World of Swimming – Customer and Swimmer Privacy Notice
Last updated: July 2026
1. About This Privacy Notice
This Privacy Notice explains how World of Swimming collects, uses, stores and shares personal information relating to:
● Swimmers
● Parents and guardians
● Adult customers
● People making enquiries
● Visitors to our website
● Other individuals who contact or interact with us
It also explains the rights individuals have in relation to their personal information.
This notice should be read alongside our Terms and Conditions and any separate cookie, safeguarding or venue-specific notices that may apply.
2. Who We Are
World of Swimming is a trading name of Wessex Swim School Limited.
Company number: 06462451 Registered office: 46 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, England, SO50 9DT
Wessex Swim School Limited is the data controller for the personal information covered by this Privacy Notice. This means that we decide why and how personal information is used.
Privacy Contact
Questions, requests or complaints relating to personal information should be sent to:
Email: info@worldofswimming.co.uk Postal address: World of Swimming, 46 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, England, SO50 9DT
3. The Personal Information We Collect
The information we collect will depend on the services used and the individual’s relationship with World of Swimming.
3.1 Customer and Parent Information
We may collect:
● Full name
● Home address
● Email address
● Telephone number
● Emergency contact details
● Relationship to the swimmer
● Soakly account details
● Communication preferences
● Booking history
● Payment and transaction information
● Copies of relevant correspondence
● Complaints, feedback and customer-service records
● Information provided through enquiries or cancellation forms
3.2 Swimmer Information
We may collect:
● Full name
● Date of birth
● Age
● Gender, where relevant to the service or venue arrangements
● Parent or guardian information
● Emergency contact details
● Lesson venue, day, time and class
● Swimming ability, stage and progress
● Assessment and award information
● Attendance history
● Teacher observations and lesson notes
● Information about previous swimming experience
● Behavioural or support information where relevant to safe participation
3.3 Medical, Disability and Additional-Needs Information
To deliver swimming lessons safely and consider appropriate support or reasonable adjustments, we may collect information about:
● Medical conditions
● Medication
● Allergies
● Asthma
● Epilepsy
● Diabetes
● Heart conditions
● Physical disabilities
● Injuries
● Operations and recovery
● Autism
● ADHD
● Learning needs
● Sensory needs
● Communication needs
● Behavioural support needs
● Emergency treatment requirements
● Any other condition or need that may affect safe participation
Health and disability information is treated as special category personal data and is given additional protection.
Customers should only provide information that is relevant to safe participation, support or reasonable adjustments.
3.4 Payment Information
We may collect or receive:
● Payment status
● Amounts paid
● Invoice information
● Direct debit status
● Failed or overdue payment information
● Refund and credit information
● Partial payment details provided by payment processors
World of Swimming does not normally receive or store complete bank account or payment-card details. These are generally handled securely by Soakly and the relevant payment provider.
3.5 Safeguarding, Accident and Incident Information
Where necessary, we may collect:
● Safeguarding concerns
● Accident and incident reports
● Injury details
● Witness accounts
● Relevant communications
● Risk assessments
● Actions taken
● Information received from staff, venues, parents, professionals or public authorities
● Information required to protect a swimmer or another person
Safeguarding information may include sensitive or special category information.
3.6 Photographs and Recordings
Customers are not permitted to take photographs or recordings during lessons or in changing areas.
World of Swimming will only take or use identifiable photographs, videos, testimonials or promotional material where there is an appropriate lawful basis and suitable permission has been obtained.
Consent for promotional photography or filming will be requested separately and will not be a condition of receiving swimming lessons.
3.7 Website and Technical Information
When an individual uses our website or online services, we may collect:
● IP address
● Browser and device information
● Website usage information
● Pages visited
● Date and time of access
● Referral source
● Cookie preferences
● Online form submissions
● Technical and security logs
Further information may be provided in a separate Cookie Notice.
4. How We Collect Personal Information
We may collect information:
● Directly from adult swimmers
● From parents or guardians
● From the swimmer, where appropriate
● Through Soakly
● Through our website and online forms
● Through telephone calls, emails and messages
● Through cancellation, enquiry or complaint forms
● During lessons and assessments
● From teachers, Swim Managers and authorised staff
● From pool and venue operators
● From payment providers
● From emergency services or healthcare professionals
● From local authorities, safeguarding organisations or other public bodies
● From another person where they are authorised to act on the individual’s behalf
Where personal information is provided about another person, the person providing it must ensure they are authorised to do so.
5. Why We Use Personal Information
We use personal information for the following purposes.
