints or incidents
• Maintain the security and effective operation of LHTS
• Meet legal, regulatory, insurance, tax and accounting requirements
• Promote LHTS and celebrate pupils’ achievements where appropriate permission or another lawful basis applies
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims

We will not use personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless the law permits or requires us to do so.

6. OUR LAWFUL BASES

Data-protection law requires us to identify a lawful basis for each way we use personal information.

Depending on the purpose, LHTS may rely on:

Contract

We use information where it is necessary to provide classes or another service that a parent or adult pupil has requested, or to take steps before enrolment.

This includes registration, class administration, invoicing, examinations and agreed performances or activities.

Legal obligation

We use information where necessary to comply with a legal responsibility.

This may include:

• Tax and accounting requirements
• Child-performance licensing
• Safeguarding referrals
• Health and safety responsibilities
• Responding to lawful requests from authorities
• Maintaining legally required records

Legitimate interests

We may use information where it is necessary for the legitimate operation of LHTS and where those interests are not overridden by the individual’s rights and interests.

This may include:

• Managing enquiries and waiting lists
• Operating classes safely and effectively
• Maintaining attendance and progress records
• Communicating important information to families
• Protecting LHTS, its pupils and its property
• Investigating complaints
• Preventing misuse or inappropriate conduct
• Maintaining appropriate business records
• Using appropriate photographs to report on or promote LHTS activities, after considering the child’s interests, expectations and permissions

When relying on legitimate interests, we will consider the purpose, necessity and likely effect on the individual, paying particular attention to the rights and best interests of children.

Vital interests

In an emergency, we may use or share information where this is necessary to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

Consent

We may ask for consent where an individual should have a genuine choice about how their information is used.

This may include:

• Particular forms of promotional photography or filming
• Optional marketing communications
• Other activities not necessary for providing the pupil’s classes

Consent can be withdrawn at any time by contacting LHTS. Withdrawal will apply to future use and will not make earlier lawful use invalid.

7. HEALTH AND OTHER SPECIAL-CATEGORY INFORMATION

Information about health, disability, ethnicity, religion or other sensitive matters may be classed as special-category information and receives additional legal protection.

We collect health, medical and access information where necessary to provide services safely, support the pupil and make appropriate adjustments.

Depending on the circumstances, we may process this information because:

• It is necessary to provide the requested service and explicit consent has been given
• It is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests
• It is necessary for safeguarding or another substantial public-interest purpose permitted by law
• It is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims

Parents and pupils should provide only information relevant to safe participation, support or safeguarding.

Withdrawing consent for necessary health information may mean that LHTS cannot safely provide some or all activities. If this applies, we will explain the consequences before any decision is made.

8. CHILDREN’S INFORMATION

Children’s personal information requires particular care.

LHTS will:

• Collect only information that is reasonably necessary
• Use children’s information in their best interests
• Explain relevant information in an age-appropriate way where appropriate
• Consider the child’s wishes as well as parental decisions
• Protect information from unnecessary access or disclosure
• Avoid publishing unnecessary identifying information
• Take additional care where a child has particular safeguarding needs

A child may have data-protection rights independently of their parent, depending on their age, understanding and the circumstances.

9. PHOTOGRAPHY, FILMING AND AUDIO RECORDINGS

LHTS may create photographs or recordings for:

• Teaching and feedback
• Choreography and rehearsal
• Examination or festival preparation
• Show and event records
• Private communication with participating families
• Celebrating achievements
• Website, social-media or printed promotion

Photography and filming will also be governed by the LHTS Social Media, Photography and Filming Policy.

Parents will be given appropriate choices about promotional use. Permission for one type of use does not automatically provide permission for every other use.

A child’s objection will be respected where reasonably possible, even if parental permission has been given.

Permission may be changed by contacting LHTS. We will stop future optional use and remove content from platforms controlled by LHTS where reasonably possible.

We cannot always recover:

• Printed material already distributed
• Content copied or downloaded by others
• Material published lawfully before permission was withdrawn
• Images or recordings controlled by an independent festival, venue, examining body or production company

10. SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION

LHTS may collect, record and share safeguarding information where necessary to protect a child or adult at risk.

This may include sharing information without consent with:

• Children’s social care
• The police
• The Local Authority Designated Officer
• Healthcare professionals
• A child’s school or another education provider
• The Disclosure and Barring Service
• Another appropriate safeguarding organisation

We will share only information that is relevant and necessary.

Consent is not required where seeking it would place someone at risk, cause an unreasonable delay or prevent LHTS from fulfilling a safeguarding or legal responsibility.

Safeguarding information will be stored securely and separately from general pupil information, with access restricted to those who need it.

11. WHO WE SHARE INFORMATION WITH

Where necessary and appropriate, we may share information with:

• LHTS teachers, administrators, chaperones and authorised volunteers
• Class Manager and other service providers used to operate LHTS
• Payment, banking and accounting providers
• IT, email, cloud-storage, form and website providers
• The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and other examining bodies
• Festival and competition organisers
• Theatres, performance venues and production teams
• Local authorities responsible for child-performance licensing
• Licensed chaperones
• Costume, photography or filming providers where appropriate
• Insurers and professional advisers
• Healthcare and emergency services
• Children’s social care, the police and safeguarding organisations
• Courts, regulators and public authorities where legally required

We require organisations processing information on our behalf to protect it appropriately and use it only for the agreed purpose.

