PRIVACY POLICY

Last Updated: May 2025

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1. INTRODUCTION

Playful Wisdom Pty Ltd (Registration Number: 2025/371780/07), trading as Schola Vera (“we”, “us”, “our”), is committed to protecting the privacy of our students, parents, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Contact Information:

  • Email: admin [at] scholavera [dot] co [dot] za
  • Website: scholavera.co.za

2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

2.1 Information You Provide

We collect the following personal information when you enroll your child or interact with our services:

  • Parent/Guardian Information: Full name, email address, phone number, physical address
  • Child Information: Name, date of birth, age, grade level, educational needs
  • Financial Information: Payment details for school fees
  • Communication Records: Emails, forms, and other correspondence

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect:

  • Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information
  • Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on site, referring websites
  • Cookies: Session cookies and analytics cookies (via Matomo)

Please note that we do not sell your personal information to third parties under any circumstances, and we only collect information that is necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy.

3. PURPOSE OF PROCESSING

We process your personal information for the following purposes:

  • Educational Services: To provide educational services and manage student enrollment
  • Communication: To communicate with parents about their child’s education, school updates, and important information
  • Financial Administration: To process school fees and manage financial records
  • Legal Compliance: To comply with educational regulations and legal obligations
  • Marketing: To send information about our services and educational offerings (with consent)
  • Service Improvement: To analyze and improve our educational services and website functionality

We will only use your personal information for the purposes stated above, unless you specifically provide us with consent to do so for other purposes.

4. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING

We process your personal information based on:

  • Contractual Necessity: To fulfill our educational services contract
  • Legal Obligation: To comply with South African education laws
  • Consent: For marketing communications and optional services
  • Legitimate Interest: For service improvement and security purposes

5. DATA SHARING AND DISCLOSURE

We may share your information with:

  • Service Providers: Including our hosting provider AllInkl, email service Brevo, and analytics provider Matomo
  • Educational Authorities: When required by law or regulation
  • Professional Advisors: Legal, accounting, or other professional advisors
  • Google Drive: For storing and managing educational documents

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

6. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

Your data may be transferred to and stored on servers located in Germany, where our hosting provider is based. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with POPIA requirements.

7. DATA RETENTION

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to:

  • Provide our educational services
  • Comply with legal obligations
  • Resolve disputes and enforce agreements

Student records are retained in accordance with South African educational regulations. Once the purpose for which we collected the information no longer exists and there is no legal requirement for us to retain it, we will securely delete it or de-identify it so it cannot be associated with you.

8. DATA SECURITY

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

  • SSL encryption for data transmission
  • Secure servers hosted in Germany
  • Access controls and authentication procedures
  • Regular security assessments

We take the security of your personal information very seriously. We restrict access to your personal information to authorized personnel only who have a legitimate business need to access it, and regularly review our security practices to ensure they remain effective.

Please note that while we strive to protect your personal information, no security measures are perfect, and we cannot guarantee the complete security of information you provide to us.

9. YOUR RIGHTS

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

  • Access: Request copies of your personal information
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)
  • Objection: Object to certain types of processing
  • Data Portability: Request your data in a structured format
  • Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for marketing communications

To exercise these rights, contact us at admin [at] scholavera [dot] co [dot] za.

10. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

We collect information about children solely for educational purposes and with parental consent. Parents/guardians have full rights to access, correct, or delete their child’s information.

11. COOKIES

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience and analyze website performance. We use:

  • Essential Cookies: Necessary for website functionality
  • Analytics Cookies: Via Matomo, to understand website usage

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Your internet browser generally accepts cookies automatically, but you can change this setting to stop accepting them. You can also delete cookies manually. However, disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality. For more information about cookies in general, you can visit www.allaboutcookies.org. For more information about our cookies, please see our Cookie Policy in Annex 1 below.

12. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

We may send marketing communications about our educational services with your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by:

  • Clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails
  • Contacting us at admin [at] scholavera [dot] co [dot] za

13. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of significant changes via email or website notice.

14. COMPLAINTS

If you have concerns about our data processing, you may:

  1. Contact us at admin [at] scholavera [dot] co [dot] za
  2. Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

15. CONTACT US

For questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us.

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Annex 1 – COOKIE POLICY

Last Updated: May 2025

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit our website. They help us provide you with a better experience by remembering your preferences and understanding how you use our site.

Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies

  • Required for the website to function properly
  • Enable basic features like page navigation and secure areas
  • Cannot be disabled

Analytics Cookies (Matomo)

  • Help us understand how visitors interact with our website
  • Collect anonymous information about page visits and user behavior
  • Used to improve our website and services
  • Data is processed on our own servers, not shared with third parties

How to Control Cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings:

  • Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies
  • Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies
  • Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies
  • Edge: Settings > Privacy & Services > Cookies

Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may use cookies:

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