Privacy Notice
Privacy Notice
At AutoCoach, your privacy is important to us.
This Privacy Notice explains how AutoCoach collects, uses, stores and protects your personal information in accordance with UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for your personal information is:
Rob MacDougall
AutoCoach
Email: info@autocoach.uk
Phone: +44 (0)7880 707238
2. Personal Information We Collect
Depending on the service you use, AutoCoach may collect and process the following information.
2.1 Contact Information
This may include:
Your name
Address or collection location
Email address
Telephone number
Emergency or parent/guardian contact details where appropriate
2.2 Driving Lesson Information
This may include:
Lesson dates and times
Driving experience
Training and progress records
Areas requiring further development
Theory and practical test information
Driving licence information where relevant
Records of lessons completed and prepaid lesson balances
2.3 Coaching Information
Where you use AutoCoach coaching services, records may include:
Coaching goals
Progress notes
Topics discussed during coaching
Techniques or strategies used during sessions
AutoCoach aims to keep coaching records relevant and proportionate to the service being provided.
2.4 Health and Other Sensitive Information
You may provide information about your health, medication, disability or other circumstances where this is relevant to your ability to drive safely or to the coaching service being provided.
Health information is treated as special category personal data and is handled with additional care.
AutoCoach will only collect this information where it is reasonably necessary and where an appropriate lawful basis and special category condition applies.
2.5 Payment and Financial Information
AutoCoach may process information necessary to:
Record payments
Manage lesson credits and refunds
Maintain accounting and tax records
AutoCoach does not normally retain full payment-card details.
2.6 Communications
AutoCoach may retain relevant communications, including:
Emails
Text messages
WhatsApp messages
Website enquiries
Other correspondence relating to lessons, bookings or coaching
3. How We Collect Your Information
Personal information may be collected:
Directly from you.
Through enquiry or contact forms on the AutoCoach website, including forms created using Fluent Forms.
Through email, telephone, text or WhatsApp.
During driving lessons or coaching sessions.
Through booking or payment arrangements.
From a parent or guardian where appropriate.
From another person where you have asked them to contact AutoCoach on your behalf.
Information submitted through website forms may be stored within the AutoCoach WordPress website database as well as being sent to AutoCoach by email.
4. Lawful Basis for Processing
AutoCoach processes personal information only where there is an appropriate lawful basis.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
Contract
Where processing is necessary to:
Arrange and provide driving lessons or coaching.
Manage bookings.
Process payments.
Maintain records of lessons and services purchased.
Legal Obligation
Where processing is necessary to comply with legal, regulatory, accounting or tax requirements.
Legitimate Interests
AutoCoach may rely on legitimate interests where reasonably necessary for the operation and protection of the business.
These interests may include:
Maintaining accurate lesson and progress records.
Managing enquiries and customer communications.
Maintaining records of payments and prepaid lessons.
Handling complaints or disputes.
Protecting AutoCoach against fraudulent or inappropriate claims.
Improving the administration and quality of services.
Where legitimate interests are relied upon, AutoCoach will consider the impact on your rights and privacy.
Consent
Consent may be used where appropriate for a specific purpose, for example:
Recording a coaching session.
Using a testimonial, photograph or video.
Certain optional communications or uses of personal information.
Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
Withdrawal of consent does not affect processing that has already taken place lawfully before consent was withdrawn.
5. Special Category Information
Certain information, particularly information concerning health, is classed as special category personal data under UK data protection law.
Where AutoCoach processes special category information, an appropriate lawful basis and additional special category condition will be identified.
Where appropriate, this may include your explicit consent.
AutoCoach will only collect special category information where it is relevant and reasonably necessary for the service being provided.
6. How We Use Your Information
Personal information may be used to:
Provide driving tuition and coaching services.
Respond to enquiries about lessons or coaching.
Manage bookings and lesson schedules.
Maintain training and progress records.
Communicate with you.
Manage payments, lesson credits and refunds.
Assess whether tuition can be provided safely and appropriately.
Respond to enquiries, complaints or disputes.
Meet legal, regulatory, insurance, tax or accounting requirements.
Maintain appropriate business records.
