This Privacy Policy explains how TBX Academy Ltd collects, uses, stores and protects personal information. The company is a provider of education and of computer systems design services. Its registered and operating address is 165 High Street, Harborne, Birmingham - B17 9QE, United Kingdom (GB). The company operates this website and the admissions desk described throughout the site.
This policy is published by the developer known as TBX Academy, working on behalf of the company at the Harborne address. The developer is responsible for maintaining the technical systems that support enrolment, registers, brochure mailing and the contact form on this website. Where this policy refers to we, us or our, it means TBX Academy Ltd together with the developer TBX Academy acting as a joint controller for the purposes described here.
The company is the data controller for the personal information it collects through its courses, its admissions desk and its client engagements. The developer TBX Academy is responsible for the website and the digital records that support those services. If you have any question about who holds a particular record, you may write to admissions@tbxacademy.buzz and we will explain the position clearly.
This policy applies to personal information collected through this website, through correspondence with the admissions desk, through the enrolment packet process, through open days, through scholarship reviews, through placement tests, through brochure mailing and through alumni communications. It also applies to personal information about client contacts that the company collects in the course of systems design engagements.
This policy does not cover information that is collected by third party websites that you may reach through a link from our site. When you follow a link to another service, that service applies its own privacy practices, and you should read them before sharing personal information. We do not control the content or the data practices of external services.
This policy does not apply to information that has been fully anonymised so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable person. Aggregated statistics that cannot be traced back to an individual are not personal information and fall outside the scope of this document.
We collect only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the services described on this site. The categories of information we may collect are set out below, together with examples of each category.
We do not seek to collect special category information such as information about health, religion or ethnicity unless you choose to share it with us for a defined purpose, such as an accessibility adjustment for a placement test or an open day visit.
Most of the personal information we hold is given to us directly by the person concerned. You may provide information when you complete the contact form on this site, when you send an email to the admissions desk, when you attend an open day, when you submit an application or scholarship file, or when you sit a placement test.
We also receive information indirectly in a small number of situations. For example, a tutor may pass on a note about an accessibility adjustment that a student has requested, and a client may provide the contact details of colleagues who will join a systems design project. In those cases we record the source of the information so that the record is accurate and traceable.
Technical information is collected automatically when you browse this site. This information is limited and is used to understand which pages are useful and which are not. We do not use technical information to build a profile of an individual for advertising purposes.
We rely on different lawful bases depending on the purpose of the processing. When we process information to consider an application or to deliver a course, the basis is the performance of a contract or the steps taken before entering a contract. When we process information to meet accounting, legal or regulatory obligations, the basis is compliance with a legal obligation.
When we process information to improve our courses, to keep an open day register or to send the alumni letter round, the basis is our legitimate interest in running a well governed institution. We balance that interest against your rights and we offer a simple way to opt out of communications that are not essential to a course.
When we process information that you have specifically agreed to share, such as an accessibility adjustment or a consent to receive brochure mailings, the basis is consent. You may withdraw consent at any time by writing to the desk, and the withdrawal will apply to future processing.
The admissions desk keeps a record for every person who applies to a course. The record includes the application form, the correspondence that followed, the outcome of the application and the reason for the outcome. These records are kept so that decisions can be explained, reviewed and, where necessary, corrected.
Access to admissions records is limited to the admissions lead and the staff who are assigned to review the relevant intake. Records are stored in a controlled digital system and in a locked cabinet at the Harborne address for the small number of paper documents that must be retained in original form.
If you ask for a copy of your admissions record, we will provide it subject to any lawful redaction that protects the personal information of another person. We aim to respond within one calendar month of receiving a verified request.
The enrolment packet service assembles a complete joining bundle for each student. To do this we process the student name, the confirmed course, the start date, the timetable and the contact details that the student wishes the academy to use during the first term.
Packets are checked by a second member of staff before they are released. The check is recorded in the packet log so that any error can be traced to the stage at which it arose. The packet log contains names and reference numbers, and it is retained for the period described in the retention section of this policy.
If a packet is sent by post, the student postal address is shared with the postal operator for the sole purpose of delivery. We do not share packet contents or enrollment details with any other party for marketing purposes.
When you attend an open day, we record your name, the sessions you attended and any follow-up contact you have requested. We record this information so that we can improve the programme and so that we can answer questions you raised if you have asked us to do so.
The register distinguishes clearly between visitors who wish to be contacted after the event and visitors who do not. A visitor who prefers not to be contacted is recorded as no follow-up, and that preference is respected in every subsequent communication. We do not add open day visitors to a general mailing list without an explicit request.
The register is reviewed by the admissions lead and summarised for the teaching team. The summary describes the programme rather than individual visitors wherever possible, and individual names are used only where they are necessary to honour a request.
Scholarship files contain information that can be sensitive, including details of financial circumstance. We treat these files with particular care. Each file is reviewed independently by two reviewers, and access is restricted to the reviewers and the admissions lead.
The information in a scholarship file is used only to assess the request and to explain the outcome to the applicant. It is not used for any other purpose, and it is not shared with any party outside the company except where the law requires disclosure or where the applicant has asked us to share it.
Applicants are asked to provide only the information that is needed to support a request. If a document is not necessary, the reviewers will not ask for it, and where a summary of circumstances is sufficient, a summary is preferred to the underlying documents.
