Effective date: 4 September 2026

Downside Pre-School CIO (“we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us through our website, register a child for a preschool place or submit a job application through our website.

This Privacy Policy relates specifically to information collected through or in connection with our website.

1. Who we are

Downside Pre-School CIO is the data controller for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy. This means that we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is used.

Our contact details are:

Downside Pre-School CIO
Oakwood Avenue
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU5 4AS
United Kingdom

Email: downsidepreschool@yahoo.co.uk

Julie Russell is our designated contact for data protection matters on behalf of Downside Pre-School CIO.

2. What information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use our website.

Contacting us

If you use our website contact form, we may collect:

your name;
telephone number;
email address; and
any personal information you choose to include in your message.

We use this information to receive, manage and respond to your enquiry.

Registering a child

Our website provides an online registration form for parents and carers wishing to apply for a preschool place.

Information collected through the registration form may include:

the child’s name;
the child’s date of birth;
sex;
home address;
parent or carer names and contact details;
parent or carer dates of birth and addresses;
National Insurance numbers;
childcare funding information and funding codes;
requested start date;
requested childcare sessions; and
other information required to process the application and, where applicable, administer funded childcare.

The information is provided to us by the child’s parent or carer. We do not expect children to complete or submit the registration form themselves.

Applying for a job

If you apply for employment with us through our website, we may collect information including:

your name, address and contact details;
date of birth;
National Insurance number;
employment history;
qualifications, education and training;
salary information;
references and referee contact details;
information about your experience and suitability for the role;
information about any adjustments required for the recruitment process;
right-to-work or work-permit information; and
other information you provide as part of your application.

Our recruitment form may also collect information that receives additional protection under data protection law, including information relating to:

racial or ethnic origin;
health or disability;
criminal convictions, cautions or reprimands; and
children’s barred list or disqualification information.

We only process this type of information where we have an appropriate lawful basis and, where required, an additional condition under UK data protection law.

Information collected when you use our website

When you visit our website, some technical information may be collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies. Depending on your cookie choices, this may include information about your device, browser and how our website is used.

For further information about the cookies and similar technologies used on our website and how you can manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.

3. How we collect personal information

We collect personal information:

directly from you when you contact us or submit a job application;
from a parent or carer when they provide information about themselves and their child through our registration form;
from referees and other relevant third parties where appropriate during recruitment; and
automatically through cookies and similar technologies when you use our website, where applicable.

Website visitors do not need to create an account to use our website.

4. How we use personal information

We may use personal information collected through or in connection with our website to:

operate, maintain and secure our website;
respond to enquiries and requests;
communicate with parents, carers, prospective families and job applicants;
process applications for preschool places;
manage admissions and requested childcare sessions;
administer and verify funded childcare eligibility where applicable;
take steps towards entering into and performing childcare arrangements;
process job applications and manage recruitment;
assess the suitability of job applicants;
meet safeguarding and safer recruitment requirements;
comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
understand and improve the operation of our website, where applicable; and
establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

We will not use personal information collected through our website for purposes that are incompatible with those for which it was collected unless permitted or required by law.

5. Our lawful bases for using personal information

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information. The lawful basis we use depends on why we are processing the information.

Contract

We may process personal information where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you. This may apply, for example, when a parent or carer applies for a preschool place.

Legal obligation

We may process personal information where this is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation. This may include requirements relating to childcare funding, safeguarding, employment and safer recruitment.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal information where this is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of another person, provided those interests are not overridden by the rights and interests of the individual concerned.

Our legitimate interests may include operating, maintaining and securing our website; responding to enquiries; administering applications for preschool places and employment; communicating with parents, carers, prospective families and job applicants; managing our services; and maintaining appropriate records.

Where children’s personal information is involved, we give particular consideration to the child’s interests, rights and freedoms.

Consent

Where consent is the appropriate lawful basis, we will ask for it. This may include consent for certain non-essential cookies and similar technologies.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

We do not rely on consent simply because information has been submitted through a form where another lawful basis is more appropriate.

6. Special category and criminal offence information

Some information collected as part of our recruitment process may be special category personal information under UK data protection law.

Where we process special category information, we will only do so where we have both an appropriate lawful basis and an appropriate additional condition for processing.

Information relating to criminal convictions and offences is subject to additional protection. We only process this information where permitted by law and where it is necessary and appropriate for purposes such as safeguarding and safer recruitment.

7. Children’s personal information

Our preschool provides services for young children and our online registration form therefore collects personal information about children.

This information is normally provided by the child’s parent or carer. Our website is not intended to enable children to register themselves or independently submit personal information to us.

