SEVEN STAR MARTIAL ARTS

PRIVACY POLICY

For Students, Parents, Carers, Members, Enquiries and Website Visitors

Organisation: Seven Star Martial Arts
Data Controller: Seven Star Martial Arts
Address: Warehouse Rear of 17/18 London Road, Neath, SA11 1LE
Data Protection Contact: Master Paul Summers
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.7SMA.uk
Date updated: June 2026
Review date: June 2027, or earlier if required by law, safeguarding guidance, ICO guidance, website changes, system changes or operational changes.

1. Introduction

Seven Star Martial Arts is committed to protecting the privacy, safety and wellbeing of our students, families, members, staff, visitors and website users.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect and share personal information. It also explains your rights under UK data protection law.

Because Seven Star Martial Arts works with children and young people, we take data protection, safeguarding, privacy, image use and communication very seriously. We aim to handle personal information lawfully, fairly, transparently and with respect for every student and family.

This policy should be read alongside our relevant Seven Star Martial Arts policies, including our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, Group Photography, Video and Image Use Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, and any member information notices provided through Dojo Expert or other Seven Star Martial Arts systems.

2. Who We Are

Seven Star Martial Arts is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.

This means Seven Star Martial Arts decides why and how personal information is collected, used, stored and shared.

For questions about this policy or how personal information is handled, please contact:

Master Paul Summers
Seven Star Martial Arts
Email: [email protected]

3. Who This Privacy Policy Applies To

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information about:

Students and members
Children and young people attending classes, trial lessons or events
Parents and carers
Enquiries and prospective members
Website visitors
People who download guides, complete forms or book trial lessons
People who contact Seven Star Martial Arts by phone, email, social media, website form or other communication route
Visitors, spectators or participants attending Seven Star Martial Arts activities, where relevant

This policy does not cover staff, workers, volunteers or applicants, who are covered by a separate Seven Star Martial Arts Employee, Worker and Volunteer Privacy Notice.

4. Personal Information We May Collect

The personal information we collect depends on your relationship with Seven Star Martial Arts.

Student information

We may collect and use:

Name
Date of birth
Address
Parent or carer details
Emergency contact details
Relevant medical information
Injury information
Disability, additional needs or reasonable adjustment information, where relevant
Attendance records
Belt, grading and progress records
Trial lesson and enrolment information
ID photo on our membership system, where used for identification
Accident, injury or incident records
Safeguarding or welfare records, where necessary
Photos or videos, where appropriate and in line with consent and our Photography and Video Policy
Instructor training notes for senior ranks, red belts and black belts only, where relevant

Parent and carer information

We may collect and use:

Name
Address
Email address
Phone number
Emergency contact information
Communication preferences
Membership information
Payment and billing information
Records of messages, enquiries, concerns, complaints or requests
Trial booking and enrolment information

Enquiry and trial booking information

When you contact us, download a guide, book a trial lesson or request information, we may collect:

Name
Email address
Phone number
Child’s name and age, where relevant
Class or programme interest
Preferred location or trial booking details
Information you choose to provide in a form, message or conversation
Marketing preferences, where relevant

Website and technical information

When you visit our website, we may collect certain technical information, such as:

IP address
Browser type
Device type
Approximate location based on technical data
Pages visited
Time spent on pages
Form submissions
Cookie preferences
Website interaction and analytics information

This information helps us understand how people use the website, improve the website and respond to enquiries.

5. Sensitive and Special Category Information

Some personal information is more sensitive and receives additional protection under UK data protection law. This is known as special category data.

At Seven Star Martial Arts, this may include:

Health information
Injury information
Disability information
Medical conditions or allergies
Additional needs or reasonable adjustment information
Doctor’s letters or medical clearance information, where relevant
Safeguarding, welfare or child protection concerns
Accident or incident records
Information connected to serious concerns, complaints, allegations or risks

We only collect and use sensitive information where it is necessary, proportionate and lawful. This may be needed to keep students safe, make reasonable adjustments, manage health and safety risks, respond to incidents, meet safeguarding responsibilities, protect someone from harm or comply with legal, insurance or regulatory requirements.

We do not collect sensitive information unnecessarily.

6. Children’s Information

Seven Star Martial Arts provides martial arts classes and activities for children and young people. We therefore handle children’s personal information with particular care.

For students under 18, parents or carers are usually responsible for providing and managing membership, contact, medical, emergency and consent information.

We use children’s information mainly to:

Register them for classes
Manage attendance
Support safe participation
Track progress and grading history
Communicate with parents and carers
Respond to injuries, accidents or emergencies
Meet safeguarding and child protection responsibilities
Support reasonable adjustments or individual needs
Manage images and videos safely and appropriately

We do not knowingly collect children’s personal information directly from children for marketing purposes.

