Privacy & cookie policy

1. Who We Are

Theory of Knowledge Ltd operates theoryofknowledge.net, an educational website providing resources, memberships, professional development and related services to teachers, schools, educational organisations and other users.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Theory of Knowledge Ltd is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this Privacy & Cookie Policy.

Theory of Knowledge Ltd, 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom.

This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, how we use cookies and similar technologies, and your rights in relation to your personal information. It applies to information collected through theoryofknowledge.net and through our related activities, including memberships, purchases, newsletters, email communications, webinars, workshops and professional development services.

2. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect your name, email address, school, organisation or employer, professional role or job title, username and account details, membership and subscription information, billing and transaction information, communications you send to us, information you provide when registering for newsletters, webinars, workshops or other services, IP address, browser and device information, information about how you interact with our website and resources, cookie and analytics information, and other information you choose to provide to us.

If a school or organisation purchases a membership on behalf of its staff, we may also receive personal information relating to staff members who are given access to that membership. We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary to provide and improve our services.

3. How We Collect Information

We may collect information directly from you when you create an account, purchase or renew a membership, use our member resources, subscribe to our newsletter, register for a webinar, workshop or event, contact us, request information about our services, provide feedback, or otherwise communicate with us.

We may also receive information from a school or organisation where it purchases or administers access to our services for its staff. Certain technical information is collected automatically when you visit our website through server logs, cookies and similar technologies.

4. How and Why We Use Your Information

We may use personal information to create and administer accounts, provide access to memberships and educational resources, process purchases and renewals, administer subscriptions, communicate with you about your account, membership or purchase, respond to enquiries and provide customer support, administer webinars, workshops and professional development, send newsletters and other communications where permitted, maintain appropriate business and financial records, understand how our website and resources are used, improve our website, resources and services, maintain website and account security, prevent fraud, misuse and unauthorised access, and comply with legal, tax, accounting and regulatory requirements.

We do not sell your personal information.

5. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following.

Contract. We process information where necessary to provide a membership, subscription, resource, webinar, workshop or other service that you or your organisation has requested.

Legitimate Interests. We may process information where necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights. These interests may include administering our services, communicating with existing customers and members, improving our educational resources and website, providing customer support, maintaining security and protecting our services against misuse.

Consent. We rely on consent where appropriate, including for certain marketing communications and non-essential cookies or similar technologies. Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Legal Obligation. We may process or retain information where necessary to comply with legal, tax, accounting or regulatory obligations.

6. Newsletters and Email Communications

We use Benchmark to manage and distribute our newsletters and related email communications. If you subscribe to our newsletter or otherwise agree to receive marketing communications, we may provide Benchmark with information such as your name and email address for this purpose.

Our communications may include information about our educational resources, Theory of Knowledge, critical thinking, new materials, events, webinars, workshops, professional development, memberships and other relevant Theory of Knowledge Ltd services.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link included in our emails. We may retain limited information about an unsubscribe request to ensure that we respect your preference in the future. Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not prevent us from sending essential communications relating to an account, purchase or active membership.

7. Payments

Payments for our services may be processed through third-party payment providers, including Stripe and PayPal. Payment providers process payment information according to their own privacy policies and security procedures. Theory of Knowledge Ltd does not normally receive or store your complete payment card details.

We may receive transaction information such as your name, email address, billing information, amount paid, payment status and transaction reference. We use this information for membership administration, customer service, accounting and legal compliance.

8. Website Analytics

We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use theoryofknowledge.net. Subject to applicable cookie and consent requirements, analytics may provide information about pages visited, time spent on the website, general interaction with the website, browser and device type, referring websites and approximate geographic information. We use this information to understand website performance and improve our resources and services. Google may process information in accordance with its own privacy policies.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Theoryofknowledge.net uses cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small files or pieces of information that websites store on, or access from, a visitor’s device. They can perform a variety of functions, including keeping users logged in, maintaining website security, remembering preferences and helping us understand how the website is used.

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate essential website functions, allow members to log in and access restricted resources, maintain user sessions, protect the website and user accounts, remember certain preferences, and understand how visitors use our website.

We do not use cookies to display third-party advertising on theoryofknowledge.net.

10. Strictly Necessary Cookies

Some cookies are necessary for theoryofknowledge.net to function correctly. These may include cookies used for member authentication, login sessions, account security, website security, maintaining essential website functionality, and remembering privacy or cookie preferences.

