This policy covers the management of personal information for those taking lessons with Janet. If you are simply browsing the website, see Privacy Policy for this website.
| What type of information we collect | How we use it | How we store it |
|---|---|---|
| Name, phone number, and either address or email address. | To contact you to arrange or cancel
lessons, and for any general
communication that may arise
from lessons.
It is possible we may occasionally
produce a newsletter or special
offer via Mailchimp. If you do not want us to use your contact details for this you need to tell us. We will not share your contact details with anyone, without specifically requesting your permission. |
On a physical record card that can be locked away. In any email you have sent us that contains any of this information. While you are having lessons we may save your phone number to our mobile phone contact lists (unless you request otherwise). We may include your name and email address in a simple database on my computer. |
| Any particular reasons why you decide to come for a consultation or lessons. This includes any medical or personal history you choose to give us. | This kind of information helps us understand your needs and to design a course of lessons taylor-made for you. | On your record card, mentioned above. In any email where you have mentioned the information. Possibly in your lesson notes. |
| Lesson notes: our record of what we do in each lesson, combined with observation of your responses to activities and suggestions for future lessons. We usually make a note of any observable changes in your general 'pattern of use'. We include any new information you give us about yourself if it is relevant to the lessons. | Lesson notes are a valuable
resource to help us plan
your lessons effectively and
to monitor your progress.
As we normally write notes
immediately after a lesson,
the observations are still fresh
in my mind, but the note writing
does not impinge on your
actual lesson time.
Within the next few years we may decide to do some writing or simple research - hopefully benefitting from the experience gained from teaching the Alexander Technique for over thirty years. If we go ahead with this, old lesson notes will be a valuable resource. Needless to say, any such use of pupils' notes will be completely anonymous. |
Lesson notes are rough, hand-written notes on A4 paper. As explained above, they are not usually locked away, but are kept separately from your contact details and if you request it we can lock them up, or miss off your name and link them by code to your record card. |
How we collect personal information
All the information we hold about you is normally given to us personally by you: whether by phone, email, or in conversation (or question and answer) in a lesson or consultation. For children, personal information is provided by a parent or guardian.
With adults, occasionally the initial enquiry and lesson booking is made by a relative or friend; in which case some personal information is likely to be provided by the relative or friend as part of the enquiry and/or booking.
How long we keep information
With many Alexander Technique pupils there is no de finite or acknowledged “end” to lessons; people often take a break from lessons with the intention of returning at some point for more. Also, we encourage to people to come for “check up” lessons periodically after they have stopped regular lessons. Sometimes, a pupil who has not had a lesson for several years will suddenly return, perhaps after running into further problems that they think AT lessons can help with.
For these reasons we tend to keep lesson notes and contact details available until we are reasonably sure that a client will not return. My professional body, STAT, advises us to follow the NHS guidelines and keep information for a minimum of 8 years. Once we have decided not to keep someone's contact details, my normal practice is to retain the lesson notes while deleting the contact details, as lesson notes can provide useful material for any writing or research we may want to do in the future.
Your rights
Under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), you have rights of control over your personal data. If you have any concerns about the way Alexander in Ambleside uses your personal information, please contact Janet (janet@alexanderinambleside.co.uk or telephone 01539 433471): if you do not receive a reply within a week, please make contact again just to check that we have received your query.
Changes to this policy
We may update our privacy policy from time to time, and will also update this notice. A summary of changes to this notice can be found below:
- March 2021 – updated for move to Ambleside.
- May 2018 – initial privacy notice written.