Privacy Policy & POPIA Notice

Who we are

Step-Up Witbank is a preschool and early childhood development provider operating in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

For POPIA and PAIA requests, please contact the Step-Up Witbank Information Officer using the contact details above.

Personal information we may collect

Depending on your relationship with Step-Up Witbank, we may process information such as:

• parent, guardian, visitor and staff names, identity and contact details;
• children’s names, dates of birth, age, gender and enrolment information;
• home addresses, emergency contacts and authorised collection details;
• attendance, class placement and school administration records;
• medical, allergy, dietary, disability, health and emergency information where required for a child’s care and safety;
• payment, billing and account-related information;
• communications sent to or received from Step-Up Witbank;
• photographs, video or audio where appropriate consent has been obtained;
• information submitted through our website contact forms or other online channels;
• technical website information such as IP address, browser type, device information and cookie data where applicable.

We aim to collect only information that is adequate, relevant and reasonably necessary for a legitimate school, legal, safety or administrative purpose.

Children’s personal information

Step-Up Witbank processes personal information relating to children as part of providing education, care, supervision, safety and school administration services.

POPIA gives children’s personal information additional protection. Where required, Step-Up Witbank will obtain the prior consent of a competent person, such as a parent or legal guardian, or rely on another lawful ground permitted by POPIA.

This may include consent for photographs, videos, medical information, emergency care, learning records or other child-related information. Parents and guardians should not submit more child information than is reasonably necessary.

Why we process personal information

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries and arrange campus visits;
• process enrolment applications and administer a child’s placement;
• provide preschool, educational, care and extra-mural services;
• manage health, allergy, dietary, emergency and safety requirements;
• communicate with parents and guardians;
• manage fees, payments, accounts and financial records;
• maintain school records and meet legal, regulatory and contractual obligations;
• protect children, staff, visitors, property and school systems;
• operate, secure and improve our website;
• publish photographs or school-related media where valid consent or another lawful basis exists;
• send updates or marketing where permitted by law and, where required, with consent.

How we collect information

We may collect personal information:

• directly from parents, guardians, staff, applicants, visitors or other data subjects;
• through enrolment forms, consent forms, school records and correspondence;
• through our website, Ninja Forms or other online enquiries;
• during school activities, events or administration;
• from authorised third parties where lawful and necessary.

Who we may share information with

Step-Up Witbank does not sell personal information. We may share information only where reasonably necessary and lawful, including with:

• authorised school staff and service providers who need the information to perform their duties;
• medical or emergency service providers where necessary to protect a child or person;
• professional advisers, accountants, auditors or legal representatives;
• IT, hosting, email, website, security and administrative service providers acting on our behalf;
• government departments, regulators, law-enforcement bodies or other authorities where required by law;
• other parties where a parent, guardian or data subject has given valid consent.

Where a third party processes personal information on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to require appropriate confidentiality and security safeguards.

Security safeguards

Step-Up Witbank takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, interference, alteration, disclosure or destruction.

Measures may include restricted access, passwords, physical security, secure storage, backups, website security controls, staff confidentiality requirements and appropriate safeguards for service providers.

No internet or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we continually aim to use safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.

How long we keep information

Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required by applicable law, accounting, education, employment, contractual, dispute-resolution or record-keeping requirements.

When information is no longer required, Step-Up Witbank will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or de-identify it.

Website, cookies and third-party services

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies for essential functionality, security, performance and user experience. You may restrict cookies in your browser, although some website features may not work correctly.

Pages may include third-party services or embedded content, such as Google Maps, Google reviews or social-media links. Those services may process technical information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Links to external websites are provided for convenience. Step-Up Witbank is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites.

Communications and direct marketing

We may send necessary school, enrolment, fee, safety and administrative communications where these are required to provide our services or fulfil our obligations.

Promotional electronic communications will be handled in accordance with POPIA. Where consent is legally required, we will seek it. You may opt out of marketing at any time by using an unsubscribe option where provided or by contacting us at info@stepupwitbank.co.za.

Your POPIA rights

Subject to applicable law, a data subject may request to:

• confirm whether Step-Up Witbank holds personal information about them;
• access personal information held about them;
• correct or update inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information;
• request deletion or destruction where legally permissible;
• object to certain processing;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• object to direct marketing;
• submit a complaint to the Information Regulator.

We may need to verify your identity or authority before providing access to personal information, particularly where a request relates to a child.

Access to records under PAIA

The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) provides a formal mechanism to request access to records held by certain public and private bodies.

A request for records may need to be submitted to the Step-Up Witbank Information Officer using the prescribed PAIA process and forms. A Privacy Policy does not replace a PAIA Manual where a PAIA Manual is legally required.

Security compromises

If Step-Up Witbank has reasonable grounds to believe that personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, we will handle the incident in accordance with POPIA, including notification to the Information Regulator and affected data subjects where required by law.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, systems, legal obligations or privacy practices. The latest version will be published on this website with an updated revision date.

Privacy complaints and contact details

Please contact Step-Up Witbank first if you have a question, request or complaint about how your personal information is handled.