Last updated: 28 April 2026
1. Introduction
Academic Action Ltd. (“Academic Action”, “we”, “our” or “us”) is committed to protecting your personal data.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal data when we provide our services. These services may include educational consultancy, university application support, foundation programme guidance, summer school support, visa-related support, school outreach, student recruitment activities, events and related services.
We process personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection laws.Academic Action Ltd. is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
This policy applies to students, parents, guardians, schools, universities, partner organisations, website users, event participants and anyone else who uses or interacts with our services.
2. Who we are
Academic Action Ltd. is an educational consultancy based in the United Kingdom. W e support students, families, schools and universities with access to educational opportunities. This may include support with university applications, foundation programmes, summer schools, short courses, events, visa-related guidance and international student recruitment.
For data protection purposes, Academic Action Ltd. will usually act as a data controller. This means that we decide why and how personal data is collected and used.
In some limited cases, we may act as a data processor. This means that we process personal data on behalf of another organisation and follow their instructions.
In some situations, Academic Action Ltd. and another organisation, such as a university, school, foundation provider or summer school provider, may each act as independent data controllers.
3. How to contact us
For any questions about this policy or how we use personal data, please contact us at: Academic Action Ltd.
Email: global1@academic-action.com
This is our data protection contact point.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is the UK authority responsible for data protection.
4. Personal data we collect
The personal data we collect depends on the service we provide.We may collect student information such as full name, date of birth, age, nationality, contact details, home address, school name, year group, academic records, transcripts, predicted grades, certificates, English language results, personal statements, CVs and application documents.
We may also collect passport details, passport copies, visa-related information, travel details, accommodation information, emergency contact details and participation records.
For parents, guardians and family members, we may collect names, contact details, relationship to the student, consent forms, payment-related information where applicable, and communications with us.
For summer schools, residential programmes or student support, we may collect health, welfare and safeguarding information. This may include allergies, medication, medical conditions, disability or accessibility requirements, dietary requirements, emergency medical information, wellbeing information where relevant, and safeguarding or incident records.
Some of this information may be special category data under UK data protection law. We treat this type of information with extra care.
We may also collect professional contact details from school staff, university representatives, foundation providers, summer school providers, group leaders, speakers, partners and other organisations we work with.
When someone uses our website or online services, we may collect technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, date and time of visit, website usage data and cookies where applicable.
5. How we collect personal data
We may collect personal data directly from students, parents, guardians, schools, universities, foundation providers, summer school providers, event registration forms, online forms, emails, calls, meetings, application documents, consent forms and partner organisations.
We may also receive personal data from schools, universities or other organisations when they refer a student to us or when we are supporting a student’s application, participation in a programme or educational journey.
6. Why we use personal data
We use personal data to provide our services and to support students, families, schools and partner organisations. We may use personal data to respond to enquiries, provide educational guidance, assess eligibility for programmes, support university applications, support foundation programme applications, support summer school registration, help prepare documents, support visa-related processes and communicate with students, parents, guardians, schools and universities.
We may also use personal data to organise events, webinars, school visits, student recruitment activities and educational programmes.
For summer schools or residential programmes, we may use personal data to coordinate registration, travel, accommodation, welfare, safeguarding, emergency support and communication with families or schools.
We may also use personal data to manage complaints, incidents, safeguarding concerns, legal records, internal records, service improvement and follow-up communication about relevant educational opportunities.
7. Lawful basis for using personal data
We only use personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so.In many cases, we use personal data because it is necessary to provide a service requested by the student, parent, guardian, school or partner organisation. This may include supporting an application, helping with programme registration, preparing documents or communicating with universities and providers. We may also use personal data because it is necessary before entering into a contract, or because it is necessary to perform a contract.
In some cases, we use personal data because we have a legitimate interest. For example, we may need to respond to enquiries, keep records, communicate with schools or universities, follow up with students, improve our services or support student recruitment activities. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are balanced against the rights and interests of the person, especially where the person is under 18.
Sometimes we may rely on consent. This may apply to certain types of marketing, photographs, videos, testimonials or optional communications.We may also use personal data to comply with legal obligations, protect someone’s vital interests, respond to safeguarding concerns, support welfare needs or deal with emergencies.
Where we use special category data, such as health information, disability information or safeguarding information, we will only do so where we have both a lawful basis under Article 6 UK GDPR and a relevant condition under Article 9 UK GDPR.
8. Special category data
We may process special category data where it is necessary for the service we provide.This may include health information, disability information, accessibility needs, medical requirements, medication, allergies, dietary requirements that may reveal health or religious information, and safeguarding-related information.
We may use this information to protect a student’s health, safety and welfare, make reasonable adjustments, support safeguarding, respond to emergencies, share essential information with relevant staff or providers, comply with legal duties and provide the service requested.We limit access to this information to people who need it for a clear and lawful reason.
9. Children’s personal data
Academic Action works with students who may be under 18.
We understand that children’s personal data needs extra protection. We aim to use clear language, involve parents or guardians where appropriate, collect only the information we need, and treat health, welfare and safeguarding information with particular care.