Seven Star Martial Arts staff and instructors do not privately contact children through personal messaging, personal social media, WhatsApp, gaming platforms or similar private channels. Communication about a child’s training, attendance, behaviour, progress, injury, welfare, membership or payment should normally take place with the parent or carer.

7. How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect personal information through:

Website forms
Trial lesson booking forms
Lead magnet or guide download forms
Enrolment forms
Dojo Expert
Dojo Login app
Attendance records
Email communication
Telephone calls
Text messages or app messages
Social media messages
Parent or carer conversations
Accident, injury or incident forms
Safeguarding or welfare reports
Instructor observations, where relevant
Payment systems
Cookie and website analytics tools

We may also receive information from third parties where appropriate, such as parents, carers, emergency contacts, schools, medical professionals, social services, police, safeguarding agencies, insurers, legal advisers or other relevant organisations.

8. Why We Use Personal Information

We use personal information for the following purposes.

To provide martial arts classes and services

We use information to:

Register students
Manage memberships
Deliver trial lessons
Keep class registers
Record attendance
Track belt and grading progress
Support student development
Manage gradings, graduations, seminars, workshops and events
Provide age-appropriate and safe classes
Communicate with parents and carers about training and membership

To keep students safe

We use information to:

Understand relevant medical needs, injuries or additional needs
Respond to accidents, injuries or emergencies
Manage health and safety risks
Record incidents or concerns
Support safeguarding and child protection
Contact parents, carers or emergency contacts
Make referrals or share information where required to protect a child, young person, adult at risk or another person from harm

To run the business

We use information to:

Respond to enquiries
Manage trial bookings
Process memberships and payments
Keep accurate records
Manage accounts and financial records
Communicate important updates, closures, class changes and event information
Manage complaints, concerns or requests
Maintain insurance, legal and operational records
Improve our services, website and communication

To manage images, video and publicity

We may use suitable images or videos for:

Recognising student achievements
Grading, graduation or award updates
Website content
Social media content
App or member updates
Newsletters
Posters, leaflets or promotional material
Internal displays
Positive class or community updates

Image and video use is managed carefully and is subject to consent, safeguarding, privacy and our Group Photography, Video and Image Use Policy.

To send marketing or promotional information

We may send information about classes, events, trial lessons, offers, guides, updates or promotions where we have a lawful basis to do so.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.

Important operational messages, such as class changes, closures, payment information, safety updates or membership information, are not normally treated as optional marketing because they are needed to manage your membership or enquiry properly.

9. Lawful Bases for Using Personal Information

Seven Star Martial Arts only uses personal information where there is a lawful basis under UK data protection law.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We use personal information where it is necessary to provide martial arts classes, trial lessons, memberships, student records, class communication, attendance tracking and related services.

Legitimate interests

We may use personal information where it is necessary for the proper and safe operation of Seven Star Martial Arts, provided this does not unfairly override individual rights.

This may include:

Responding to enquiries
Managing attendance
Tracking progress
Keeping basic internal records
Communicating important information
Managing class safety
Improving services
Protecting the business, students, parents, staff and wider club community

Consent

We may rely on consent for optional matters such as:

Certain promotional photos or videos
Optional marketing communications
Testimonials or promotional media, where relevant

Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Legal obligation

We may use personal information where necessary to comply with legal duties, including accounting, tax, health and safety, safeguarding, accident reporting or other legal requirements.

Vital interests

We may use personal information where necessary to protect someone’s life or immediate safety, such as in a medical emergency.

Substantial public interest and safeguarding

We may process sensitive or special category information where necessary to safeguard children, young people, adults at risk or others from harm.

Legal claims

We may use and retain relevant information where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, manage insurance matters or respond to legal advice.

10. Special Category Data Lawful Conditions

Where we process special category data, such as health, injury, disability, medical or safeguarding information, we must have both a lawful basis and an additional legal condition.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Explicit consent, where appropriate
Protecting vital interests
Legal claims
Employment, health and safety or social protection obligations, where relevant
Substantial public interest, including safeguarding children and individuals at risk
Health or care-related reasons, where relevant and appropriate

We will only use special category information where it is necessary, proportionate and handled with appropriate safeguards.

11. Photos, Videos and Image Use

Seven Star Martial Arts has a separate Group Photography, Video and Image Use Policy for members, parents, carers, spectators and visitors.

