Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10 November 2026

This policy explains how Virelora Academy ("we", "us") handles personal information. We follow the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Virelora Academy is the "responsible party" for the information described here.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

Trading name:

Registered name:

Registration number:

Directors or owner:

VAT number:

Physical address:

Phone:

Email:

Information Officer:

For any privacy question or request, email us at .

2. What we collect

Who	Information
Parents	Full name, email address, password (stored in scrambled form by our login provider, so we cannot read it), optional cell number, your email preference, and a record of when you accepted our terms.
Learners (given by a parent)	First name, grade, subject and curriculum, entered when a parent books a lesson. Learners do not have accounts.
Location	Tutors who teach in person give an area (a town you choose, or a point from your device if you allow it). We round it to about 1 km and also keep how far you will travel. Parents who post an in-person request give an area that we round in the same way. When a parent searches for tutors near them, their location is used for that search only and is not saved. We never ask for a street address.
Tutors	Full name, email address, password (scrambled), qualification, town or city and province, grades, subjects, curricula, languages, online or in-person choice, optional bio, and a record of when you accepted our terms. We also receive a certified copy of your matric certificate, and police clearance if you offer in-person lessons, by email for checking.
Bookings and reviews	The lesson or pack requested, price, status, lesson times and, if a parent reports a problem, the reason they give. Reviews contain a star rating and an optional comment.
Technical data	Our website host and database provider keep standard server logs that include your IP address and browser type. Your browser also stores a few small items described in our Cookie Policy.

We collect only what we need to run the service. We do not collect ID numbers, bank card details, or special personal information (such as health, religion or race). Please do not enter that kind of information into free-text boxes. We do not use advertising trackers or analytics tools, and we do not sell personal information.

3. Why we use it

To create and manage your account and let you log in (to carry out our agreement with you).
To match families with tutors, arrange lessons and handle bookings, cancellations and refunds (to carry out our agreement with you).
To match requests with suitable tutors, online or within the distance a tutor travels, and to show parents roughly how far a tutor is (with your consent, and to carry out our agreement with you).
To review tutor applications and check documents, to help keep learners safe (with the tutor's consent, and in the legitimate interest of learners and parents).
To show approved tutor profiles and ratings publicly (with the tutor's consent).
To show star ratings and the number of completed lessons for tutors, based on real bookings (in the legitimate interest of other parents).
To keep a private record of each tutor's completed lessons, late cancellations and missed lessons, so we can protect learners and parents from missed lessons (in our legitimate interest and theirs).
To send service messages such as booking confirmations and password resets.
To send news and offers, only if you tick the box to receive them (with your consent).
To keep the service secure, prevent abuse, and meet our legal duties.

4. Children's information

Accounts are for adults aged 18 or older. We collect a learner's first name, grade and subject only from a parent or legal guardian, who must confirm they may consent on the learner's behalf each time they book (POPIA sections 34 and 35). We use it only to arrange and deliver lessons and we share it only with the tutor booked. The free games on our website do not collect any personal information. To correct or delete a learner's information, email us.

5. Who we share it with

Tutors who match a request see its grade, subject, curriculum, session type, town, a distance and any notes the parent wrote. They do not see the learner's name or the parent's name or contact details. Parents see a tutor's name, qualification, rating and distance, never their position.
The tutor you book receives the booking details, including the learner's first name, grade and subject. If we need to share your contact details to arrange a lesson, we will tell you first.
The public can see an approved tutor's name, qualification, town or city, grades, subjects, curricula, languages, session types, bio and rating. Tutors' documents are never shown.
Service providers (operators) who process information for us under agreements that require them to protect it: our database and login provider (Supabase) and our website host.
Authorities or other parties where the law requires it or to protect someone's safety.

6. Sending information outside South Africa

Our database provider may store information on servers outside South Africa. We only use providers that are bound by law, binding rules or an agreement that gives protection similar to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires.

7. How long we keep it

Requests and offers: while they are open, and for 90 days after they close. Then they are deleted.
Account information: while your account is open. We delete it within 30 days after you delete your account or ask us to.
Declined tutor applications and their documents: deleted within 90 days of the decision.
Records the law requires us to keep, such as financial records: for the period the law requires (usually five years).

8. How we protect it

We use encrypted connections (HTTPS), scrambled passwords, and access rules so that each person can only see their own records. Only authorised staff can review tutor applications. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach could harm you, we will tell you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

9. Your rights

You may ask us to tell you what we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. You may object to us using it, and you may withdraw your consent at any time (this does not affect what we did before). You can delete your account and data yourself using "Delete my account and data" in your account window, or you can email us. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you may complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa. See inforegulator.org.za for current contact details.

10. Marketing emails and unsubscribing

We only send news and offers if you ticked the optional box. Every marketing email will have an unsubscribe link. You can also switch this off at any time in your account window or by emailing us. Service messages (such as booking confirmations) are not marketing.

11. Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will update the date above and let account holders know.