We do not sell pupils’ or families’ personal information.

12. CLASS MANAGER AND OTHER ONLINE SERVICES

LHTS uses Class Manager to support registration, class administration, attendance, communication and invoicing.

We may also use services such as:

• Google Forms
• Google Drive
• Email services
• Accounting or payment systems
• Website and social-media platforms
• Design, photography or video services

These organisations may act as data processors or, in some circumstances, as independent data controllers with their own privacy notices.

LHTS will use suitable services and apply appropriate privacy and account-security settings.

13. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Some of the technology and cloud-service providers used by LHTS may store or process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate legal safeguard is in place.

This may include:

• A UK adequacy decision
• Approved contractual safeguards
• The UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, where applicable
• Another transfer mechanism permitted by data-protection law

Further information about a provider’s international arrangements may be available in that provider’s privacy notice.

14. HOW WE PROTECT INFORMATION

LHTS takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information.

These may include:

• Password-protected systems
• Multi-factor authentication where available
• Restricted access
• Secure storage
• Staff guidance and confidentiality requirements
• Careful management of paper records
• Secure disposal
• Regular review of access and permissions
• Appropriate agreements with service providers
• Procedures for responding to suspected data breaches

No system can be guaranteed completely secure. Any suspected loss, unauthorised disclosure or misuse of information should be reported immediately to Leanne Hughes.

15. HOW LONG WE KEEP INFORMATION

We keep information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, safeguarding, insurance, accounting or dispute-resolution requirements.

Our general approach is:

Enquiries and unsuccessful trials

Normally retained for up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact, unless the family asks us to retain the enquiry for longer or there is another reason to keep it.

Registration, class and communication records

Normally retained while the pupil is enrolled and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage queries, complaints, insurance matters and legal claims.

Financial and accounting records

Normally retained for at least six years after the end of the relevant financial or tax year, or for any longer period required by law.

Examination, festival and performance records

Retained for as long as reasonably necessary to administer the activity, provide results or certificates and maintain an appropriate record of participation and achievement.

Accident and injury records

Retained in accordance with legal, insurance and limitation requirements. Records involving a child may need to be kept beyond the child’s 18th birthday.

Safeguarding records

Retained securely for the period considered necessary to protect children, cooperate with safeguarding agencies and meet professional, insurance and legal requirements. These records will not automatically be destroyed when a pupil leaves LHTS.

Photographs and recordings

Reviewed periodically and deleted when they are no longer needed or appropriate. Some performance, achievement and historical material may be retained for longer where there is a proper reason and the individual’s rights have been considered.

Consent and policy-agreement records

Retained for as long as the relevant information is being used and for a reasonable period afterwards so that LHTS can demonstrate what was agreed and when.

When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised.

16. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

LHTS may send current pupils and families necessary information about their classes, invoices, rehearsals, examinations, performances and other services they have requested. These are service communications rather than marketing.

We may separately ask whether families wish to receive optional news or promotional information about other LHTS activities.

Where consent is required for electronic marketing, it will be requested separately and can be withdrawn at any time.

You can ask us to stop optional marketing communications by:

• Using any unsubscribe option provided
• Emailing lhtheatreschool@gmail.com
• Contacting LHTS directly

Opting out of marketing will not prevent necessary communications about a pupil’s existing classes or account.

17. YOUR DATA-PROTECTION RIGHTS

Depending on the circumstances, individuals may have the right to:

• Be informed about how their information is used
• Request access to their personal information
• Ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected
• Ask for information to be deleted
• Ask for the use of information to be restricted
• Object to particular uses of information
• Receive certain information in a portable format
• Withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis
• Raise concerns about solely automated decisions

These rights do not apply in exactly the same way in every situation. For example, LHTS may need to retain information to comply with a legal obligation, protect a child or defend a legal claim.

LHTS does not currently make decisions about pupils using solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

18. REQUESTING INFORMATION

Requests concerning personal information should be sent to:

Leanne Hughes
Email: lhtheatreschool@gmail.com
Telephone: 07872 589800

Please provide enough information for us to understand and respond to the request.

We may need to confirm the requester’s identity and, where a request concerns a child, consider whether the parent or child is entitled to exercise the relevant right.

We will normally respond within one month. The time may be extended where a request is particularly complex or numerous, as permitted by law.

LHTS will not normally charge a fee. A reasonable fee may be charged, or a request may be refused, where the law permits this because the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

19. COMPLAINTS

Please contact Leanne Hughes first if you have a concern about how LHTS has used personal information.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

20. CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

LHTS may update this notice to reflect changes in the law, guidance, technology or the way our services operate.

The current version will show its effective date. Significant changes will be brought to the attention of affected families where reasonably possible.

Privacy notice owner: Leanne Hughes
Approved: August 2026
Next scheduled review: August 2027

Back to top ↑ · Current familiesParent Login