Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Carrick Academy of Speech & Drama

Last updated: 23 August 2026

Carrick Academy of Speech & Drama (“Carrick Academy”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our students, parents, guardians and website users.

We take particular care with information relating to children and young people and aim to collect only the information that is necessary to safely and effectively provide our drama, speech, performance and musical theatre classes and related activities.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we may share it with, how long we keep it and the rights you have in relation to your personal data.

We process personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable Irish data-protection and ePrivacy legislation.

1. Who is responsible for your information?

For the purposes of data-protection law, the data controller is:

Carrick Academy of Speech & Drama

Operated by: [INSERT LEGAL NAME / TRADING NAME]

Email: [INSERT CONTACT EMAIL]

Questions about this Privacy Policy or the way we use personal information should be sent to the email address above.

2. Information we may collect

When you enquire about or book a class, course, workshop, examination, performance or other Carrick Academy activity, we may collect information including:

Parent or guardian information

• Name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Billing information
• Emergency contact details
• Communications between you and Carrick Academy
• Booking and payment history

Student information

We may collect:

• Student's name
• Date of birth or age
• Class or age group
• School year, where relevant
• Attendance information
• Information necessary for examination or performance entries
• Emergency contact information
• Relevant accessibility or additional support requirements
• Relevant health, allergy or medical information where necessary for the student's safety and participation

We will not ask for information about a child that we do not reasonably need.

3. Health, medical and additional-needs information

In some circumstances, a parent or guardian may provide information about a student's medical condition, allergy, disability, additional need or other relevant support requirement.

We request this information only where it is reasonably necessary to support the student's safety, welfare, accessibility or participation.

Because some of this information may constitute special-category personal data under GDPR, it will be handled with additional care and only processed where permitted by law and, where appropriate, with explicit consent.

Parents and guardians should inform Carrick Academy if relevant information changes.

4. How we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

• Process enquiries and class bookings
• Register students for classes, workshops and courses
• Allocate students to appropriate age groups or classes
• Process payments and maintain financial records
• Communicate with parents and guardians about classes
• Send timetable changes, cancellations or important class information
• Maintain attendance records
• Contact a parent, guardian or emergency contact where necessary
• Safeguard the health and welfare of students
• Make reasonable adjustments or provide appropriate support
• Organise performances, showcases or events
• Enter students for examinations, assessments or competitions where requested
• Issue certificates or records of participation
• Administer refunds, credits or transfers
• Respond to queries or complaints
• Meet insurance, safeguarding, accounting, tax or other legal obligations
• Protect the legitimate interests and legal rights of Carrick Academy, students and families
• Send marketing information where we have permission or are otherwise legally permitted to do so

5. Our legal bases for using personal data

Depending on the circumstances, Carrick Academy may process personal information because:

It is necessary to provide our services or fulfil a booking.

For example, we need a student's name, age and parent/guardian contact details in order to provide a class that has been booked.

We have a legal obligation.

For example, certain financial records must be retained for tax and accounting purposes.

It is necessary for our legitimate interests.

This may include managing classes, maintaining appropriate records, communicating with families, protecting our business and ensuring the safe and efficient operation of Carrick Academy. When relying on legitimate interests in relation to children, particular consideration will be given to the rights and best interests of the child.

Consent has been provided.

We may rely on consent for particular optional activities, such as certain photography, video, promotional or marketing uses.

It is necessary to protect someone's vital interests.

In an emergency, we may use or share relevant information where necessary to protect the health or safety of a student or another person.

6. Children and young people's information

Carrick Academy recognises that children merit particular protection under data-protection law.

For students under 18, we generally ask a parent or legal guardian to make the booking and provide the information required to administer the student's participation.

We do not require children to consent to receiving marketing communications as a condition of taking part in Carrick Academy classes.

Where information is provided directly to children or young people about how their personal information will be used, we aim to explain it in language that is clear and appropriate to their age.

7. Photographs, video and recordings

As a performing-arts school, photographs and video may sometimes be taken during classes, performances, showcases, workshops or other events.

Where photographs or videos identifying a child are intended for promotional purposes — including Carrick Academy's website, social-media accounts, advertising or publicity — appropriate permission will be sought.

Photography and promotional-video permission is optional and is not a condition of a student attending Carrick Academy.

Parents and guardians may withdraw permission for future use by contacting us.

Withdrawal will apply to future use where reasonably possible. It may not always be possible to withdraw material that has already been lawfully published, printed, distributed or incorporated into existing material.

Separate arrangements may apply to photographs or recordings taken as part of examinations, performances or events operated by third parties, and parents/guardians will be informed where relevant.

8. Marketing communications

We may occasionally send information about new classes, workshops, courses, camps, performances or other Carrick Academy opportunities.

Where consent is required for electronic marketing, we will ask you to actively opt in.