We take particular care when processing children’s personal information and only collect and use information that is relevant and necessary for the purposes for which it is required.

If you believe that a child has submitted personal information to us directly through our website without the knowledge of their parent or carer, please contact us.

8. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function. Other cookies may require your consent before they are placed on your device.

We use a cookie consent tool which allows you to manage your preferences. You can change your cookie preferences through the cookie settings available on our website.

For detailed information about the cookies and similar technologies used on our website, please see our Cookie Policy.

Our website does not currently respond to Do Not Track (DNT) signals sent by web browsers. You can manage your cookie preferences using the cookie consent settings available on our website.

9. Who we share personal information with

We do not sell personal information.

Where necessary and lawful, we may share personal information collected through our website with:

organisations that provide services and process personal information on our behalf;
local authorities and funding bodies where necessary to administer funded childcare;
referees and relevant organisations as part of recruitment and safer recruitment checks;
safeguarding organisations and relevant public authorities where necessary;
regulators and other organisations where we are required to provide information by law;
professional advisers where necessary; and
law enforcement agencies, courts or other authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Cognito Forms

We use Cognito Forms to provide our online child registration and job application forms.

Information submitted through these forms is processed by Cognito Forms on behalf of Downside Pre-School CIO. Downside Pre-School CIO remains the data controller and Cognito Forms acts as a data processor.

We have a Data Processing Addendum in place with Cognito Forms setting out its responsibilities when processing personal information on our behalf.

Further information about how Cognito Forms handles personal information is available in the Cognito Forms Privacy Policy.

10. International transfers

Some organisations that provide services to us may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

In particular, information submitted through our Cognito Forms child registration and job application forms may be processed in the United States.

Cognito Forms participates in the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which provides a recognised mechanism for eligible transfers of personal information from the United Kingdom to participating organisations in the United States.

Cognito Forms and its authorised sub-processors may also process information in other countries where necessary to provide its services. Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, appropriate measures must be in place to ensure that the transfer complies with UK data protection law.

11. How long we keep personal information

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

Retention periods vary depending on the type of information, why it was collected and any applicable legal, regulatory, safeguarding, insurance or contractual requirements.

Information initially submitted through our website may subsequently become part of our preschool records. For example, where a child who is registered through our website takes up a place at Downside Pre-School, relevant registration information may become part of the child’s preschool record.

We regularly review the information we hold and securely delete or dispose of personal information when it is no longer required.

Further information about how long we retain different types of records is available in our Access, Storage and Retention of Records Policy.

12. Security of personal information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful loss, alteration, disclosure, destruction or unauthorised access.

We also require organisations processing personal information on our behalf to handle it appropriately and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. Automated decision-making

We do not use personal information collected through our website to make decisions about individuals solely by automated means that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

For example, decisions about applications for preschool places or employment are not made solely by an automated system.

14. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law gives you rights in relation to your personal information.

These may include:

Right of access – you can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate personal information or complete information that is incomplete.
Right to erasure – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal information.
Right to restriction of processing – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to restrict how we use your personal information.
Right to object – in certain circumstances, you can object to our processing of your personal information, including certain processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to provide information you have given us in a portable format or transfer it to another organisation.
Rights relating to automated decision-making – you have rights in relation to certain decisions made solely through automated processing.

Where we rely on consent, you also have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

Not all rights apply in every circumstance and exemptions may apply.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details in Section 18.

Your right to object

Where we process your personal information on the basis of our legitimate interests, you have the right to object to that processing in certain circumstances.

If you wish to object, please contact us and explain your concerns. We will consider your request in accordance with data protection law.

15. Data protection concerns and complaints

If you have a concern or complaint about how we have collected or used your personal information, please contact us in the first instance so that we can investigate it.

You can raise a data protection complaint using the contact details in Section 18. We will acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days, investigate it appropriately and inform you of the outcome.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent regulator for data protection.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Further information about making a complaint is available on the ICO website.

16. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to websites, services or resources operated by other organisations.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those organisations. We recommend reading their privacy information before providing personal information to them.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our website, the way we process personal information or applicable legal requirements.

The effective date shown at the top of this Privacy Policy indicates when it was last updated.

We will review this Privacy Policy regularly and update it where necessary.

18. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we use your personal information, wish to exercise a data protection right or wish to make a data protection complaint, please contact us:

Data controller:
Downside Pre-School CIO

Data protection contact:
Julie Russell, on behalf of Downside Pre-School CIO

Address:
Downside Pre-School CIO
Oakwood Avenue
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU5 4AS
United Kingdom