5.1 Managing Enquiries and Bookings
We use information to:
● Respond to enquiries
● Assess suitable lesson options
● Set up Soakly accounts
● Manage trials and bookings
● Allocate swimmers to appropriate classes
● Maintain waiting lists
● Confirm lesson arrangements
Our lawful bases are usually:
● Taking steps before entering into a contract
● Performing our contract with the customer
● Our legitimate interests in managing enquiries and operating our services
5.2 Delivering Swimming Lessons
We use information to:
● Deliver lessons
● Manage attendance
● Monitor swimmer progress
● Complete assessments
● Manage class groupings
● Record awards and achievements
● Provide relevant feedback
● Communicate with parents, guardians and adult swimmers
Our lawful bases are usually:
● Performing our contract with the customer
● Our legitimate interests in delivering and improving swimming lessons
5.3 Managing Payments and Accounts
We use information to:
● Issue invoices and payment requests
● Collect monthly or termly payments
● Manage failed payments
● Process refunds and credits
● Maintain financial records
● Investigate payment disputes
● Prevent and detect fraud
Our lawful bases are usually:
● Performing our contract with the customer
● Compliance with legal obligations
● Our legitimate interests in protecting and administering the business
5.4 Safety, Medical Needs and Reasonable Adjustments
We use medical, disability and additional-needs information to:
● Assess whether participation is safe
● Make teachers aware of relevant risks
● Respond appropriately during an emergency
● Consider reasonable adjustments
● Prepare support plans or risk assessments
● Provide an appropriate teaching environment
● Protect swimmers, staff and other customers
Our Article 6 lawful bases may include:
● Performing our contract
● Compliance with legal obligations
● Protecting an individual’s vital interests
● Our legitimate interests in delivering safe lessons
Because this may involve special category information, we will also rely on an appropriate additional condition, which may include:
● The individual’s explicit consent
● Protecting vital interests where consent cannot be obtained
● Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims
● Substantial public interest grounds, including safeguarding children or individuals at risk
● Meeting applicable equality, health and safety or legal obligations
Where we rely on consent, it may be withdrawn at any time. However, if relevant medical or support information cannot be used, we may be unable to deliver lessons safely or provide a requested adjustment.
5.5 Safeguarding and Incident Management
We use information to:
● Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns
● Protect children and adults at risk
● Investigate accidents or incidents
● Contact emergency services
● Make safeguarding referrals
● Cooperate with public authorities
● Maintain appropriate safeguarding records
● Establish, exercise or defend legal claims
Our lawful bases may include:
● Compliance with legal obligations
● Protecting vital interests
● Our legitimate interests in protecting swimmers and staff
● The establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
● Substantial public interest grounds, including safeguarding children and individuals at risk
Consent is not always required before information is shared for safeguarding purposes.
5.6 Customer Communications
We use contact information to send:
● Booking confirmations
● Payment information
● Lesson reminders
● Pool closure information
● Safety information
● Changes to teachers, classes or venues
● Account information
● Terms and Conditions updates
● Responses to enquiries, complaints or cancellation requests
These are service and administrative communications rather than marketing messages.
Our lawful bases are usually:
● Performing our contract
● Compliance with legal obligations
● Our legitimate interests in communicating with customers and operating our services
5.7 Complaints and Customer Service
We use information to:
● Investigate complaints
● Respond to concerns
● Review staff or service performance
● Communicate outcomes
● Defend or resolve disputes
● Improve our services
Our lawful bases may include:
● Performing our contract
● Compliance with legal obligations
● Our legitimate interests in resolving complaints and improving our services
● The establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
5.8 Marketing
We may use contact information to send information about:
● Swimming lessons
● New venues
● New classes
● Courses
● Events
● Related World of Swimming services
● Offers or promotions
We will only send electronic marketing where we have permission or where the law allows us to contact an existing customer about similar services.
Every electronic marketing message will include a way to unsubscribe.
Marketing preferences can also be changed by contacting:
info@worldofswimming.co.uk
Opting out of marketing will not stop essential messages about an active booking, account, payment, lesson or safety issue.
5.9 Business Administration and Legal Compliance
We may use personal information to:
● Maintain business and accounting records
● Obtain legal, insurance or professional advice
● Protect our legal rights
● Manage audits
● Respond to regulatory enquiries
● Meet tax, accounting, health and safety, safeguarding and other legal obligations
● Prevent misuse of our systems
● Maintain information security
● Plan staffing, classes and venue capacity
● Produce anonymised business reports and statistics
Our lawful bases may include:
● Compliance with legal obligations
● Our legitimate interests in administering, protecting and developing the business
● The establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
6. Children’s Personal Information
Many of our swimmers are children, and we recognise that children’s personal information requires particular care.
Most information about a child will be provided and managed by their parent or guardian.
We will:
● Only collect information that is relevant to providing lessons safely
● Explain the use of information in clear language
● Limit access to those who need the information
● Consider the child’s best interests
● Take additional care when sharing children’s information
● Avoid using children’s information for purposes they would not reasonably expect
● Consider the child’s age and understanding when responding to a rights request
Children have their own data protection rights.