AutoCoach does not use personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
7. How Long We Keep Your Information
Personal information is kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
As a general guide:
Website enquiries: enquiries submitted through the AutoCoach website, including Fluent Forms, are retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to the enquiry and manage any subsequent booking or relationship.
Driving lesson and coaching records: retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for tuition, coaching, administrative, legal or regulatory purposes.
Booking and communication records: retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for administration, complaints, disputes or record-keeping purposes.
Financial and accounting records: normally retained for up to 6 years where required for tax, accounting or legal purposes.
Consent records: may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to demonstrate that valid consent was obtained.
Where an enquiry becomes a pupil or coaching relationship, relevant information may form part of that person’s ongoing client record.
Information may be retained for longer where reasonably necessary in connection with a complaint, legal claim, regulatory matter or other legal obligation.
When information is no longer reasonably required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised where appropriate.
8. Data Storage and Security
AutoCoach takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:
Unauthorised access
Loss
Misuse
Alteration
Accidental disclosure
Personal information may be stored:
On password-protected and encrypted devices.
Within the AutoCoach WordPress website and its database.
Within Fluent Forms where information has been submitted through website enquiry forms.
Within secure email and communications systems.
Within other services reasonably required to operate AutoCoach.
Measures used to protect information may include:
Password protection
Device encryption where available
Restricted access to records
Secure website and hosting arrangements
Secure cloud or electronic storage
Regular review of information held
Access to pupil, enquiry and coaching information is restricted to those who reasonably require it.
AutoCoach regularly reviews the personal information it holds and deletes or anonymises information when it is no longer reasonably required.
9. Sharing Your Information
AutoCoach does not sell or rent personal information.
Information may be shared where reasonably necessary with:
Website hosting and IT service providers.
Website software and form-processing providers.
Email and communications providers.
Video-conferencing providers such as Zoom.
Payment or banking providers.
Professional advisers.
Insurers.
Government, regulatory or law-enforcement authorities where legally required or appropriate.
Service providers acting on behalf of AutoCoach are expected to handle personal information appropriately and securely.
Information may also be disclosed where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
10. International Transfers
Some service providers used by AutoCoach may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.
Where this occurs, AutoCoach will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards required by UK data protection law are in place.
These may include recognised adequacy arrangements or approved contractual safeguards.
11. Online Coaching
Where online coaching is provided, sessions may take place using services such as Zoom.
Sessions are not recorded unless this has been agreed in advance and appropriate consent has been obtained.
Any recording will be used only for the agreed purpose and retained only for as long as reasonably necessary.
12. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
Request access to your personal information.
Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected.
Request deletion of your information.
Request restriction of processing.
Object to certain processing.
Request transfer of certain personal information.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Some rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions.
To exercise your rights, contact:
AutoCoach may ask for reasonable evidence of identity before responding to a request.
13. Complaints About Data Protection
If you have concerns about how AutoCoach has handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
14. Cookies and Website Data
The AutoCoach website may use cookies and similar technologies necessary for the operation, security and analysis of the website.
Further information about cookies and website data collection is provided through the website’s cookie controls or Cookie Notice where applicable.
15. Website Enquiry Forms
When you submit an enquiry through the AutoCoach website, the information you provide may be stored within the website’s WordPress database using Fluent Forms and may also be sent to AutoCoach by email.
This information is used to:
Respond to your enquiry.
Assess whether AutoCoach can provide the service requested.
Arrange lessons or coaching where appropriate.
Maintain an appropriate record of communications and bookings.
Submitting an enquiry does not automatically add you to a marketing mailing list.
Website enquiry information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was submitted.
16. Photography, Video, Reviews and Testimonials
AutoCoach will not publish identifiable photographs, videos or other personal information relating to pupils without appropriate permission.
Where a pupil gives permission for a photograph, video, testimonial or other content to be used for marketing purposes, that permission may be withdrawn for future use.
Withdrawal does not necessarily require AutoCoach to recall or remove material that has already been lawfully printed, distributed or otherwise published where removal is not reasonably possible.
Reviews that pupils independently publish on third-party platforms such as Google may remain publicly available in accordance with that platform’s own policies.
17. Changes to This Privacy Notice
AutoCoach may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in:
Services
Business practices
Technology
Legal or regulatory requirements
The current version will be published on this page.
Last updated: 25 September 2026