Effective Date: August 22, 2025]
Last Updated: [August 22, 2025]

The Natural School of Art is committed to protecting the privacy of children, families, schools, and communities who engage with our website and programmes. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Irish data protection law.

1. Who We Are

The Natural School of Art is based in West Wicklow, Ireland. We provide forest school sessions, creative workshops, heritage in schools programmes, horse-assisted experiences, creative pilgrimages, and eco-arts projects.

For any privacy-related questions, please contact:
 Email: [thenaturalschoolofart@gmail.com]



2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

Personal details (name, email, phone number, address) when you contact us.

School or organisation details if you book workshops or programmes.

Payment information (when making donations, payments, or bookings).

Website usage data such as IP address, browser type, and cookies.

Photographs / media only with explicit consent, for events or workshops.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children without parental or guardian consent.



3. How We Use Your Information

We use your data to:

Provide and manage bookings, workshops, and events.

Respond to enquiries and communicate with you.

Process donations and payments.

Send updates on programmes, projects, and fundraising (only if you opt-in).

Improve our website and services.

Comply with legal obligations.



4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under one or more lawful bases:

Consent (e.g. newsletter sign-up, media consent).

Contract (e.g. bookings, donations, agreements).

Legal obligation (e.g. accounting, child safeguarding).

Legitimate interests (e.g. improving our services, community engagement).



5. How We Store and Protect Data

Data is stored securely on password-protected systems.

Access is limited to authorised staff or volunteers.

We do not sell or share your data with third parties, except trusted service providers (e.g. payment processors, IT support) who comply with GDPR.



6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose collected:

Enquiries: up to 1 year.

Booking/payment records: up to 7 years (for legal obligations).

Media/consent records: until consent is withdrawn.

Mailing list subscriptions: until you unsubscribe.



7. Your Data Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

Access your personal data.

Correct inaccurate data.

Request erasure (“the right to be forgotten”).

Restrict or object to processing.

Data portability (receive a copy of your data).

Withdraw consent at any time (for communications or media use).

To exercise your rights, email us at [Insert Email Address].

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC) Ireland:
 www.dataprotection.ie



8. Cookies & Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies to improve user experience and gather anonymous usage statistics. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings.



9. Third-Party Services

We may use trusted third-party services (such as secure payment providers, email newsletters, or analytics). These providers only process data on our behalf and must comply with GDPR.



10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website.