Privacy Policy

    Out of the Box Academy

    Effective Date: 10 October 2025

    1. Who We Are

    Out of the Box Academy is a registered primary school in South Africa. Our website address is: https://outoftheboxacademy.co.za.

    Contact Details:

    • Information Officer: Vikki Eggleton
    • Email: vikki@outoftheboxacademy.co.za
    • Phone: +27 60 965 5197
    • Physical Address: 43 Robin Drive, Fourways, Gauteng, South Africa, 2055
    1. Our Commitment to Privacy

    Out of the Box Academy is committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information.

    1. Information We Collect

    3.1 Learner Information

    We collect and process the following information about learners:

    • Full name, date of birth, and identity number
    • Contact details (residential address, phone numbers)
    • Parent/guardian information and emergency contacts
    • Medical information and special needs
    • Academic records and progress reports
    • Attendance records
    • Photographs and videos for educational and promotional purposes
    • Disciplinary records (where applicable)

    3.2 Parent/Guardian Information

    • Full name and identity number
    • Contact details (email, phone numbers, residential address)
    • Employment information (for administrative purposes)
    • Financial information for fee payments

    3.3 Website Visitors

    • IP addresses and browser information
    • Comments left on our website
    • Cookie data (see Section 6)

    3.4 Staff Information

    We also process personal information of our employees as required for employment purposes, in accordance with labour laws and POPIA.

    1. How We Use Your Information

    We use personal information for the following lawful purposes:

    4.1 Educational Purposes

    • Providing education and pastoral care
    • Tracking academic progress and development
    • Managing attendance and punctuality
    • Administering assessments and examinations
    • Organizing school events and extracurricular activities

    4.2 Administrative Purposes

    • Managing admissions and enrolment
    • Processing school fee payments
    • Communicating with parents/guardians
    • Maintaining school records
    • Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements

    4.3 Safety and Welfare

    • Ensuring learner safety and wellbeing
    • Managing medical needs and emergencies
    • Safeguarding and child protection

    4.4 Marketing and Communications

    • Sharing school news and updates
    • Publishing photographs on our website and social media (with consent)
    • Promoting school achievements and events
    1. Website-Specific Information

    5.1 Comments

    When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

    An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

    5.2 Media

    If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.

    Important: Do not upload any photographs of learners without explicit written consent from parents/guardians.

    5.3 Embedded Content from Other Websites

    Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

    These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

    1. Cookies

    If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

    1. Who We Share Your Information With

    We may share personal information with:

    7.1 Education Authorities

    • Gauteng Education Department (or relevant provincial department)
    • South African Council for Educators (SACE)
    • Other regulatory bodies as required by law

    7.2 Service Providers

    • Payment processing services for school fees
    • Learning management systems
    • IT support and website hosting providers
    • Medical professionals (in emergencies)

    7.3 Third Parties (with Consent)

    • Photographers for school events
    • Educational trip organisers
    • Sports and extracurricular activity providers

    7.4 Legal Requirements

    • Law enforcement or government agencies when legally required
    • Court orders or legal proceedings

    If you request a password reset on our website, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

    1. How Long We Retain Your Data

    8.1 Learner Records

    We retain learner records in accordance with South African Schools Act requirements and the National Archives of South Africa Act:

    • Academic records: Permanently
    • Attendance registers: 6 years after last entry
    • Admission registers: Permanently
    • Financial records: 5 years after last entry

    8.2 Website Comments

    If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

    8.3 User Accounts

    For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

    1. Your Rights Under POPIA

    You have the right to:

    9.1 Access Your Information

    Request access to the personal information we hold about you or your child.

    9.2 Correction

    Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.

    9.3 Deletion

    Request deletion of personal information (subject to our legal obligations to retain certain records).

    9.4 Objection

    Object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

    9.5 Complaint

    Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been violated.

    Information Regulator South Africa:

    • Website: https://www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/
    • Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za
    • Phone: 012 406 4818

    If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us.

    1. Data Security

    We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. This includes:

    • Secure servers and encrypted connections
    • Access controls and password protection
    • Regular security audits
    • Staff training on data protection
    1. Consent for Photography and Media

    We seek explicit written consent from parents/guardians before:

    • Taking photographs or videos of learners
    • Publishing learner images on our website or social media
    • Using learner work or achievements in promotional materials

    Parents/guardians can withdraw consent at any time by contacting the school office.

    1. Data Transfers

    Personal information is stored and processed in South Africa. If we transfer data outside South Africa, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with POPIA.

    1. Changes to This Privacy Policy

    We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

    1. Contact Us

    If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:

    • Information Officer: Vikki Eggleton
    • Email: vikki@outoftheboxacademy.co.za
    • Phone: +27 60 965 5197
    • Physical Address: 43 Robin Drive, Fourways, Gauteng, South Africa, 2055

     

    Last Updated: 12 October, 2025