Go Back to Homepage

Data Privacy Policy

Thames International Extension is the online learning division of Thames International School, Inc. As a dedicated online platform, we provide students with flexible and accessible access to Thames International School’s renowned curriculum and learning experiences. By leveraging technology, we aim to deliver high-quality education beyond traditional classroom settings. Hence, Thames International Extension and Thames International School Inc. is subsequently and collectively referred to as “Thames”.   Thames is bound by the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (the “Act”). It is committed to respecting each of the members of the school community’s personal privacy while ensuring its ability to fully carry out its responsibilities. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) sets out how Thames manages personal information provided to or collected by it, who uses and how the information is used, how the information is shared, how long the information is retained, how a data breach is handled and what the students or trainees’ rights are with respect to their personal information. Thames may, from time to time and at its sole discretion, review and update this Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to its operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing environment. Thames will post and publish notice of any such modification, which shall be effective immediately upon posting or publication. What kind of personal information does Thames collect? The type of information Thames collects and holds includes (but is not limited to) personal information, other sensitive information that the data subject provides before, during and after the course of a program. On occasions when third parties provide personal information, without or upon the Thames’ request, the Thames will determine if it can legitimately keep such information.  It will be treated in the same manner as information that the data subject herself/himself has provided Thames if it is related to its legitimate educational interests; otherwise, the information will be disposed of in a way that will safeguard the data subject/s’ privacy. Registration/Enrollment Upon registration to a program or training course, Thames will collect information on the data subject/s’ personal circumstances and directory information, such as but not limited to, name, email address, telephone number and other contact details, position, etc., as necessary. Information collected upon, during and after the course of the data subject/s’ registration include, but are not limited to, information relating to:
  • course undertakings and submissions, classes enrolled in, performance, attendance record, and other training-related evaluations; 
  • pictures and screenshots of live sessions;
  • video recordings of live sessions; and
  • any disciplinary incident and accompanying sanctions.
  How does Thames collect personal information? Thames will generally collect, acquire or generate personal information held about a student or trainee by way of forms filled out by themselves, online or face-to-face meetings and interviews, emails, SMS and/or telephone calls. When the data subject uses the Thames’ online services and online teaching platforms, Thames’ servers and those of its third party service providers automatically record information that the data subject/s’ browser sends whenever he/she visits the website, such as data subject/s’ server address, top level domain name (e.g., .com, .gov, .ph, etc), date and time of visit to the site, pages accessed and documents viewed, previous sites visited, browser type, browser language, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser. In addition, information the data subject/s share with others through chat sessions, email exchanges, online platforms or bulletin board discussions can be collected and used by others. Data subject/s is/are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of her/his passwords and personalization information. The general recommendation is not to disclose personal information as much as possible. Who uses the information? Data subject/s’ personal information is accessed and used by Thames authorized personnel who have legitimate interest in it for the purpose of carrying out the Thames’ contractual obligations. How will the school use the personal information you provide? Personal information will only be collected for purposes necessary to the functions and activities of the program or training course the data subject is registered in. These include but are not limited to:
  1. processing registration;
  2. recording, storing and evaluating student or trainee’s work, e. g. homework, seatwork, tests, research papers, essays and presentations;
  3. recording, generating and maintaining records, whether manually, electronically or other means, of class attendance and participation;
  4. sharing of grades between and among teachers/training personnel/facilitators, and others with legitimate official need, for course completion deliberations ;
  5. investigating incidents relating to student or trainee behavior and implementing disciplinary measures;
  6. maintaining directories;
  7. compiling and generating reports for statistical and research purposes;
  8. communicating official school or training announcements;
  9. sharing marketing and promotional materials regarding school-related functions, events, projects and activities;
  10. soliciting student or trainee participation in research and non-commercial surveys; and
  11. satisfying the Thames’s legal obligations and allowing it to discharge its duty of care.
In cases where Thames requests personal information about a prospective student or trainee, if the information requested is not provided, Thames may not be able to enroll or continue the registration or permit that prospective student or trainee to take part in a particular activity. Who might Thames disclose personal information to? Thames may disclose personal information, including sensitive information, held about a trainee to:
  1. Concerned government regulatory agencies;
  2. People providing services to Thames for the purpose of training such as guest lecturers, resource speakers and the like;
  3. anyone you authorize Thames to disclose information to;
  4. suppliers and contractors that carry out services for Thames such as the LMS service provider; and
  5. anyone to whom Thames is required to disclose the information to by law.
Thames may also store personal information in the cloud which may mean that it resides on servers which are situated outside of the Philippines. How long will Thames retain your information? Thames will retain data subject/s’ personal information indefinitely for historical and statistical purposes. In cases where a retention period is required by law, all records after such period will be duly and securely disposed of. Security of personal information Thames’ staff are required to respect the confidentiality of data subject/s’ personal information and the privacy of individuals. Thames has in place steps to protect the personal information it holds from misuse, interference and loss, unauthorized access, modification or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage of paper records and password access rights to computerized records. How will Thames handle data breach? Any data security incident or breach that comes to the knowledge of Thames will be recorded and reported as required by law. It will take all necessary and reasonable steps to address such incident or breach and mitigate any negative effect of such incident or breach. If there is strong suspicion that an incident affects a data subject’s personal information, Thames will notify the concerned data subject of such incident in an appropriate manner. What are the rights with respect to your information? Under relevant Philippine laws and rules and regulations, data subject/s may object to the processing of his/her personal data, have the right to obtain access to any personal information which Thames holds about the data subject and to advise Thames of any perceived inaccuracy. Data subject/s may request to access to her/his personal information, and/or have it corrected, erased, or blocked on reasonable grounds. Thames reserves the right to deal with the matter in accordance with law. To make a request to access or update any personal information Thames holds about you, please submit your request and explain the reason for your by writing 
The Data Privacy Officer Thames International Extension 27 Calle Industria, Bagumbayan, Quezon City dataprivacy@thames.edu.ph
Thames may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. It may charge a fee to cover the cost of verifying your information and locating, retrieving, reviewing and copying any material requested. If Thames cannot provide you with access to that information, it will provide you with written notice explaining the reasons for refusal.