Last updated:
This notice explains, in plain language, what personal information we collect through this website, why we collect it, who helps us process it, how long we keep it and what your rights are under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
We only collect what we need, we don't sell personal information, and we don't use it for advertising.
Who we are
Acts House of Education (NPC Reg. No. 2015/425722/08), a school in Midrand, Gauteng, is responsible for the personal information described here. In POPIA's terms, we are the “responsible party”.
Information Officer: [Information Officer name and email to be confirmed]
General enquiries: info@actshouse.com
Address: Allan Road, Glen Austin AH, Midrand, Gauteng 1685, South Africa
What we collect and why
You choose what to send us. Each form below asks only for what we need for that purpose, and we use the information only for that purpose.
Contact form (Get in touch)
- What we collect
- Your name, email address, phone number (optional), the subject you choose and your message. We also record which page you sent it from, a short description of your browser, and a scrambled code made from your internet address. The code can't be turned back into the address; we never store the address itself.
- Why
- To read and answer your message, and to keep a record of the conversation. The scrambled code and browser description are used only to block spam and repeated submissions.
Ask & Grow anonymous questions
- What we collect
- Only the question you type. We don't ask for your name or email, and we don't store your internet address or anything else that identifies you with the question.
- Why
- So our team can answer it. Answers may be shared publicly, without saying who asked.
To stay anonymous, don't put your name or other personal details in the question itself.
School tour bookings
- What we collect
- Your first name and surname, email address and phone number, how many people are coming, and any notes you add. For some visits we also ask for your child's name and the grade you are interested in. As with the contact form, we keep a scrambled code made from your internet address, never the address itself.
- Why
- To manage your booking: confirming it, sending reminders, telling you about changes and preparing for your visit. We don't add you to mailing lists because you booked.
Newsletter sign-up
- What we collect
- Your email address and, if you choose to give them, your name and phone number.
- Why
- To send you our newsletters and school announcements, because you asked for them. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
WhatsApp messages
Coming soon- What we collect
- We plan to offer booking updates and replies on WhatsApp. If we do, it will be your choice: we will only message you on WhatsApp if you tick a separate box to agree, and a booking will never depend on it. We would use your phone number, your name, the details of your booking and the messages you exchange with us.
- Why
- To send you updates about your booking and answer your questions. Messages would be sent through our WhatsApp messaging provider. You could stop them at any time by replying STOP.
Website assistant
Coming soon- What we collect
- We may add an assistant to this website that answers questions using information we have already published, such as our FAQs, events and admissions information. It would not ask for personal information, and we ask you not to type any. If you do, we would remove personal details from what we keep.
- Why
- To answer your questions quickly, any time of day. We would keep conversations for a short time (see How long we keep it) to improve the answers and prevent misuse.
When you simply visit the website
We don't use advertising or tracking cookies. Your browser may remember your light or dark setting and your recent searches on this website; that stays on your own device. Our servers keep short-lived technical records, such as error reports and connection logs, to keep the website working and secure.
Information about children
The forms on this website are meant for parents, guardians and other adults. When a booking asks for a child's name and grade, we ask the parent or guardian, who agrees to us using it to prepare for the visit. Please don't send us other information about children through the website.
Who processes it for us
A few trusted service providers (POPIA calls them “operators”) process information on our behalf. They may use it only to provide their service to us, must keep it confidential and secure, and may not use it for their own purposes.
| Provider | What they do for us |
|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services | Delivers our emails (for example booking confirmations and newsletters) and stores files we publish on the website. |
| Our WhatsApp messaging provider | Will send and receive WhatsApp messages for us, once WhatsApp messages start and only for people who agreed to them. |
| Cloudflare | Runs a quick security check on our forms to tell people from automated spam, when we have this check switched on. |
| An AI provider | Will generate the website assistant's answers, if we switch the assistant on. It receives the question, not your name or contact details. |
We don't share your information with anyone else unless the law requires us to, or you ask us to.
Information sent outside South Africa
Some of these providers store or process information on servers outside South Africa, for example in Europe or the United States. POPIA allows this only when the information stays protected to a standard similar to POPIA, through the laws of that country, binding agreements or the provider's binding rules. We choose providers that commit to this, and we send them only what they need.
How long we keep it
We keep personal information only for as long as we need it, then delete it or remove anything that identifies you. The periods below are our proposals and are to be confirmed by the school.
| Information | Kept for (proposed) |
|---|---|
| Contact form messages | 24 months after the conversation is closed |
| Tour bookings | 24 months after the visit |
| Website assistant conversations | 30 days, with personal details removed |
| Newsletter subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe. Afterwards we keep only a note that you unsubscribed, so we don't email you again by mistake. |
We may keep information for longer if the law requires it, or while a complaint or dispute is open.
How we protect it
- Everything you send through this website travels over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection.
- Only school staff who need the information can see it. Each person signs in with their own account, and only administrators can manage those accounts.
- Passwords and other secrets are stored in protected, scrambled form.
- Our forms are protected against spam and automated abuse. With what you send, we keep only a scrambled code made from your internet address, never the address itself.
- We work only with providers that keep information secure, and we review who has access.
If we ever learn that someone has accessed personal information without permission, we will tell the people affected and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- Access: ask whether we hold information about you and for a copy of it.
- Correction: ask us to correct information that is wrong, out of date or incomplete.
- Deletion: ask us to delete information we no longer need or are not allowed to keep.
- Objection: object to us using your information, including for newsletters and announcements (you can also unsubscribe at any time).
- Withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it. This doesn't affect what we did before.
- Complain: if you are unhappy with how we handle your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You may also complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforegulator.org.za.
To use any of these rights, email us (see below). We may need to confirm who you are before we act on a request, and we will reply as soon as we reasonably can.
How to contact us
For questions about this notice or your information, email info@actshouse.com or write to our Information Officer, [Information Officer name and email to be confirmed]. You can also use our contact page.
Changes to this notice
We will update this notice when our services or the law change, for example before WhatsApp messages or the website assistant start. The date at the top shows when it last changed.