Placement tests produce a result and a recommendation on starting level. We process the candidate name, the test result, the marker notes and the final recommendation. The result is used to place the candidate on the most suitable course level and is shared with the candidate directly.
A candidate may request one reassessment within the following window. The request and the outcome of the reassessment are recorded so that the process is transparent and consistent. We retain the record for the period described in the retention section.
Where a candidate requests an accessibility adjustment, the details of the adjustment are recorded separately from the test result and are seen only by the staff who arrange the testing conditions.
If you ask to receive a course brochure by post, we process your name and postal address so that the brochure can be delivered. Brochure runs are prepared in defined batches, and each batch is logged with its print date and its delivery status.
When a brochure is returned as undeliverable, we use the return to update our record rather than continue to send mail to an address that is no longer correct. If you ask to be removed from future brochure runs, we will remove you promptly and record your preference so that it survives any future list rebuild.
Brochure mailings are not promotional campaigns in the sense of advertising. They are a service that places accurate course information in your hands before you make a decision, and they are sent only when there is a current edition to share.
Former students receive the alumni letter round twice a year. The letter contains news of new courses, invitations to return as speakers or mentors and a short request for feedback. Contact details for the round are taken from the course record and are updated whenever a graduate tells us that they have changed.
A graduate may opt out of the alumni round at any time by writing to the desk. We remove the graduate from the active list and record the preference so that it is honoured in future. Opting out of the alumni round does not affect any other relationship with the company, such as a current client engagement.
Replies to the alumni letter are read by the admissions lead and summarised for the teaching team. Individual replies are not shared more widely without the permission of the graduate who wrote them.
In the course of computer integrated systems design engagements, we process the names, roles and contact details of people who work for our clients. We use this information to plan and deliver the engagement, to manage access to client systems during the work and to keep an accurate record of decisions.
Client project records may contain information about the systems we design and the people who will use them. We keep project records separate from admissions records and restrict access to the staff who are assigned to the engagement. When an engagement ends, project records are retained for the period required by the contract and by law, and are then deleted or anonymised.
If a client provides us with personal information about the people who will use a system, the client remains responsible for ensuring that it has a lawful basis to share that information, and we process it only on the documented instructions of the client.
Some of our service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. Where that happens, we take steps to ensure that the information continues to receive an appropriate level of protection, using recognised safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision.
Before transferring information to a provider in another country, we assess the nature of the information, the purpose of the transfer and the legal framework that applies in the destination country. Where the safeguards are not adequate, we do not transfer the information and seek an alternative provider instead.
You may ask us for more information about the safeguards that apply to a particular transfer by writing to the desk.
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as the law requires. The retention periods below are the standard periods that apply to the records described in this policy.
When a retention period ends, records are deleted from active systems and from backups according to a defined schedule. Where deletion is not immediately possible, records are placed beyond routine access until deletion can be completed.
We use technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. These measures include access controls, encryption of data in transit, restricted administrative rights and a regular review of the staff who hold access to admissions and client records.
Paper records at the Harborne address are kept in a locked cabinet, and access to the cabinet is limited to named members of staff. Digital records are held in accounts that require a strong password and, where available, a second factor of authentication.
We train staff on data protection at the point of joining and refresh that training each year. If a personal data breach occurs, we follow a defined response procedure that includes containment, assessment and notification to the relevant authority and to affected individuals where the law requires it.
You have rights in relation to the personal information we hold about you. We will honour those rights in accordance with the law and within the time limits that the law sets. The main rights are summarised below.
To exercise a right, write to admissions@tbxacademy.buzz with enough information for us to verify your identity and locate the record. We do not charge a fee for a reasonable request, and we respond within one calendar month unless the request is complex, in which case we will explain the extension and keep you informed.
Some of our courses serve young people, and we take particular care with their privacy. Where a student is under the age of eighteen, we seek the involvement of a parent or guardian for decisions that affect the student record, including enrolment, scholarship requests and any communication that is not routine.
We collect only the information that is necessary for the young person to take part in a course. We do not use information about a young person for marketing, and we do not share it with any party outside the company except where the law requires it or where a parent or guardian has agreed.
If you believe that a young person has provided information to us without appropriate consent, write to the desk and we will investigate and, where necessary, delete the information.
We do not make fully automated decisions that have a significant effect on a person. Admissions, scholarship and placement decisions are made or reviewed by a human member of staff, and every decision that affects an applicant has a named person who is accountable for it.
We may use software to sort, schedule or summarise information, but the output of that software is treated as an aid to a human decision rather than as a decision in itself. If we introduce an automated element in the future, we will describe it in this policy and explain how a person can request human review.
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect a change in our services, in the law or in the way we handle information. When we make a material change, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where the change is significant, we will inform current students and clients by email or by letter.
We recommend that you review this page occasionally so that you are aware of the current version. Continued use of our services after an update indicates that you have read the revised policy.
If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your information, please raise the matter with us first so that we have the opportunity to put it right. Write to admissions@tbxacademy.buzz with a clear description of the concern, and we will acknowledge the complaint and investigate it.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner at any time. We will cooperate fully with any investigation and we will not treat a complaint as a reason to withdraw any service to which you are entitled.
For any question about this policy or about the personal information we hold, contact TBX Academy Ltd, 165 High Street, Harborne, Birmingham - B17 9QE, United Kingdom (GB). Email admissions@tbxacademy.buzz or call +16063573993 during business hours. The developer TBX Academy maintains the technical systems that support these records and can be reached through the same desk.