Privacy Policy
This policy explains how Hallmark College Ltd collects, uses, stores and shares personal information when you visit our website, make an enquiry, book or attend training, contact our team, use recruitment support or otherwise interact with us.
We use information for enquiries, bookings, learner registration, assessment, certification and support.
We do not sell personal information. We share it only where necessary, permitted or required.
You may ask to access, correct, erase, restrict or object to certain uses of your information.
This policy applies to personal information handled by Hallmark College Ltd. We may provide additional privacy information for a specific activity where more detail is required.
Who we are
Hallmark College Ltd, trading as Hallmark College, is registered in England and Wales under company number 12544231. We will normally act as the data controller for the information covered by this policy, meaning that we decide why and how it is used.
Floor 4, Block B, The Vista Centre
Office B4:06B, 50 Salisbury Road
Hounslow, TW4 6JQ, United Kingdom
Scope of this policy
This policy applies when you:
- visit or use our website;
- send an enquiry, contact form or callback request;
- book, pay for or attend a course;
- register as a learner or complete an assessment;
- contact us by telephone, email, messaging service or social media;
- subscribe to course updates or marketing;
- make a complaint or exercise a privacy right;
- use recruitment or employment-support services; or
- visit our premises or attend one of our events.
Third-party websites linked from our site have their own privacy practices. You should read their privacy notices before providing information.
Personal information we may collect
The information collected depends on how you interact with us.
Name, date of birth, learner number, signature, photograph and acceptable identity-document information.
Email, telephone number, postal address, emergency contact and preferred communication method.
Course choice, attendance, registration, assessment answers, results, certificates, progress and support records.
Payment status, transaction reference, invoice, refund information and payer details.
Identity, address, qualification or licence information required for eligibility, registration or audit.
Accessibility, health, disability, language or learning-support information that you choose or need to provide.
Emails, messages, call notes, complaints, testimonials, reviews and contact-form submissions.
IP address, browser, device, cookie identifiers, usage, security logs and approximate location.
Photos, video or audio from training, testimonials or promotional activity where appropriate.
CV, work history, licence details, availability, right-to-work information and role preferences.
Card payments should be processed through an authorised payment provider. Hallmark College does not need to keep complete card numbers or card-security codes in its ordinary records.
Where we obtain information
We may receive information:
- directly from you;
- from an employer, sponsor, family member or organisation booking for you;
- from a booking platform, training partner or referral partner;
- from an awarding organisation, assessment body or regulator;
- from a payment provider confirming a transaction or refund;
- from publicly available professional sources for recruitment purposes; and
- automatically through cookies, analytics and website logs.
Anyone giving us information about another person should have authority to do so and should make this policy available to them.
How and why we use personal information
We must have a lawful basis for each use of personal information. The applicable basis depends on the purpose and circumstances.
| Purpose | Use | Likely lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries | Responding to questions, course advice and callbacks. | Pre-contract steps; legitimate interests. |
| Bookings and payments | Creating bookings, taking payment, invoicing, transfers and refunds. | Contract; legal obligation; legitimate interests. |
| Learner registration | Checking identity, registering learners and meeting course requirements. | Contract; legal obligation; legitimate interests. |
| Course delivery | Attendance, learning, assessment, results, certification and support. | Contract; legal obligation; legitimate interests. |
| Quality assurance | Verification, audits, monitoring and awarding-body checks. | Legal obligation; contract; legitimate interests. |
| Reasonable adjustments | Accessibility, disability, health and learning support. | Legal obligation and an appropriate special-category condition; consent where suitable. |
| Customer service | Reminders, changes, results, certification and after-course help. | Contract; legitimate interests. |
| Website security | Preventing misuse, fraud and unauthorised access. | Legitimate interests; legal obligation where applicable. |
| Service improvement | Feedback, analytics, course demand and performance. | Legitimate interests; cookie consent where required. |
| Marketing | Course dates, offers, industry updates and related services. | Consent or lawful soft opt-in; legitimate interests. |
| Complaints and rights | Investigating complaints and handling privacy requests. | Legal obligation; legitimate interests. |
| Recruitment support | Assessing suitability and making authorised introductions. | Pre-contract steps; consent; legitimate interests. |
| Legal compliance | Fraud prevention, advice, records and legal claims. | Legal obligation; legitimate interests. |
When relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether the use is necessary and whether your rights and interests should take priority.
Sensitive and special-category information
Health, disability, ethnicity, religious belief and similar information may receive extra legal protection. We normally collect relevant health, disability or accessibility information only to:
- consider and provide reasonable adjustments;
- protect health and safety during practical training;
- support assessment or certification arrangements; or
- meet a legal, regulatory or awarding-organisation requirement.
We will identify an appropriate lawful basis and special-category condition before using this information. Depending on the circumstances, this may include explicit consent, a legal or equality-related duty, or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Who we may share information with
We do not sell personal information. We may share relevant information where necessary, permitted or required.
Registration, assessment, certification, verification, quality assurance and audit.
Approved trainers, assessors, venues and delivery partners supporting a course.
Where information is required or verified for an applicable licensing-related process.
Where they fund training or are entitled to agreed attendance or completion information.
Payments, refunds, disputes and fraud-prevention checks.
Hosting, booking, email, communications, storage, CRM and IT support.
Accountants, auditors, insurers and legal advisers.
Courts, police, regulators, tax authorities or other bodies where lawfully required.
