Last updated: [date to be confirmed on publication]. This policy applies to Futurum Education's website, tutoring, Home Education, Adult Learner, EHCP Advocacy, and Assessment Consultancy services.
A note on this document: this reflects genuine, expert review, and is far more legally complete than the first draft. It is still not a substitute for a solicitor's sign-off before publication — a small number of items below are explicitly flagged as needing that final legal check, particularly around special category data.
Futurum Education is a sole trader business ("Futurum," "we," "us"), providing tutoring, Home Education support, Adult Learner qualifications, EHCP/SEND Advocacy, and Assessment Consultancy services, delivered online across the UK. For data protection purposes, Jim Maxim, trading as Futurum Education, is the data controller. Contact: [email address] / [postal address — required for consumer contract purposes, to be confirmed].
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, email, phone number, address (parent/guardian and, where relevant, the student) |
| Educational information | Year group, subjects, current attainment, exam board, learning goals |
| Special category data (health/SEND-related) | SEND diagnoses, EHCP content, medical or health information relevant to tutoring or Advocacy support, tribunal paperwork — only collected where genuinely necessary |
| Bursary application evidence | Free School Meals/Pupil Premium confirmation, Universal Credit/Tax Credit or 16-19 Bursary Fund evidence |
| Payment information | Billing details for invoicing — card details themselves are handled directly by our payment provider, not stored by us |
| Website usage data | Via analytics and advertising tools — see Cookies section below |
Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following, depending on the situation:
Where we process special category data (health or SEND-related information), we rely on:
Futurum maintains an Appropriate Policy Document (APD), governing how special category data is retained and protected, available on request. [DRAFT created — recommended for solicitor confirmation alongside this policy before publication.]
We do not sell personal data. We share it only where genuinely necessary:
Retention periods differ depending on the type of data and why it was collected:
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| General tutoring/Home Education/Adult Learner records | Duration of the service relationship, plus 6 years for tax and accounting purposes (HMRC requirement) |
| EHCP/SEND Advocacy casework (including special category data) | Retained only as long as genuinely necessary for the case and any related appeal window, then securely deleted — not held for the same 6-year period as financial records unless a specific legal reason requires it |
| Safeguarding records | Retained in line with statutory safeguarding guidance, which may require longer retention than other records where a genuine concern has been raised |
| Bursary application evidence | Retained only as long as needed to confirm eligibility for the current award period, then securely deleted unless annual re-evidencing is in progress |
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to access, correct, or request erasure of your data, object to or restrict certain processing, withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, and complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been mishandled.
Much of what we do involves a child's educational and, where relevant, SEND-related information. Where the student is under 13, the parent or guardian provides consent and is treated as the primary contact for data protection purposes; UK GDPR recognises 13 as the age at which a young person can consent to online services in their own right, though tutoring itself is delivered as an offline service arranged by a parent regardless of the student's age. We verify parental authority at enquiry stage by requiring the enquiry to come from, or be confirmed by, a parent or legal guardian. Any direct communication with a student (for example, via a homework platform) is limited to what's necessary for the session itself.
Our website uses the following types of cookies:
| Category | Purpose | Requires consent? |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Core site functionality | No — these cannot be switched off |
| Analytics/Advertising | Google Ads conversion tracking, Meta/Facebook pixel | Yes — only set with your explicit consent |
Action item: a cookie consent banner, giving genuine opt-in choice for analytics/advertising cookies before they are set, needs to be implemented on the live site — this policy describes the categories, but consent must be captured at the point of visit, not just described here.
We take the following specific steps to protect your data, particularly special category data such as EHCPs, medical letters, and tribunal paperwork:
For any questions about this policy, or to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us at [email address] or by post at [postal address]. If you remain unsatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.