Privacy policy
Effective 13 October 2026. How ELSCM collects, uses and protects personal data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Who we are
ELSCM is an independent music charity founded in 2015 to make classical music accessible and inclusive. We are the data controller for the personal data described here.
Data we collect
| Category | Examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | First and last name | You |
| Contact | Email, phone number, postal address | You |
| Transaction | Ticket purchases, donation amounts, payment records | Eventbrite, payment processors |
| Marketing preferences | Newsletter status, communication choices | You |
| Usage | IP address, browser type, pages visited | Server logs |
| Enquiries | Contact form messages, programme and enrolment enquiries | You |
| Members' area account | Sign-in email, age group, how you're involved, emergency contact, access needs, learning and volunteering details, photo consent | You, your parent or guardian, ELSCM staff; your name and email from Google if you sign in with Google |
| Children's details | Name, age group, programme, instruments, access needs, photo consent | Their parent or guardian |
| Volunteer checks | Whether a DBS check is needed, in progress or complete, and when | ELSCM staff |
We do not collect special category data such as health or ethnicity unless you choose to share it in an enquiry, and then only where strictly necessary.
How we use your data
- Event tickets and attendance
- Donations
- Replying to programme, tuition and enrolment enquiries
- Newsletters and concert updates, if you opt in
- Fundraising and supporter communications
- Keeping the website secure and working
- Meeting our legal and regulatory duties as a charity
- Keeping student and tutor records
- Running members' area accounts for students, parents and guardians, donors and volunteers
Legal basis
| Basis | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Consent | Marketing emails and newsletters. Withdraw any time by unsubscribing or contacting us. |
| Contract | Ticket bookings, programme enrolments, donations and members' area accounts |
| Legitimate interests | Improving our services, website security, contacting past supporters |
| Legal obligation | Charity law, HMRC and other regulations |
Sharing your data
We never sell personal data. We share it only with processors who help us run our services, under agreements that require them to keep it secure: Eventbrite, payment processors, email platforms (with your consent), website and hosting providers, and legal or regulatory authorities where required.
Where your data is stored
Website forms and members' area accounts are stored with Google Cloud (Firebase), which acts as our processor. The data is held in the United States. Transfers rely on the UK–US data bridge, under which Google LLC is certified, and on Google's international data transfer terms. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and only named ELSCM staff can see it.
How long we keep it
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Event and donation records | 7 years (HMRC and charity accounting) |
| Student and tuition records | 3 years after the student relationship ends |
| Marketing data | Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent |
| Contact and enquiry data | 2 years from last contact, unless the relationship continues |
| Members' area accounts | While the account is open. Ask us to delete it at any time from “My data”; we act within one month |
After these periods data is securely deleted or anonymised.
Your rights
You have the right to access, correct or erase your data, to restrict or object to processing (including direct marketing), and to data portability. We make no automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. We respond to requests within 30 days. Members can download their data or ask us to delete their account from “My data” in the members' area.
You can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk (opens in a new tab) or on 0303 123 1113.
Children's privacy
We teach students of all ages, including under-18s. We collect children's data only with a parent or guardian's knowledge and consent, and parents can review, update or ask us to delete it at any time. Photos are published only where consent is recorded; to ask us to remove one, contact us.
Children under 13 can't have a members' area account; a parent or guardian adds their details to their own account. Young people aged 13 to 17 can have their own account, but must name a parent or guardian, who confirms the link from their own account. That parent can see their details and decides whether we may use photos of them.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. The current version and its effective date are always on this page, and we email newsletter subscribers about significant changes.
Contact us
East London School of Classical Music, registered charity in England and Wales No. 1196175
6 Redwood Close, London E3 2GA
Email info@elscm.co.uk · Phone 0300 102 0004 · Contact form
We aim to respond within 30 days.