AB Academy Theatre School • Last updated: 18 June 2026

1. Who we are

AB Academy Theatre School (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a performing arts theatre school based in Stockport, United Kingdom. We provide classes in acting, dance, singing and musical theatre for children and young people aged 5–18, along with performances, masterclasses and theatre trips.

We use the wp.theatre plugin to display and manage information about our theatre events and productions on the website. We also use Google Site Kit to connect to Google Analytics (for performance and visitor insights) and Google Search Console (for SEO and search performance monitoring).

For any data protection queries, please contact us using the details above.

2. What this Privacy Policy covers

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect your personal data when you:

• Visit our website at https://abacademy.uk
• Submit contact or enquiry forms
• Leave comments on our blog posts
• Interact with event information displayed via the wp.theatre plugin
• Engage with us via email or social media in connection with the website

We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

3. Children’s data and our commitment to young people

Our services are aimed at children and young people aged 5–18. We only collect personal data about children from their parents, legal guardians or authorised adults.

We take children’s privacy very seriously and follow the ICO’s Age-appropriate Design Code as well as safeguarding best practice.

4. The personal data we collect

4.1 Information you provide directly

• Contact and enquiry forms: Name, email address, telephone number, message content, and any details you choose to share about your child(ren).
• Comments on posts: Name (or username), email address (not publicly displayed), optional website, comment text, IP address and browser user-agent. This data is sent to Akismet to reduce spam.
• Future features (e.g. class registrations or parent accounts): When these are introduced, we will collect the necessary information and update this policy accordingly. At present there is no online booking, ticketing or payment processing on the website.

4.2 Information collected automatically

• Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, device information, pages viewed, and standard web server logs.
• This data is processed by our hosting environment and Cloudflare (our content delivery network and security service).
• Analytics data via Google Site Kit and Google Analytics: pages viewed, session duration, device and browser information, approximate geographic location (city level), and referral sources. Google Analytics anonymises IP addresses by default.

4.3 Special category data (children’s health or medical information)

We only collect health or medical information about children (e.g. allergies or conditions relevant to safe participation) when you provide it with explicit consent and only for safeguarding and welfare purposes during classes and events.

We do not use children’s data for marketing or automated decision-making.

5. How we use your personal data and our legal bases

We only process personal data where we have a valid legal basis under UK GDPR.

We have balanced our legitimate interests against your rights and freedoms.

6. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with trusted service providers who help us run the website:

• Akismet (Automattic, Inc.) — Processes comment data to detect and block spam. Akismet privacy notice
• Cloudflare, Inc. — Provides CDN, security and performance services. Processes IP addresses and traffic data. Cloudflare Privacy Policy
• wp.theatre plugin — Displays event information on the website (no personal data is sent to third parties by this plugin in its standard use).
• Google (via Google Site Kit and Google Analytics) — Processes analytics data to help us understand how visitors use the website and improve performance. Google acts as a data processor. Google Privacy Policy and Google Analytics data processing terms
• Google Search Console (via Google Site Kit) — Used for monitoring search engine performance, indexing status, and SEO insights. It does not collect or process personal data from website visitors.
• Professional advisers (accountants, solicitors, insurers) — under confidentiality.
• Public authorities — only where legally required (e.g. safeguarding concerns).

When we introduce online booking or ticketing in the future, we will update this section with the relevant payment/booking provider(s) and their privacy policies.

7. International data transfers

Some service providers (Cloudflare, Automattic, and Google) are based outside the UK. When personal data is transferred outside the UK we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (UK International Data Transfer Agreements or equivalent, including Google’s approved data processing terms). Contact us if you would like more details.

8. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only as long as necessary:

• Enquiry and contact form data: 12–24 months after last contact.
• Comment data: Retained on the site until deleted; Akismet spam data kept according to their policy.
• Health/medical information about children: Only while relevant to participation, then securely deleted (unless longer legal retention is required).
• Security and log data (Cloudflare): Short operational periods.
• Any future class or event records: Duration of the activity + up to 7 years for legal and insurance purposes.

When data is no longer needed we securely delete or anonymise it.

9. Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request deletion (“right to be forgotten”)
• Restrict or object to processing
• Data portability (in some cases)
• Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)

Parents/guardians can exercise these rights on behalf of their child.

To exercise any right, please contact us using the details in section 1. We will respond within one month.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ or call 0303 123 1113.

10. Cookies and tracking technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies for:

• Essential site security and functionality (Cloudflare and WordPress core)
• Performance and basic analytics

Current technologies:

• WordPress core cookies (for logged-in users or comments)
• Cloudflare security cookies (e.g. cf_clearance)
• Akismet (mainly server-side)
• Google Analytics (via Google Site Kit): _ga, _gid, _gat and similar cookies for measuring website usage and performance. These are only set after you consent via our cookie banner.

We do not currently use marketing or advertising cookies.

Google Analytics cookies are used on the basis of legitimate interests for analytics, but we obtain your consent before setting non-essential analytics cookies, in line with UK GDPR and PECR requirements.

Before adding any further non-essential cookies or analytics in future, we will implement (or have already implemented) a clear cookie consent banner.

You can control cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may affect site functionality.

Third-party embedded content (e.g. YouTube, Instagram) may set their own cookies — please refer to their policies.

11. Data security

We use Cloudflare security features, SSL encryption, secure hosting, and access controls to protect your data. While we take reasonable steps to protect information, no online system is 100% secure.

12. Links to other websites

Our site may link to Facebook, Instagram or other external sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please read their privacy policies.

13. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will always show the current version. Significant changes will be highlighted on the website.

14. Contact us

We aim to respond to all enquiries promptly.

This Privacy Policy has been prepared with reference to ICO guidance and best practice for organisations working with children in performing arts settings.

© AB Academy Theatre School 2026. All rights reserved.