Agreeing to receive marketing is not a condition of booking a class.

You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time using the unsubscribe facility provided or by contacting us.

Messages that are necessary to administer a class you have booked — for example, timetable changes, reminders, cancellations or important information about your child's class — are service communications rather than marketing communications.

9. Payments

Payments may be processed through our booking website or a third-party payment provider.

Where a third-party payment provider processes your card payment, Carrick Academy will not normally receive or store your full debit or credit-card details. Those details are processed by the relevant payment provider in accordance with its own privacy and security practices.

We may retain information relating to the transaction, such as the student's booking, amount paid, payment date, invoice or receipt information and payment status.

10. Our booking website

When you use our website or booking system, certain technical information may be collected automatically, such as:

• IP address
• Browser or device information
• Website usage information
• Cookies or similar technologies
• Booking-session information

This information may be processed by Carrick Academy or by companies providing our website, hosting, booking, payment or related technology services.

11. Cookies

Our website may use cookies that are necessary for the website and booking system to operate.

Where our website uses non-essential cookies, such as analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, these will only be used where permitted by law and where any required consent has been obtained.

Users should be given the ability to manage their cookie preferences.

Further information about cookies may be provided through our website's cookie notice or cookie settings.

12. Who we may share information with

We do not sell students', parents' or guardians' personal information.

We may share limited information where necessary with organisations or individuals such as:

• Our website and booking-system provider
• Payment-processing providers
• Email or communications providers
• IT and cloud-storage providers
• Accountants or professional advisers
• Insurers
• Teachers, tutors or authorised Carrick Academy personnel
• Venues hosting classes or events, where information is genuinely required
• Examination, assessment or awarding bodies where a student is being entered for an examination or assessment
• Performance, competition or event organisers where participation has been requested
• Emergency services where necessary
• Government, regulatory, legal or law-enforcement authorities where we are legally required to provide information

Service providers processing personal information on our behalf are expected to handle it appropriately and only for the purposes for which it has been provided.

13. International transfers

Some technology, website, email, cloud-storage or payment providers may process data outside Ireland or the European Economic Area.

Where personal data is transferred internationally, we will take appropriate steps required by data-protection law to protect that information, including relying on appropriate transfer safeguards where necessary.

14. How long we keep information

We do not intend to keep personal data for longer than reasonably necessary.

Our retention periods will depend on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

As a general guide:

• General enquiries which do not lead to a booking: normally up to 12 months
• Student booking, attendance and administration information: normally retained for the duration of the student's participation and for an appropriate period afterwards
• Health or additional-support information: reviewed regularly and removed when it is no longer reasonably required, subject to any safeguarding or legal reason for retaining it
• Financial, accounting and transaction records: generally retained for at least 6 years where required for Irish tax and accounting purposes
• Marketing information: until you unsubscribe or we no longer require the information, subject to retaining limited information necessary to record an opt-out
• Photography/video consent records: for as long as the relevant material continues to be used and for an appropriate period afterwards
• Accident, incident, safeguarding, complaint or legal records: for the period considered necessary having regard to safeguarding, insurance and legal requirements

Information may be kept for longer where there is an ongoing complaint, legal claim, safeguarding issue, insurance matter or other legal requirement.

15. Keeping information secure

Carrick Academy takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

Access to personal information is limited to people who reasonably require it for the operation of Carrick Academy or the provision of services.

16. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and subject to applicable law, individuals have rights including the right to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about them
• Obtain a copy of their personal information
• Have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected
• Ask for information to be deleted in certain circumstances
• Ask us to restrict how information is used in certain circumstances
• Object to certain uses of personal information
• Receive certain information in a portable format
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Object at any time to the use of personal information for direct marketing

Children are data subjects in their own right and have data-protection rights in relation to their personal information.

A parent or guardian wishing to make a request relating to their child's information should contact us. We may need to consider the child's age, maturity, best interests and other relevant circumstances when responding to a request.

17. Withdrawing consent

Where we rely on consent — for example, for particular photography, video or marketing activities — consent may be withdrawn at any time.

Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Withdrawal of optional consent will not affect a student's entitlement to participate in Carrick Academy classes unless the particular information is genuinely necessary for the service being provided.

18. Complaints

If you have a question or concern about how Carrick Academy uses personal information, please contact us first and we will endeavour to address the matter.

You also have the right to raise a concern or make a complaint to the Data Protection Commission (DPC), Ireland's independent data-protection supervisory authority.

19. Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services.

Carrick Academy is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third-party websites. We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by those organisations before submitting personal information to them.

20. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, website, booking systems or legal obligations.

The latest version will be published on our website with the date on which it was last updated.

Contact

For questions about privacy or to exercise a data-protection right, please contact:

Carrick Academy of Speech & Drama

Email: carrickacademy@gmail.com

Last updated: 23 August 2026