Depending on the child’s age, maturity and understanding, we may respond directly to the child or involve their parent or guardian.
We may need to withhold information from a parent or guardian where sharing it would place the child or another person at risk, breach another person’s rights or be unlawful.
7. When Providing Information Is Required
Some personal information is required in order to:
● Set up an account
● Make a booking
● Take payment
● Contact the customer
● Deliver lessons
● Protect the swimmer’s safety
● Meet legal or safeguarding requirements
Where required information is not provided, we may be unable to:
● Offer or continue a booking
● Process a payment
● Assess whether participation is safe
● Provide a reasonable adjustment
● Respond appropriately in an emergency
● Deliver the service requested
8. Who We Share Personal Information With
We only share personal information where it is necessary, proportionate and lawful.
Information may be shared with:
8.1 World of Swimming Staff
This may include:
● Teachers
● Pool helpers
● Swim Managers
● Operations staff
● Administration staff
● Finance staff
● Safeguarding leads
● Senior management
Staff will only receive information relevant to their role.
Teachers may need access to important medical, disability, additional-needs or emergency information, but will not normally have access to full customer accounts or payment details.
8.2 Soakly and Technology Providers
We may share information with suppliers that provide:
● Booking and customer-management systems
● Payment processing
● Direct debit services
● Email and text-message services
● Cloud storage
● Website hosting
● IT support
● Data security
● Document and communication systems
These providers must only use personal information in accordance with their contractual and legal responsibilities.
8.3 Pool and Venue Operators
We may share limited information with pool or venue operators where necessary for:
● Site access
● Safety
● Emergency arrangements
● Incident investigations
● Venue rules
● Safeguarding
● Managing a complaint
Venue operators may also collect personal information independently under their own privacy notices, including information relating to building access, visitor records or CCTV.
8.4 Professional Advisers and Insurers
We may share information with:
● Insurers
● Solicitors
● Accountants
● Auditors
● Health and safety advisers
● Safeguarding advisers
● Other professional consultants
8.5 Public Authorities and Emergency Services
Where necessary, information may be shared with:
● Police
● Ambulance or healthcare professionals
● Local authorities
● Children’s services
● Safeguarding organisations
● Courts and tribunals
● HM Revenue and Customs
● Regulators
● Government departments
● Other bodies where disclosure is required or permitted by law
We may share information without consent where necessary to protect a child, an adult at risk or another person.
8.6 Business Transfers
If all or part of the business is sold, transferred, reorganised or merged, relevant personal information may be shared with professional advisers and the proposed or new business owner.
Any new owner must continue to use the information lawfully and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.
9. Selling Personal Information
World of Swimming does not sell personal information to advertisers, data brokers or other organisations.
We do not sell children’s personal information.
10. International Transfers
Some of our technology or service providers may store or access personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure the transfer is lawful.
These steps may include:
● Using a country covered by UK adequacy regulations
● Using an approved international data transfer agreement
● Using the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses
● Completing an appropriate transfer risk assessment
● Using another lawful transfer safeguard or exception
Customers may contact us for further information about the safeguards used for relevant international transfers.
11. How Long We Keep Personal Information
We do not keep personal information for longer than reasonably necessary.
Retention periods depend on:
● Why the information was collected
● Whether the customer or swimmer remains active
● Legal, tax, insurance and accounting requirements
● Safeguarding requirements
● The nature of any complaint, accident or dispute
● The possibility of legal claims
● Guidance from regulators or professional bodies
Our usual retention periods are set out below.
Enquiries That Do Not Result in a Booking
Enquiry information will normally be retained for up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact, unless it is needed for a complaint, dispute or legal reason.
Active Customer and Booking Records
Account, booking, attendance and customer-service records will be retained while the customer or swimmer uses our services.
Relevant contractual records may then be retained for up to six years after the customer relationship ends.
Routine information that is no longer required may be deleted or anonymised sooner.
Financial and Payment Records
Invoices, payment and accounting records will normally be retained for six years from the end of the relevant financial year, or longer where required by law.
Swimming Progress and Assessment Records
Progress and assessment information will normally be kept while the swimmer attends lessons.
Relevant information may be retained after the swimmer leaves where necessary for:
● Customer-service queries
● Complaints
● Rejoining the programme
● Contractual records
● Legal claims
Information that is no longer required may be deleted or anonymised.
Medical and Additional-Needs Information
Medical, disability and additional-needs information will be reviewed while the swimmer is active.
It will normally be deleted or anonymised when it is no longer required to support safe participation.
It may be retained for longer where it forms part of:
● An accident or incident record
● A safeguarding record
● A complaint
● A risk assessment
● An insurance matter
● A legal claim
Accident, Incident and Safeguarding Records
These records may need to be retained for longer periods because of safeguarding, insurance and legal requirements.