For summer schools, residential programmes or activities involving minors, we may require consent from a parent or legal guardian.
We do not use children’s personal data for unrelated purposes. We also take particular care with marketing, recruitment follow-up, photographs, videos and testimonials involving children.
10. Summer schools and residential programmes
For summer schools, short courses, residential programmes or similar activities, we may need to collect and share additional personal data.
This may include passport copies, travel details, visa-related information, parental consent forms, emergency contact details, medical information, allergies, medication, dietary requirements, accommodation needs, arrival and departure details, group leader information and incident or safeguarding records.
We may share relevant information with the host university, summer school provider, school, group leader, accommodation provider, transport provider, emergency services, medical professionals or other relevant organisations where this is necessary.We only share the information needed for the relevant purpose.
11. Sharing personal data
We may share personal data with universities, foundation providers, summer school providers, schools, parents or guardians, group leaders, accommodation providers, transport providers, visa-related service providers, IT providers, cloud storage providers, email providers, online form providers, CRM providers, professional advisers, regulators, authorities, safeguarding contacts or emergency contacts.
We only share personal data where there is a lawful basis and a clear reason.Where another organisation uses the data for its own purposes, that organisation will normally be an independent data controller and will be responsible for its own privacy practices.
Where a third party processes data on our behalf, we require appropriate safeguards and contractual terms.
12. Academic Action Ltd. and Academic Action Social Enterprise
Academic Action Ltd. and Academic Action Social Enterprise are separate entities. This policy applies to personal data collected and used by Academic Action Ltd.
If personal data is shared with Academic Action Social Enterprise, or if Academic Action Social Enterprise collects personal data directly, the relevant role, purpose and lawful basis should be made clear at the point of collection or referral.
We will not treat both entities as the same organisation where their roles, purposes or activities are different.
13. Photos, videos and testimonials
We may take or use photos, videos, quotes, testimonials or feedback from events, courses, summer schools or student activities.
Where the material identifies a student, especially a student under 18, we will seek appropriate consent where required.We may use this material for internal reporting, communication with families or schools, programme records, marketing, social media, website content or presentations to schools, universities and partners.
Consent for future promotional use can be withdrawn by contacting us at global1@academic-action.com.
Withdrawing consent will not affect lawful use that took place before consent was withdrawn.
14. Marketing and follow-up communication
We may contact students, parents, guardians, schools or partners about relevant educational opportunities, events, application support, university programmes, summer schools, scholarships or related services.We will only do this where we have a lawful basis.
Where required, we will ask for consent.
Anyone can opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us at global1@academic-action.com.
We take particular care when communicating with children or using children’s personal data for follow-up or recruitment-related purposes.
15. Storage and security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data.
These may include restricted access, password protection, secure cloud storage, access controls, staff guidance, secure deletion, limited sharing and the use of business email and storage systems.
We may store information using secure business systems such as Microsoft OneDrive for Business, email systems, online forms, CRM tools or other service providers.
No method of transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. However, we take reasonable steps to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.16. data retentionWe keep personal data only for as long as necessary.
The retention period depends on the type of data, the service provided and any legal, regulatory, safeguarding, contractual, financial, audit or business need.
Application records may be kept for as long as necessary to support the application and related follow-up.
Passport copies and visa-related documents should not be kept longer than necessary unless there is a clear lawful reason.
Consent forms may be kept as evidence of consent.Safeguarding or incident records may need to be kept for longer where this is necessary to protect students or comply with legal obligations.
Marketing contact details may be kept until the person opts out or the data is no longer relevant.
Financial records may be kept for legal and accounting purposes.When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it, anonymise it or securely archive it.
17. International transfers
Academic Action works with students, families, schools, universities and partners in different countries.
This means that personal data may be transferred to, accessed from or shared with organisations outside the United Kingdom.
Where we make international transfers of personal data, we will take appropriate steps to protect the data in line with UK data protection law.
This may include using adequacy regulations, appropriate safeguards, contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.
18. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to access your personal data, correct inaccurate data, request deletion, restrict processing, object to processing, request data portability, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and not be subject to certain decisions based only on automated processing.
To exercise your rights, please contact us at global1@academic-action.com.
We may need to verify your identity before responding.Where a request relates to a child, we may need to consider the child’s age, maturity, best interests and the authority of the person making the request.
19. Data breaches
If a personal data breach happens, we will assess the nature and seriousness of the breach.
Where required by law, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office without undue delay and, where possible, within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.
Where a breach is likely to create a high risk to individuals, we will also notify the affected individuals without undue delay.
We will keep records of personal data breaches and the actions taken.
20. Links to other websites
Our website or communications may contain links to third-party websites, including universities, schools, programme providers or partner organisations.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of third-party websites.You should review the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit.
21. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.When we make important changes, we may notify users by email, website notice or another appropriate method.
The updated version will apply from the date it is published.
22. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we use personal data, please contact us first at: global1@academic-action.com You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
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