Upstagers Academy is the youth drama and theatre education arm of Upstagers, based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. This policy covers how we handle data through our website and as part of running the Academy.

Because much of what we do involves children and young people, we work closely with parents and guardians, and follow the specific data protection requirements that apply to children's information.

If you have any questions, please email andrew@upstagers.org.uk.

We don't collect personal information through this website directly. We don't run an online shop, take payments, or use a contact form on the site.

We do hold information shared with us through other channels — most commonly when:

• A parent or guardian enquires about joining the Academy, usually by email
• A student joins and we collect contact details, emergency contacts, any medical information relevant to the activity, and photo consent — usually via one of our Google Forms
• You register for an audition via Google Forms, where we collect contact details and any relevant background information
• An adult volunteer or tutor joins and we collect contact details and the safeguarding information appropriate to their role
• You pay for classes or membership via Square, our invoicing partner, which handles your payment details directly and securely

We only ask for what we need to run the Academy safely and well.

For performers/members under 18:

• We obtain consent from a parent or guardian before collecting personal information
• Photographs and video taken during productions are only used in line with the consent given when joining the cast
• We never share children's information with third parties for marketing purposes
• A parent or guardian can withdraw consent, or request deletion of their child's data, at any time

If you have any concerns about how a child's data or wellbeing is being handled, please contact us at andrew@upstagers.org.uk and we will respond promptly.

Our website uses cookies in two ways.

Essential cookies keep the site working — managing your session and remembering basic preferences. You can't opt out of these because the site wouldn't function without them.

Embedded content cookies are set by third parties when content from another platform is shown on the site — for example, embedded video from YouTube or Vimeo, or social media posts. These cookies are placed by the platform, not by us, and they may track your activity for the platform's own purposes. You can decline them via the banner shown on your first visit, or by adjusting your browser settings at any time.

We don't run targeted advertising or build profiles on visitors.

Any email you send us is treated confidentially. We keep correspondence so we can reply properly and follow up where needed. We won't pass your details on to anyone else, sell them, or add you to a mailing list without your clear consent. If you'd like us to delete your correspondence at any point, just ask.

We work with a small number of trusted partners to do things we can't do directly, including:

• Square — invoicing and payments
• Google Forms — registration, consent and contact forms

Each has its own privacy policy covering the data it holds. We can't take responsibility for their practices, but we choose partners with appropriate safeguards in place.

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to:

• Ask what data we hold about you
• Ask us to correct anything that's wrong
• Ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Object to how we're using it

To make any of these requests, email andrew@upstagers.org.uk. We'll respond within one calendar month, which is the legal timeframe.

Our website links to other sites — partner organisations and social media. Those sites have their own privacy policies and we can't take responsibility for them.

Unless otherwise stated, the copyright of all words, photographs and design work on this site belongs to Upstagers. Photographs of Academy students are only used with parent or guardian consent.

We may update this page from time to time. Any changes will be notified here.

Last revised: 18th May 2026.