Strictly necessary cookies may be used without consent where permitted by applicable law. Blocking these cookies through your browser may prevent parts of theoryofknowledge.net, particularly member areas, from working correctly.

11. Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics to help us understand website usage and performance. Analytics cookies may collect information about how visitors interact with the website, including pages visited, general navigation patterns and browser or device information.

Where consent is required by applicable law, analytics cookies will only be activated after you have provided the appropriate consent. You can reject analytics cookies through our cookie consent controls where these are provided.

12. Third-Party Services and Cookies

Some services used to operate theoryofknowledge.net are provided by third parties. These providers may use cookies or similar technologies where necessary to provide their services. Depending on how you interact with our website, these may include services associated with website analytics, payment processing, website security, embedded content, and technical website functionality.

Third-party services are also subject to the relevant provider’s own privacy and cookie policies.

13. Payment Service Cookies

Our payment providers, including Stripe and PayPal, may use cookies or similar technologies for purposes including security, fraud prevention and payment processing. Their use of information is governed by their respective privacy and cookie policies.

14. Email Technologies

Emails distributed through Benchmark may contain technologies that allow us to understand basic engagement with our communications, such as whether an email has been delivered or interacted with, subject to applicable law and the functionality and settings we use. You can unsubscribe from our marketing communications at any time.

Where theoryofknowledge.net provides a cookie consent or preference tool, you can use it to manage non-essential cookies. You can also control cookies using your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to view or delete cookies, block some or all cookies and change how websites are permitted to store cookies.

Blocking certain cookies may affect the functionality of theoryofknowledge.net, particularly member login and account functionality. Where consent is required for a cookie or similar technology, we will request consent before using it. You may withdraw or change your consent through the cookie preference controls provided on our website, where available.

We use trusted third-party service providers to help us operate Theory of Knowledge Ltd and theoryofknowledge.net. These may include providers of website hosting and technical infrastructure, website security, payment processing, email and newsletter distribution, analytics, accounting, and communications and webinar services.

Current providers may include Benchmark, Google Analytics, Stripe and PayPal. These providers receive personal information only where reasonably necessary to provide the relevant service and are subject to applicable legal and contractual obligations.

We do not sell or rent our customer or member databases to third parties. We may also disclose information where required by law, regulation, court order or another lawful authority, or where reasonably necessary to protect our legal rights or the security of our services.

17. International Data Transfers

Some of the service providers we use may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that transfers comply with applicable UK data protection law and that appropriate safeguards are used where required.

18. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet applicable legal, tax, accounting and regulatory requirements.

Account and membership information may be retained for an appropriate period following the end of a membership. Where applicable, user activity data associated with an expired subscription is normally deleted within six months of the subscription expiring, unless we have a legitimate or legal reason to retain it for longer. Financial and transaction records may be retained for longer where required by UK tax, accounting or other legal obligations.

Newsletter information is normally retained until you unsubscribe or we determine that it is no longer required. We may retain a minimal suppression record after you unsubscribe to ensure that we respect your preference.

19. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration and disclosure. We use established third-party providers for services including website infrastructure, security and payment processing. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

20. Links to External Websites

Theoryofknowledge.net may contain links to websites operated by other organisations. If you follow an external link, the other organisation’s privacy policy and terms will apply to its collection and use of information. Theory of Knowledge Ltd is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites.

21. Children’s Information

Our resources are used in educational settings and may be used by students. However, our memberships and commercial services are primarily provided to teachers, schools, educational organisations and adults.

Where a school or teacher provides students with access to resources, the school or relevant educational organisation may have its own responsibilities under applicable data protection law. We do not knowingly use children’s personal information for targeted advertising.

22. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which we process your information, you may have the right to request access to personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information, ask us to delete personal information in certain circumstances, ask us to restrict certain processing, object to certain processing, request data portability in certain circumstances, and withdraw consent where we rely on consent.

You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time. You can do this by using the unsubscribe link in our marketing emails or by contacting us.

These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

23. Complaints

If you are concerned about how we use your personal information, please contact us so that we can investigate your concerns. You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator.

24. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy & Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, service providers or applicable law. When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Where appropriate, we may also take reasonable steps to notify users of significant changes.

25. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy & Cookie Policy, how we use your personal information or your data protection rights, please contact:

Theory of Knowledge Ltd, 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom. Website: theoryofknowledge.net Email: [email protected]

This policy was last updated on 15 August 2026.