1. Who we are
Mayfair Scholars (“we”, “us”, “our”) provides online tutoring, exam preparation, and homeschooling support services worldwide. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
- Trading name: Mayfair Scholars
- Legal entity: Mayfair Scholars is not a registered limited company. It is run by its co-founders and, in law, operates as a general partnership (Partnership Act 1890).
- Partners/owners: Aryan Sankaye, Siddharth Chaudhary, Ronit Mendonca, Algernon Nottingham
- Contact: enquiries@mayfairscholars.co.uk
- Data protection contact: enquiries@mayfairscholars.co.uk
2. What personal data we collect
From parents/guardians and prospective clients:
- Name, email address, phone number
- Enquiry and communication content (messages sent via our contact form, email, or WhatsApp)
About students (usually provided by a parent/guardian):
- Name, age/year group, school
- Academic subjects, exam boards, target grades, and current attainment level
- Session notes and progress records created by tutors
From tutors:
- Name, contact details, qualifications, references
- DBS (background check) application and result status
- Bank details for payment (processed via bank transfer)
From all website visitors:
- Usage data via cookies/analytics (see Section 8)
- Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information
3. How we use your data and our legal basis
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries, arranging and delivering tutoring sessions | Performance of a contract, or steps taken at your request before entering one |
| Invoicing and payment | Contract; legal obligation (accounting/tax records) |
| Tutor recruitment and vetting, including DBS checks | Legal obligation / legitimate interest in safeguarding |
| Sending service updates, scheduling, and admin communications | Contract; legitimate interest |
| Marketing emails (only if you’ve opted in) | Consent – you can withdraw this at any time |
| Website analytics and improving our service | Legitimate interest, or consent where cookies require it |
We do not use children’s personal data for marketing or profiling, and we do not make any decision about a student using automated processing alone.
4. Children’s data
Many of the students we support are under 18, and some are under 13. Where a child is under 13, we rely on a parent or guardian to make the booking and provide consent on the child’s behalf – we do not knowingly collect data directly from a child under 13 without this.
We design our data practices with the ICO’s Children’s Code (Age Appropriate Design Code) in mind: privacy settings default to the most protective option, we don’t use nudge techniques to extract more data than necessary, and we don’t profile children or serve them targeted advertising.
If you are a parent/guardian and believe your child has provided us with data without your knowledge, please contact us and we will delete it.
5. Who we share your data with
We share personal data only where necessary:
- Tutors engaged to deliver your sessions – receive the student information needed to teach effectively.
- Hosting and IT infrastructure: Hostinger (website hosting), Google (Meet feature and Google Classroom depending on tutor/student agreement), Miro (online whiteboard software)
- Email: Zoho Mail (hosted in the EU); Brevo (Sendinblue SAS, EU), which delivers the emails the website sends, such as enquiry notifications
- Website/SEO tooling: Rank Math (does not itself process personal data beyond standard site analytics)
- WhatsApp: if you contact us via WhatsApp, your message and contact details are also processed by WhatsApp/Meta under their own terms, and may be processed in the US (covered by the UK’s data bridge with the US or equivalent safeguards).
- Professional advisers (accountants, solicitors) where necessary
- Regulators or authorities where we’re legally required to (e.g. safeguarding disclosures, tax authorities)
We do not sell personal data to third parties.
6. International data transfers
Some of our service providers may store or process data outside the UK (for example, within the EU). Where this happens, we rely on the provider’s standard contractual safeguards (such as the UK/EU adequacy framework or Standard Contractual Clauses) to ensure your data remains protected to UK standards.
7. How long we keep your data
- Enquiries that don’t proceed to a booking: 6–12 months, then deleted
- Active client records: for the duration of the tutoring relationship, plus 3–6 years afterwards for accounting/tax and to handle any disputes
- Tutor DBS/vetting records: in line with DBS guidance and our safeguarding obligations
- Marketing consent records: until you withdraw consent
8. Cookies
Our website uses cookies. Strictly necessary cookies (needed for the site to function) are set automatically. Any analytics or other non-essential cookies are only set with your consent, which, if and only if they are present, you can manage via the cookie banner shown on your first visit, or by changing your browser settings.
9. Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Have inaccurate data corrected
- Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”), subject to legal retention requirements
- Restrict or object to certain processing
- Receive your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at enquiries@mayfairscholars.co.uk.
10. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including secure hosting, access controls, and staff awareness of data protection obligations. No online service can guarantee absolute security, but we review our practices regularly.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date at the top shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be flagged on our website.