Privacy Policy (POPIA)

Who we are

Montessori Eco Schools is operated by Singing Forest and Chartwell House Montessori CC (registration number 2009/016525/23), which runs Chartwell House Montessori Eco School and Singing Forest Montessori Eco School. We are the “responsible party” for the personal information described here, as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”). We are committed to processing personal information lawfully, transparently, and only for the purposes set out below.

What we collect and why

We collect only what we need, mostly directly from you. Where you give us information about your child, you do so as their parent or legal guardian (POPIA requires a competent person's consent for children's information).

Prospective families

Information: Parent/guardian names, contact details, and enquiry or tour-booking details; the child's name, age, and proposed start term.

Purpose: To respond to enquiries, arrange tours and open days, and assess applications.

Enrolled learners

Information: Identity and birth details, enrolment forms, school and termly reports, assessments, photographs, and medical, allergy, and emergency-contact information.

Purpose: To educate and care for your child, keep them safe, meet our legal duties, and communicate with you about their progress.

Parents and guardians (account holders)

Information: Identity numbers, contact and address details, employer details, banking and debit-order details, and credit-check consent where given.

Purpose: To conclude and administer the enrolment contract, invoice and collect fees, and manage the account.

Staff and job applicants

Information: CVs, qualifications, identity, tax, banking, and employment records.

Purpose: Recruitment, payroll, and compliance with labour and tax legislation.

Website visitors

Information: Contact-form submissions and, only if you opt in, analytics and marketing cookie data.

Purpose: To respond to you and understand how the site is used (see Cookies below).

Providing information is voluntary, but without the information required for enrolment we may be unable to accept or care for a learner. We do not sell your information to third parties.

Special personal information

Medical, allergy, and health information about learners is special personal information under POPIA. We process it only with your consent and only to keep your child safe — for example, so staff can respond to allergies, medication needs, and emergencies. Access is limited to staff who need it.

Who we share it with

We share personal information only where needed, with service providers (“operators”) who process it on our behalf under confidentiality and security obligations — such as our admissions and accounting systems, banks and debit-order processors, credit bureaus (only where you have consented), IT and hosting providers, and medical or emergency services when a child's safety requires it. We also disclose information where the law requires us to. Some providers (for example, cloud hosting, Google, and Meta) may store data outside South Africa; we use providers bound by adequate data protection laws or agreements, as POPIA section 72 requires.

How we protect and keep it

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to prevent loss, damage, or unauthorised access, including access controls, secure storage of paper files, and encrypted connections. If we believe your information has been compromised, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires. We keep records only for as long as needed for the purpose, or as long as the law requires (for example, financial and tax records), and then destroy or de-identify them.

Your rights

Under POPIA you have the right to:

• Be told what personal information we hold about you or your child, and request a copy of it.
• Ask us to correct, update, or delete information that is inaccurate, out of date, excessive, or unlawfully obtained.
• Object to processing on reasonable grounds, and to direct marketing at any time.
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent (this does not affect processing already done).
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

To exercise these rights, contact our Information Officer (below). Requests for copies of records are handled under our PAIA Manual; there is no request fee for asking for your own personal information.

Cookies

This site uses cookies in the following categories. You can manage your preferences at any time via the cookie banner.

Strictly Necessary

Required for the site to function — cannot be switched off.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site (pages viewed, approximate location, device type). Only active if you opt in.

Marketing

We use the Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Pixel to measure ad performance and show relevant ads to people who've visited the site. Only active if you opt in.

Form Submissions

Lets enquiry and contact forms be submitted and processed.

Analytics

If you accept the “Analytics” cookie category, this site uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site — for example, which pages are viewed, how visitors arrive at the site, approximate location derived from IP address, and device or browser type. This data is processed by Google on our behalf and is not used to individually identify you. It only loads after you opt in, and you can withdraw consent at any time via the cookie preferences link in the footer, or by using Google's browser opt-out add-on.

Marketing

If you accept the “Marketing” cookie category, this site uses the Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Pixel to measure how visitors respond to our Facebook and Instagram advertising, and to show relevant ads to people who have visited the site. This data is processed by Meta on our behalf. It only loads after you opt in, and you can withdraw consent at any time via the cookie preferences link in the footer, or by managing your ad preferences directly in your Facebook account settings. We will only send you school marketing by email or SMS if you are a current or prospective parent, or have consented, and every message lets you opt out.

Information Officer

Questions, requests, or complaints about your personal information can be directed to our Information Officer, Sophia Chetty, at admissions@montessoriecoschools.co.za or 011 875 2103.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) at POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za.