The retention period will depend on:
● The age of the swimmer
● The nature and seriousness of the concern
● Safeguarding guidance
● Insurance requirements
● Applicable limitation periods
● Advice from safeguarding or legal professionals
These records will be stored separately or given restricted access where appropriate.
Complaints and Legal Disputes
Complaint and dispute records will normally be retained for up to six years after the matter is closed.
They may be kept longer where legal proceedings, safeguarding concerns or regulatory action are ongoing or reasonably anticipated.
Marketing Records
Marketing contact information will be kept until:
● The individual withdraws consent
● The individual opts out
● The information is no longer accurate
● We determine that it is no longer required
We may retain a minimal suppression record after an individual opts out so that we can respect the preference and avoid contacting them again.
Technical and Website Information
Technical logs and cookie information will be kept for the period stated in our Cookie Notice or for as long as reasonably necessary for security, website operation and analysis.
At the end of the relevant retention period, information will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised.
12. Information Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information.
These may include:
● Password-protected systems
● User access controls
● Restricted access to medical and safeguarding information
● Staff confidentiality requirements
● Secure booking and payment providers
● Device and account security
● Data backup arrangements
● Secure deletion and disposal processes
● Staff data-protection training
● Incident and breach-response procedures
Access is limited to staff and suppliers who reasonably need the information for their role.
No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will investigate it and notify affected individuals and the Information Commissioner’s Office where required.
13. Data Protection Rights
Individuals may have the following rights, depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used.
Right of Access
Individuals can ask for confirmation that we hold their personal information and request a copy.
Right to Rectification
Individuals can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to Erasure
Individuals may ask us to delete their information in certain circumstances.
This right does not always apply, including where information must be retained for legal, safeguarding, contractual or legal-claims purposes.
Right to Restrict Processing
Individuals may ask us to temporarily limit how information is used in certain circumstances.
Right to Object
Individuals may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
We will stop direct marketing when a valid objection or opt-out is received.
Right to Data Portability
In certain circumstances, individuals may request personal information they provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
Right to Withdraw Consent
Where we rely on consent, it can be withdrawn at any time.
Withdrawing consent does not make any previous use of the information unlawful.
Rights Relating to Automated Decisions
World of Swimming does not normally make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing.
Right to Complain
Individuals have the right to complain about how their information has been handled.
Rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions.
We may need to request identification or evidence of authority before responding to a request, particularly where someone is acting on behalf of a swimmer or another individual.
We will normally respond to a valid data-protection rights request within one month.
Requests should be sent to:
info@worldofswimming.co.uk
14. Data Protection Complaints
Anyone who believes that World of Swimming has not handled personal information properly may make a data-protection complaint.
Complaints should be sent to:
Email: info@worldofswimming.co.uk Postal address: World of Swimming, 46 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, England, SO50 9DT
Please include:
● The name of the person affected
● The swimmer’s name, where relevant
● Contact details
● A clear explanation of the concern
● Relevant dates
● Copies of relevant correspondence
● The outcome being requested
We will acknowledge a data-protection complaint within 30 days and will take appropriate steps to investigate and respond without undue delay.
If the matter is not resolved, the individual may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.
Information about making a complaint is available through the Information Commissioner’s Office website.
We would appreciate the opportunity to investigate and respond before a complaint is referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
15. Cookies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:
● Operate the website
● Remember user choices
● Maintain security
● Understand website usage
● Improve website performance
● Support relevant marketing, where permitted
Cookies that are not strictly necessary will only be used where appropriate consent has been obtained.
Further details, including the cookies used and how to change preferences, should be provided in our Cookie Notice.
16. Links to Other Websites and Services
Our website, emails or Soakly account pages may contain links to third-party websites or services.
Those organisations are responsible for their own privacy practices.
Customers should read the relevant privacy notice before providing personal information directly to another organisation.
17. Changes to This Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice where necessary to reflect changes to:
● Our services
● Our systems or providers
● Our use of personal information
● Data protection law
● Regulatory guidance
● Our safeguarding or operational arrangements
The latest version will be published on our website.
Where a change is significant, we may also notify active customers by email or through Soakly.
18. A Short Explanation for Children and Young Swimmers
World of Swimming needs some information about you so that we can:
● Put you in the right swimming class
● Help you learn to swim
● Keep you safe
● Know who to contact in an emergency
● Understand whether you need any extra help or support
We may know things such as:
● Your name and age
● Your swimming stage
● Which lessons you attend
● How your swimming is progressing
● Whether you have a medical condition or need extra support
We only share this information with people who need it to teach, support or protect you.
You can ask us what information we have about you.
You can also tell us if something is wrong or if you are worried about how your information is being used.
You can speak to your parent, guardian, swimming teacher or another trusted adult, or contact: