Privacy policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Introduction 
We take your privacy very seriously and ask that you read this privacy policy
carefully. It contains important information on who we are, how and why we collect, store, use, and share personal information, your rights in relation to your personal information, and how to contact us and supervisory authorities if you have a complaint.

Who we are
Study Active Limited (trading as Study Active) operates www.studyactive.co.uk and is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy, except where another organisation acts as an independent controller.Contact: info@studyactive.co.uk | 0345 017 8733 | Eastway Enterprise Centre, 7 Paynes Park, Hitchin, SG5 1EH. Please use these details for privacy enquiries and to exercise your rights.
We process personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable UK privacy legislation.

Information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect your name, contact details, address, date of birth, course enquiries, enrolment details, correspondence and records of your interactions with us.
For learners, this may also include identification and eligibility evidence, qualification registrations, learning-platform activity, assignments, assessment and feedback records, assessment photographs or recordings, results, certificates, reasonable-adjustment requests, and information needed to arrange practical assessments.
We may process payment and transaction records, balances and repayment-plan information. Payment service providers may process payment-card or bank information on their own systems; we do not necessarily receive full card or bank details.
Some information, such as health information supplied for reasonable adjustments or safe participation, is special category data. We use this only where we have both a lawful basis under Article 6 UK GDPR and an applicable additional condition under Article 9, with appropriate safeguards.

Where information comes from
We obtain information directly from you when you visit our website, complete forms, enquire, enrol, communicate with us or submit assessments. We may also receive relevant information from a person authorised to act for you, awarding organisations, assessors, service providers or other parties involved in delivering your course. We will provide additional information where required if we obtain data from other sources.

How and why we use your information
We use personal information for the purposes below. The applicable lawful basis depends on the activity:

Purpose	Usual lawful basis
Responding to course enquiries and taking steps towards enrolment	Contract (steps requested before entering a contract); legitimate interests where appropriate
Enrolment, course delivery, learner support, assessment, payments and certification	Contract; legal obligation where applicable
Qualification registration, verification, quality assurance and regulatory compliance	Contract, legal obligation and/or legitimate interests as appropriate
Record-keeping, complaints, fraud prevention, IT security and legal claims	Legal obligation and/or legitimate interests (protecting learners, the business and its systems)
Optional direct marketing	Consent where required, or legitimate interests where lawfully permitted under marketing rules
Non-essential cookies and related tracking	Consent or an applicable statutory exception, as appropriate

 

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider our interests against your rights and freedoms. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting processing already carried out lawfully. Special category data is processed only where a separate Article 9 condition applies; any required explicit consent will be requested separately.

Information needed for your course
Certain personal information is needed to enrol you, provide learner support, register you with an awarding organisation, verify your identity, assess your work and issue certificates. If you do not provide required information, we may be unable to enrol you or provide some or all of the requested services. We will explain any specific requirements when collecting the information.

Assessment recordings and sensitive information
Where an assessment or consultation must be recorded, we will explain the recording requirements and any applicable consent or other lawful basis before recording. Recordings may be accessed by authorised Study Active staff, assessors, internal quality assurers, awarding organisations and external quality assurers where needed for assessment, moderation, quality assurance or regulatory purposes.
Please avoid including unnecessary sensitive information about yourself or other people in assessment submissions. Where a participant appears in a practical assessment recording, we may provide a separate participant information and recording notice.

Who we share information with
Where necessary, we may share relevant information with awarding organisations, assessors, internal and external quality assurers, examination or certification services, learning-platform and cloud providers, payment processors, IT and communication providers, professional advisers, and public or regulatory authorities where required or permitted by law.
Some recipients process information for us under appropriate contracts; others, including awarding organisations, may act as independent controllers under their own privacy notices. We share only information reasonably needed for the relevant purpose. If a business transfer is proposed, information may be disclosed under appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.

Marketing communications
We may contact you about our courses and services where permitted by UK electronic marketing and data-protection rules. Where consent is required, we will request it. You may opt out of marketing at any time using an unsubscribe link or by emailing info@studyactive.co.uk. Service messages about your course, payments or certification are not marketing and may still be sent when necessary.

Cookies and website technologies
Cookies are small files or similar technologies used to store or access information on your device when you use our website. Some are necessary for the website to work, while others help us understand website use or support advertising. The categories below describe technologies that may be used; their actual use depends on our website configuration.
Strictly necessary cookies
These support core functions such as site security, navigation, forms, shopping basket or checkout, and remembering privacy choices. Where genuinely essential, they can be used without cookie consent.
Analytics and performance cookies
These may help us understand visits, page usage and website performance. We will request consent before setting or accessing non-essential analytics cookies unless a specific legal exemption applies.
Functional or preference cookies
These may remember optional settings or enable enhanced features. We will seek consent where these are not strictly necessary.
Advertising and marketing cookies
If used, these may measure campaigns, help personalise advertisements or track activity across sites. We will obtain consent before using non-essential advertising or tracking technologies.
Third-party cookies and technologies
External services such as video players, analytics tools, advertising services and embedded content may set or access cookies when enabled. Relevant third parties may receive technical information, including online identifiers and device information, in accordance with their own privacy notices.
Your choices and consent
When you first visit the website, our cookie controls should let you accept or reject non-essential cookies without making rejection harder than acceptance. You should also be able to revisit and change or withdraw your choice at any time using the website’s cookie settings control. Non-essential technologies must remain disabled until valid consent is given, where consent is required.
Managing cookies in your browser
You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may affect website functionality. Browser controls do not replace our obligation to obtain consent where required.
Cookie details and updates
The live website’s cookie settings or cookie declaration should identify the cookies and similar technologies actually in use, including provider, purpose and duration, and should be kept up to date following website changes. Contact info@studyactive.co.uk if you would like further information.

International transfers
Some suppliers may store or access personal information outside the UK. Where a restricted international transfer occurs, we will use an applicable adequacy arrangement or other lawful transfer mechanism, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum, together with any necessary additional protections. You may contact us for information about the safeguards relevant to your data.

How long we keep information
We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purpose collected and to meet legal, contractual, awarding-organisation, quality-assurance and dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods vary by record type. For example, some contractual and financial records may ordinarily be retained for up to six years after the relevant relationship ends, while qualification and certification records may need different periods set by the awarding organisation or applicable rules.
At the end of the relevant period, records are securely deleted or anonymised unless there is a lawful reason to retain them longer. A request for deletion does not automatically override a legal or regulatory retention requirement. Further details may be requested using our contact details.

How we protect your information
We use proportionate organisational and technical security measures, including restricted access, appropriate access controls, secure service providers, staff confidentiality measures and processes for responding to security incidents. No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely risk-free. Where legally required, we will report qualifying personal data breaches to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and affected individuals.

Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and applicable exemptions, you may have rights to be informed, access your personal information, correct inaccurate information, request erasure, restrict processing, object to processing and request data portability. You may also withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. You have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.
You may also have rights relating to decisions based solely on automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects. Contact us if you have concerns about any such decision. We will respond to rights requests within the timescales required by law and may need to verify your identity.

Children and young people
Our courses and website are not specifically directed at children under 16. If we enrol or otherwise process information about a person under 16, we will apply appropriate safeguards and provide age-appropriate information, including involving a parent or guardian where required. Please contact us if you believe a child's information has been provided inappropriately.

Complaints and contacting us
Please contact info@studyactive.co.uk if you have a privacy concern. We will consider your concern and respond in accordance with applicable law. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): www.ico.org.uk. You do not need to contact us first before exercising your right to complain to the ICO.

Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our services, systems or legal requirements change. We will publish the current version on our website and take further steps to notify you where required.

Last updated: 10th October 2026