Durham International School Kenya
Effective/updated date: JULY 2026
1. Introduction
Durham International School Kenya ("Durham," "the School," "we," "us," or "our") operates the website https://durhamkenya.com (the "Website"), including our Thigiri and Rosslyn campuses, admissions and registration pages, and links to our Parent Portal.
We are committed to protecting the privacy of our prospective and current families, students, staff, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have regarding your (or your child's) information.
This policy is designed to comply with Kenya's Data Protection Act, 2019 and its regulations, as enforced by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).
2. Who We Are (Data Controller)
Durham International School Kenya is the data controller responsible for the personal data collected through this Website.
Data protection contact / DPO: dpo@durhamkenya.com
If you have any questions about this policy or how your data is handled, please contact us using the details above.
3. Personal Data We Collect
We collect personal data in the following ways:
a) Information you provide directly
- Enquiry and contact forms - name, email address, phone number, and the content of your message.
- "Make an Appointment" bookings - name, contact details, preferred appointment date/time, and the age or year group of the prospective student.
- Student Registration Form / Admissions - information about the prospective student (name, date of birth, gender, nationality, previous school records, academic history, special educational needs or medical information where disclosed) and information about parents/guardians (name, contact details, relationship to the child, billing/fee-payer details).
- Careers applications - CV, cover letter, employment history, and contact details of job applicants.
b) Information collected automatically
- Usage and device data - IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring website, collected via standard web server logs and analytics tools.
- Cookies and similar technologies - see Section 8 (Cookies) below.
c) Information from third parties
- Where relevant, we may receive information from previous schools, examination boards, or referees as part of the admissions or recruitment process.
- Our Parent Portal (hosted via a third-party school information management system) may separately collect and process data under its own terms once a family is enrolled; this Website links to that portal but does not control data entered directly into it.
d) Children's data
Because Durham is a school for students aged 1-18, we necessarily collect and process personal data relating to children as part of the admissions and registration process, including, where relevant, sensitive categories such as health, medical, or special educational needs information. We collect this information from parents/legal guardians (not directly from young children) and use it solely for legitimate educational, safeguarding, administrative, and welfare purposes. See Section 9 for more on how we protect children's data.
4. How We Use Your Data
We use personal data for the following purposes:
- To respond to enquiries and schedule appointments or campus visits
- To process student registration and admissions applications
- To communicate with parents/guardians about admissions, fees, term dates, and school matters
- To assess and process job applications
- To maintain the safety, security, and safeguarding of students
- To improve our Website and understand how visitors use it
- To send informational or marketing communications, where you have consented (e.g. newsletters), and you may opt out at any time
- To comply with legal, regulatory, and educational-authority obligations
- To maintain accurate school and financial records
5. Legal Basis for Processing
Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:
- Consent - e.g. when you submit an enquiry form or subscribe to communications
- Performance of a contract - e.g. processing needed to enrol and educate a student, or to process a job application
- Legal obligation - e.g. record-keeping required by Kenyan education authorities
- Legitimate interests - e.g. improving our Website, ensuring school safety and security, and responding to enquiries
- Vital interests or safeguarding - in matters relating to the health, safety, or welfare of a student
6. Sharing Your Data
We do not sell personal data. We may share personal data with:
- Staff and school administrators who need it to carry out admissions, teaching, and pastoral duties
- Service providers who support our operations, such as our website hosting provider (Webflow), our school information management system / parent portal provider, IT and email providers, and payment processors for fee collection
- Educational authorities and examination boards, where required for accreditation, curriculum, or regulatory purposes
- Professional advisers (legal, audit, or insurance) where necessary
- Law enforcement or regulators, where required by law or to protect the safety of students and staff
Any third party processing personal data on our behalf is required to protect it in line with this policy and applicable law.
7. International Data Transfers
Some of our service providers (e.g. website hosting, cloud-based school management systems) may store or process data outside Kenya. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure such transfers comply with the Data Protection Act, 2019, including using providers with appropriate safeguards and, where required, obtaining necessary consent or approval.
8. Cookies
Our Website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to:
- Enable core website functionality
- Understand how visitors use the site (analytics)
- Improve user experience
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some Website functionality.
9. Protection of Children's Data
We take extra care with data relating to students, particularly younger children:
- Information about students is collected from and managed with parents/legal guardians, not solicited directly from young children through this Website.
- Access to student records is restricted to staff with a legitimate educational or safeguarding need.
- We do not use children's personal data for marketing purposes.
- Sensitive information (such as health or special educational needs data) is used only for the purpose of supporting the student's education, safety, and wellbeing.
10. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including:
- Enquiry and appointment data: retained for a limited period after the enquiry is resolved, unless the family proceeds with admission
- Student records: retained for the duration of enrolment and for a period after a student leaves, as required for academic references, alumni relations, and legal/regulatory record-keeping
- Job applications: retained for a limited period after the recruitment process concludes, unless you consent to us retaining your details for future opportunities
11. Your Rights
Under the Data Protection Act, 2019, you have the right to:
- Be informed of how your data is used
- Access the personal data we hold about you or your child
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Request deletion of your data, subject to legal or legitimate retention needs
- Object to or restrict certain processing
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
- Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), Kenya, if you believe your data has been mishandled
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 2.
12. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure, including access controls, secure hosting, and staff confidentiality obligations. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
13. Links to Other Websites
Our Website contains links to third-party sites, including our Parent Portal (hosted on a separate platform). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites, and we encourage you to review their own privacy policies.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will indicate when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
15. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact:
dpo@durhamkenya.com
