Sophie Nicholls Ltd
Last updated: 20 April 2026.
At Sophie Nicholls Ltd ("we", "us" or "our"), we are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights in relation to it.
This policy applies to all information collected through our website [yourwritingschool.com], as well as any related services, courses, memberships, and communications (collectively, the "Services").
Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with its terms, please discontinue use of our Services.
Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide to Us
We collect information that you voluntarily provide when you:
• Sign up to our newsletter or mailing list
• Contact us for support or with enquiries
We also work with third party providers (course management providers and email service processors) to collect information that you voluntarily provide when you create an account, register for a membership, purchase a course or subscription; complete your profile or update account settings; submit forum posts, or workshop materials.
The types of information collected may include:
• Full name and email address
• Billing address and payment information (processed securely via our payment provider — we do not store full card details)
• Username and password (stored in encrypted form)
• Profile information such as a bio or profile photo (optional)
• Course progress, completed lessons, and assignment submissions
• Any content you share in community forums or group discussions
• Support messages and correspondence
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you use our Services, certain information is collected automatically, including:
• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type, version, and operating system
• Device type and screen resolution
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and links clicked
• Referring website or search terms that brought you to us
• Cookie identifiers and similar tracking technologies (see Section 5)
1.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive limited information from third-party services where you have chosen to connect them, such as signing in via Google or another social login provider. We only receive the information those services permit and that you authorise.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
• Create and manage your account and membership
• Deliver the courses, lessons, and content you have purchased or enrolled in
• Process payments and send receipts and billing notifications
• Track your course progress and provide personalised learning recommendations
• Send you administrative emails such as password resets and account notices
• Send you our newsletter, course updates, and promotional offers (where you have opted in, with the right to opt out at any time)
• Operate and moderate community forums and group features
• Respond to your support requests and enquiries
• Detect and prevent fraudulent activity and protect platform security
• Analyse usage patterns to improve our courses and user experience
• Comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
3. Legal Basis for Processing (UK & EU Users)
Under the UK GDPR and EU GDPR, we process your personal data on the following lawful bases:
• Contract: processing necessary to deliver the courses and services you have purchased.
• Legitimate interests: improving our platform, preventing fraud, and communicating service-related updates.
• Consent: sending marketing emails and placing non-essential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation: retaining financial records as required by UK tax law and other applicable regulations.
4. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
We share data only in the following limited circumstances:
4.1 Service Providers
We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Services, including:
• Payment processors— to handle transactions securely
• Our email marketing platforms— to send newsletters and course updates
• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers— to store and serve our content
• Video hosting platforms— to deliver course video content
• Analytics tools— to understand how our site is used All providers process your data in accordance with applicable data protection law.
4.2 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of ourselves, our users, or others.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies on our website. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use them for the following purposes:
• Essential cookies: necessary for the website to function.
• Analytics cookies: to help us to understand how visitors interact with our site so we can improve it.
• Marketing cookies: used to deliver relevant promotional content. These are only placed with your consent.
When you first visit our site, you will be shown a cookie consent notice where you can choose which categories of cookies to accept. You can update your cookie preferences at any time via the "Cookie Settings" link in our website footer. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect functionality.
6. How Long We Keep Your Data
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
• Marketing data: retained until you unsubscribe, at which point we promptly remove you from marketing lists. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• Support correspondence: retained for 2 years after resolution.
7. Your Rights
Under the UK GDPR and EU GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
• Right of access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): request deletion of your personal data, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to restriction: ask us to pause processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on your consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at sophie[AT]sophienicholls[DOT]com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
8. Security
We take data security seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including:
• Regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments
• Reputable third-party processors who maintain their own security standards
No system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach that is likely to affect your rights, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority as required by law.
9. International Data Transfers
Some of our third-party service providers operate outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA). Where data is transferred internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), to provide a level of protection equivalent to UK/EU standards.
10. Children’s Privacy
Our Services are intended for adults aged 18 and over (or 13 and over where parental consent has been provided). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under
If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate consent, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with their data, please contact us at sophie[AT]sophienicholls[DOT]com
11. Links to Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, resources, and services. This Privacy Policy applies only to our Services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal data.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a prominent notice on our website at least 14 days before the changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy will always reflect the most recent version.
Your continued use of our Services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at: sophie[AT]sophienicholls[DOT]com
We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 30 days.
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