Only where you request or authorise recruitment support or another lawful basis applies.
Where the organisation is reorganised, sold or transferred with appropriate safeguards.
Providers acting on our instructions are expected to keep information confidential, use it only for agreed purposes and apply appropriate security measures.
Payments and financial records
Online and card payments may be handled by an independent payment provider, which may collect payment-card details directly under its own privacy notice.
Hallmark College may receive limited information such as payer name, amount, date, payment status, transaction reference, refund status and limited card information. We use it for bookings, accounts, refunds, fraud prevention and financial records.
Marketing communications
We may send course dates, offers, security-industry updates, recruitment opportunities or related Hallmark College information where a lawful basis is available.
For email, text and similar electronic marketing, we normally rely on your consent or the limited customer soft opt-in where its legal conditions are met.
You can opt out at any time by:
- using the unsubscribe link in an email;
- following the opt-out instruction in a message; or
- emailing info@hallmarkcollege.co.uk.
Opting out of marketing does not stop essential messages about a booking, course, payment, assessment, result or certificate. We may keep a limited suppression record to respect your opt-out.
Cookies, analytics and website information
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate securely, remember choices, understand website use and improve performance.
Where consent is required, non-essential technologies should not be used until you have made a choice. You can change your choices through the website’s cookie controls.
Read our Cookie Policy →International transfers
Some suppliers may store or access information outside the United Kingdom. Where a restricted transfer occurs, we will seek to use a lawful transfer mechanism, which may include:
- UK adequacy regulations;
- the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
- the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses; or
- another safeguard or exception permitted by law.
Where required, we will assess the transfer and available protections in the receiving country.
How long we keep information
We keep information only for as long as reasonably necessary, taking account of legal, awarding-body, regulatory, tax, accounting, safeguarding and dispute-resolution requirements.
| Record | Typical approach |
|---|---|
| General enquiries | Usually up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact unless a booking follows or longer retention is justified. |
| Bookings and customer service | Normally up to six years after completion, cancellation or the end of the relationship where needed for contracts, records or claims. |
| Assessment and certification | For the period required by the relevant awarding organisation, regulator or quality-assurance rules. |
| Identity-document copies | Only as long as necessary for verification, audit, fraud prevention or a regulatory requirement. |
| Financial and tax records | For the period required by applicable tax and accounting law, commonly six years for relevant tax records. |
| Adjustment and support information | As long as needed to support the learner and satisfy applicable assessment, legal or complaint requirements. |
| Marketing information | Until consent is withdrawn, an objection is made or it is no longer needed; suppression information may be retained. |
| Complaints and legal claims | Normally up to six years after closure, or longer where a claim, investigation or law requires it. |
| Recruitment information | Usually up to 12 months after the last recruitment activity unless a longer period is agreed or required. |
| Website security logs | For a limited period proportionate to security, troubleshooting and fraud prevention. |
At the end of the applicable period, information will be deleted, anonymised or securely destroyed where reasonably practicable.
How we protect information
We use organisational and technical measures designed to reduce accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or misuse.
- access controls and password protection;
- secure connections and protected systems;
- confidentiality and staff awareness;
- secure disposal of paper and electronic records;
- software updates, backups and malware protection;
- supplier checks and contractual safeguards; and
- data-breach identification, investigation and reporting procedures.
No internet or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. Take reasonable care when sending identity or sensitive information electronically.
Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and applicable exemptions, you may have the following rights:
Clear information about collection and use.
Request a copy of information we hold.
Correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request deletion where no lawful reason remains.
Limit use in certain circumstances.
Object to legitimate-interest processing and marketing.
Receive certain information in a reusable format.
Withdraw consent where it is the lawful basis.
Rights may apply to significant solely automated decisions.
Hallmark College does not ordinarily make legally significant learner decisions solely through automated processing.
Contact us using the details below. We may ask for reasonable proof of identity. We do not normally charge a fee, although limited exceptions may apply to manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.
Recruitment and job-opportunity support
Where you ask us to help with employment opportunities, we may process your CV, employment history, qualifications, SIA licence information, availability, location, preferences, right-to-work information, references and application feedback.
We will not normally send an identifiable CV or candidate profile to an employer unless you request or authorise the introduction or another lawful basis applies. A potential employer will generally be a separate controller responsible for its own privacy information.
Children and younger learners
Our security-licence training and booking services are primarily intended for adults. We do not knowingly use children’s information for marketing without an appropriate legal basis.
Where a younger learner is legally eligible for a programme, we will take reasonable steps to provide age-appropriate privacy information and obtain parental, guardian or other permissions where required.
Data-protection complaints
Please contact Hallmark College if you are concerned about how we collected, used, shared, retained or protected information, or how we handled a privacy-rights request.
Explain what happened, the information or service involved, relevant dates or documents, and the outcome you are seeking.
We provide a clear way to submit a data-protection complaint.
We will acknowledge receipt within 30 days.
We will investigate, keep you informed and respond without undue delay.
We will explain the outcome and appropriate action taken.
Information Commissioner’s Office
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. We encourage you to contact us first so we have an opportunity to resolve the concern.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our services, technology, suppliers, legal obligations or privacy practices change. The latest version will be published here with an updated date.
Where a change materially affects how information is used, we may take additional steps to bring it to your attention.
Contact Hallmark College
Use these details to exercise a right, withdraw consent, object to marketing or make a complaint.
50 Salisbury Road, Hounslow, TW4 6JQ