Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Speak to me in English (“STMIE”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores, and shares your personal data when you use this website, create an account, work through lessons, submit materials, or request tutor support.

1. Who we are

Speak to me in English is an English-learning website offering structured lessons, learning pathways, downloadable or interactive materials, and selected tutor-supported services such as work review or feedback.

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2. What data we collect

Depending on how you use the site, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Account information: name, nickname, username, email address, login credentials, and account status.
• Lesson and usage information: lesson progress, completed steps, timestamps, preferences, and activity within the site.
• Submitted work: files, written responses, tutor-review uploads, or other content you choose to send to us through lesson steps or contact forms.
• Communications: messages you send to us by email, through forms, or through support-related features.
• Payment-related information: payment status, payment provider, payment reference, and records related to paid tutor review or other paid services. We do not store full card details on this site unless explicitly stated elsewhere.
• Technical and device information: IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, and diagnostic information collected through server logs or site tools.
• Cookie or analytics information: information collected through cookies, pixels, embedded content, or analytics tools where these are used.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data to operate and improve the website and learning services. This may include using your data to:

• create and manage your account;
• let you access lessons, gated steps, and saved progress;
• receive, process, and respond to tutor-review submissions;
• administer payments, payment status, and related service records;
• communicate with you about account, support, service, or lesson matters;
• monitor site performance, security, and misuse;
• improve content, structure, and user experience;
• comply with legal obligations and resolve disputes.

4. Lawful bases

We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under UK data protection law:

• Contract: where we need your data to provide the service you requested, such as account access, lesson participation, or paid tutor review.
• Legitimate interests: where we use data to run, secure, improve, and administer the site in ways that are proportionate and expected.
• Consent: where we rely on your permission, for example for some non-essential cookies or optional marketing communications.
• Legal obligation: where we need to keep or disclose information for legal, tax, fraud-prevention, or regulatory reasons.

5. Who we share data with

We may share your data with service providers only where needed to operate STMIE. These may include:

• website hosting and technical support providers;
• email or form-handling providers;
• payment processors or payment gateways used for tutor-review or other paid services;
• analytics providers;
• embedded content providers such as social or design platforms, where content from those platforms is shown on the site.

We do not sell your personal data to advertisers.

6. How long we keep data

We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, tax, dispute-resolution, and service-administration reasons.

• Account records may be kept while your account remains active and for a reasonable period afterwards.
• Lesson progress and upload records may be kept to support learning history, service delivery, or tutor review administration.
• Payment-related records may be kept for accounting, audit, or dispute purposes.
• Technical logs may be retained for security, performance, and troubleshooting purposes for a limited period.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

STMIE may use cookies or similar technologies for essential site functions and, where applicable, for analytics, embedded content, or other non-essential features.

Essential cookies may be used to keep the site working, such as maintaining sessions, account access, and security features. Non-essential cookies or storage technologies should only be used where appropriate consent has been obtained.

If you use embedded services such as social feeds, videos, or third-party design embeds, those third parties may also collect usage information or place cookies in line with their own policies.

8. Your rights

Depending on your circumstances, you may have the right to:

• be informed about how your data is used;
• request access to your personal data;
• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• request deletion of data in some cases;
• restrict or object to certain processing;
• request portability of data where applicable;
• withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing.

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in this policy.

9. Children

If STMIE is used by or for children, a parent, guardian, school, or responsible adult should ensure that any use is appropriate and that any necessary permissions are in place. If you believe a child has provided personal data inappropriately, please contact us so that we can review and act where necessary.

10. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal data from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no online service can guarantee absolute security, and you should also take care to protect your own account details and devices.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the site, our services, or legal requirements. The latest version will always be published on this page with the updated date shown above.

12. Contact and complaints

If you have a question about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, contact us using the contact details published on the site.

If you are in the UK and remain unhappy with how your data has been handled, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).