To protect children and families:

Parents, carers, spectators and visitors must not take photos or videos during Seven Star Martial Arts classes, gradings, graduations, events or activities unless this has been specifically permitted by Seven Star Martial Arts.
Only authorised Seven Star Martial Arts staff may take official photos or videos.
Children will not normally be identified by full name in public posts.
Students and families will not be tagged in social media posts.
Images will only be used where suitable, respectful and appropriate.
Images will not be used where they could embarrass, humiliate, expose or place a child at avoidable risk.

You can withdraw photo or video consent at any time by contacting Seven Star Martial Arts.

Where consent is withdrawn, we will stop using the child in future photos or videos wherever reasonably possible and will make reasonable efforts to remove or edit previous images from platforms and materials we control.

We cannot guarantee complete removal from third-party platforms where content has already been copied, shared, screenshotted, downloaded or stored outside our control.

Withdrawal of consent does not affect lawful use that took place before consent was withdrawn.

12. Cookies, Website Tracking and Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies are small files or pieces of information placed on your device when you visit a website. They may help the website work properly, remember your preferences, understand how visitors use the website or support marketing and advertising activity.

We may use:

Essential cookies

These are needed for the website to work properly and cannot usually be switched off through our website controls.

Analytics cookies

These help us understand how people use the website, such as which pages are visited and how visitors interact with the site.

Marketing or advertising cookies

These may be used to help measure advertising performance or show relevant content, where applicable.

Where required by law, non-essential cookies will only be used with your consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through the website cookie banner or your browser settings. You can also change or withdraw cookie consent where the website provides this option.

If Seven Star Martial Arts uses additional tracking tools, advertising pixels, analytics tags or similar technologies, these should be explained through the website cookie banner or a separate Cookie Policy.

13. Systems and Service Providers We May Use

Seven Star Martial Arts may use trusted third-party systems and service providers to help run the business.

These may include:

Dojo Expert
Dojo Login app
Website and landing page systems
Booking or enquiry systems
Email systems, including Outlook
CRM or communication systems
SMS or messaging tools
Payment providers, such as GoCardless, Stripe and SumUp
Accounting or bookkeeping systems
Website hosting, maintenance or IT support providers
Analytics providers
Social media platforms
Google Business Profile
Cloud storage or secure backup providers, where relevant

Where we use service providers, we take reasonable steps to use reputable providers and appropriate data protection arrangements.

14. Who We May Share Personal Information With

We do not sell personal information.

We only share personal information where there is a proper reason to do so.

Internal sharing

Information may be shared with:

Head Instructor
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
Relevant instructors or authorised staff, where they need the information to teach, supervise, support, protect or communicate appropriately

External sharing

Where necessary, information may be shared with:

Payment providers
Booking, CRM, email, app, website or IT service providers
Accountants or financial advisers
Insurers
Legal advisers
Emergency services
Medical professionals, where necessary
Social services
Police
Local authority safeguarding teams
Schools or other safeguarding partners, where appropriate
Information Commissioner’s Office, where legally required
Courts, tribunals or regulatory bodies, where relevant
Other agencies or professionals where there is a lawful safeguarding, legal, safety, insurance or operational reason

We only share information where it is necessary, proportionate and lawful.

15. Safeguarding and Information Sharing

Safeguarding is a priority at Seven Star Martial Arts.

Where there is a safeguarding concern, welfare concern, risk of harm, allegation, disclosure, serious injury, pattern of concern or possible criminal matter, Seven Star Martial Arts may need to record and share relevant information.

This may include sharing information with:

Social services
Police
Local authority safeguarding teams
Schools or other safeguarding partners
NSPCC or relevant safeguarding advice services
Emergency services
Insurers or legal advisers, where necessary

We will not promise absolute confidentiality where safeguarding is involved.

Information may be shared without consent where necessary to protect a child, young person, adult at risk, staff member or another person from harm, to comply with the law, to seek safeguarding advice, to make a referral or to manage serious risk.

Where informing a parent or carer before making a referral could increase risk to a child or another person, Seven Star Martial Arts may seek advice or make a referral without informing the parent or carer first.

16. International Data Transfers

Some third-party systems, such as email providers, app providers, website tools, payment providers, analytics services or social media platforms, may process or store data outside the United Kingdom.

Where this happens, we expect appropriate safeguards to be in place, such as UK adequacy arrangements, standard contractual clauses or other legally recognised transfer protections.

17. How We Store and Protect Personal Information

Seven Star Martial Arts takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or inappropriate disclosure.

