Privacy policy.

St Francis College respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we look after it.

1. Who we are

St Francis College is an independent UMALUSI-accredited school situated at 32 Park Street, Benoni, 1500, Gauteng, South Africa. We are the responsible party (as defined in POPIA) for personal information we hold.

Our Information Officer may be contacted at: info@stfranciscol.co.za or 010 035 0947.

2. What personal information we collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Name, surname and identity number of learners and parents or guardians
• Contact details: postal address, email address and mobile number
• Medical information relevant to a learner's care and education
• Financial information related to school fee accounts
• Academic records and progress reports
• Photographs and video footage taken at school events

3. Why we collect your information

We collect and process personal information to:

• Process and manage applications for enrolment
• Administer learner records and academic progress
• Communicate with parents and guardians about their child's education
• Manage school fee accounts and financial records
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• Ensure the safety and welfare of all learners and staff on campus

We will not use your personal information for any purpose other than those stated above without your express consent.

4. How we protect your information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep your personal information secure, including:

• Restricting access to authorised staff only
• Binding all staff with confidentiality obligations
• Using secure systems for storing and transmitting personal data

We will not retain your personal information longer than the period for which it was originally needed, unless required by law.

5. Sharing of information

We will not sell or make your personal information available to any third party, except:

• Where required by law or by order of a court
• To service providers who assist us in operating the school (who are bound by confidentiality agreements)
• With your express prior consent

6. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of inaccurate information
• Object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Information Officer at info@stfranciscol.co.za.

Information Regulator (South Africa)
JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
Website: inforegulator.org.za

7. Cookies and website usage

Our website may collect standard server log information and use cookies to improve the user experience. No personally identifiable information is collected through cookies without your knowledge.

8. Media and photographs

The school collects photographs and video footage of learners, staff and events. This material may be used for purposes including the school website, social media, newsletters, marketing materials and communications to prospective families. Where a learner is identifiable, this constitutes processing of personal information and requires consent.

Consent for the use of a learner’s image is obtained from the parent or guardian as part of the enrolment process. You may withdraw consent at any time by notifying our Information Officer in writing. Where consent is withdrawn, the school will not use new images of the learner in marketing contexts, though previously published material may not be retrievable.

We will not use identifiable photographs or video of learners in commercial advertising without separate explicit written consent.

9. Children’s personal information

As a school, the majority of the personal information we process relates to children (persons under the age of 18). Under POPIA, the processing of a child’s personal information requires the consent of a competent person — that is, the child’s parent or legal guardian.

By completing the enrolment process, the parent or guardian confirms consent to the processing of their child’s personal information for the purposes described in this policy. Consent for specific uses such as marketing and media (see section 8 above) is obtained separately and explicitly.

The school takes particular care to:

• Limit access to learners’ personal information to authorised staff only
• Not disclose children’s information to third parties except as required by law or as set out in this policy
• Retain children’s personal information only for as long as required for educational and legal purposes

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The current version is always available on this page. Continued use of our website after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or about how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

St Francis College
32 Park Street, Benoni, 1500
010 035 0947
info@stfranciscol.co.za