Security measures may include:

Password-protected systems
Restricted access
Passcodes, biometrics or device security
Secure digital systems
Locked filing cabinets
Restricted access to paper records
Controlled access to safeguarding information
CCTV and alarmed premises, where relevant
Secure disposal or deletion of information when no longer needed
Limiting information access to those who need it
Confidentiality expectations for staff and authorised helpers
Careful handling of photos, videos and sensitive records

No system can be guaranteed to be completely risk-free, but we take privacy, safeguarding and security seriously.

18. How Long We Keep Personal Information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, safeguarding, insurance, accounting, health and safety and operational reasons.

As a general guide:

Enquiry and trial booking records may be kept for a reasonable period after the enquiry, especially where follow-up communication has been requested.
General student and membership records are normally kept for up to 7 years after leaving.
Financial and payment records are normally kept for at least 6 years for accounting, tax and legal reasons.
Accident and injury records involving children may be kept at least until the child reaches 21, and longer where there is a legal, insurance, safeguarding or welfare reason.
Safeguarding and child protection records may need to be kept for longer, depending on the seriousness of the concern, statutory guidance, external advice or legal requirements.
Medical information is kept only for as long as it remains relevant to safe participation, safeguarding, legal, insurance or operational requirements.
Instructor notes for senior ranks are normally kept only while relevant and for a reasonable period after leaving.
Marketing preferences are kept until they are changed, withdrawn or no longer needed.
Photos and videos are kept only for as long as they remain useful, appropriate and lawful.

Where information is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised where appropriate.

19. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:

Be informed about how personal information is used
Request access to personal information
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of information in certain circumstances
Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
Object to processing in certain circumstances
Request data portability in certain circumstances
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
Complain about how your personal information has been handled

Some rights may be limited where Seven Star Martial Arts has a legal, safeguarding, health and safety, insurance, accounting, contractual or legitimate reason to keep or use the information.

To exercise your rights, please contact:

Master Paul Summers
Seven Star Martial Arts
Email: [email protected]

We may need to confirm your identity before responding to certain requests.

20. Subject Access Requests

You can ask Seven Star Martial Arts for a copy of personal information we hold about you or your child.

This is known as a subject access request.

Subject access requests can be made verbally or in writing, although written requests help us understand exactly what information is being requested.

We will normally respond within one month, unless the request is complex or another lawful extension applies.

We may not be able to provide information where doing so would unfairly affect another person’s rights, reveal confidential safeguarding information, prejudice a safeguarding concern, disclose information we are legally allowed to withhold or create another serious risk.

21. Data Protection Complaints

If you are concerned about how Seven Star Martial Arts has handled personal information, please contact us first so we can review the matter.

Data protection complaints should be sent to:

Master Paul Summers
Seven Star Martial Arts
Email: [email protected]

We will acknowledge data protection complaints within 30 days of receiving them.

We will take appropriate steps to review the complaint, make enquiries where necessary, keep you informed where appropriate and respond without undue delay.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled.

22. Accuracy of Information

Parents, carers and members are asked to keep Seven Star Martial Arts informed of any changes to personal information, including:

Contact details
Emergency contact details
Medical conditions
Injuries
Allergies
Disability or additional needs
Consent preferences
Payment or membership details
Any information that may affect safe participation, safeguarding or communication

Accurate information helps us keep students safe and communicate properly.

23. Data Breaches

A personal data breach may include accidental loss, unauthorised access, misdirected emails, inappropriate sharing, lost paperwork, lost devices, accidental disclosure, misuse of images or unauthorised access to systems.

Where a data breach occurs, Seven Star Martial Arts will review the incident, take appropriate action and decide whether it must be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office or affected individuals.

Any concern about a possible data breach should be reported promptly to Master Paul Summers.

24. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Seven Star Martial Arts may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, ICO guidance, safeguarding practice, systems, website tools, cookies, business operations or data handling arrangements.

The most recent version will apply from the date shown at the top of the policy.

25. Contact Details

For questions, concerns, data protection requests or complaints, please contact:

Master Paul Summers
Seven Star Martial Arts
Warehouse Rear of 17/18 London Road
Neath, SA11 1LE
Email: [email protected]

26. Summary

Seven Star Martial Arts uses personal information to:

Respond to enquiries
Manage trial bookings
Run safe martial arts classes
Record attendance and progress
Manage memberships and payments
Communicate with parents and carers
Protect students’ health, safety and wellbeing
Meet safeguarding, legal, insurance and accounting responsibilities
Use photos and videos safely and appropriately where permitted
Improve our website, services and communication

We will handle personal information carefully, use it only where there is a proper reason, and protect it as part of our wider commitment to safeguarding, trust, professionalism and high standards.

Discipline, Respect, Hard Work, Success.