Privacy Policy
Last Updated: 11 February 2026
At Visual Reading Online, we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy describes how your personal information is collected, used, and shared when you visit or make a purchase from our site.
1. Who We Are
Visual Reading Online is a speed reading coaching service operated by The Visual Reading Company Limited, registered in England and Wales. Our registered address is available upon request via our Contact page.
For any privacy-related enquiries, please contact us at privacy@visualreadingonline.com
2. Information We Collect
Information You Provide:
- Name and contact information (email address, phone number, postal address)
- Account credentials (email and password)
- Payment information (processed securely via Stripe)
- Date of birth and demographic information (for DSA students)
- Learning condition information (dyslexia, ADHD, etc.) if voluntarily provided
- Session notes and WPM (Words Per Minute) progress data
Information Collected Automatically:
- Device information (browser type, operating system)
- IP address and approximate location
- Pages visited and time spent on site
- Referral source
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide and manage your coaching sessions
- Process payments and send invoices
- Track your reading progress and improvement
- Communicate about your sessions and account
- Send marketing communications (with your consent)
- Improve our services and website
- Comply with legal obligations
4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
Under UK GDPR, we process your data based on:
- Contract: To deliver coaching services you have purchased
- Legitimate Interest: To improve our services and communicate with you
- Consent: For marketing emails and optional data collection
- Legal Obligation: For tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements
5. Data Sharing
We share your data with:
- Coaches: To deliver your coaching sessions
- Stripe: For secure payment processing
- Daily.co: For video call functionality
- MailerSend: For transactional emails
- DSA Funding Bodies: If you are a DSA-funded student (with consent)
We never sell your personal information to third parties.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for:
- Active accounts: For the duration of your account
- Coaching records: 7 years after course completion
- Financial records: 7 years (legal requirement)
- Marketing preferences: Until you unsubscribe
7. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access your personal data
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Object to processing
- Data portability
- Withdraw consent at any time
To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@visualreadingonline.com
8. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:
- SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmission
- Secure password hashing
- Regular security audits
- Limited staff access on a need-to-know basis
9. International Transfers
Your data is primarily stored within the UK/EEA. Where we use services that may transfer data outside the UK (such as Daily.co for video calls), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
10. Protection of Minors and the Vulnerable
Protection of minors and vulnerable persons is a core value at Visual Reading Online and a safeguarding standard that all coaches are expected to follow.
Where a learner is legally a minor or is regarded as vulnerable, online coaching sessions should only be conducted when a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver is present and accompanying the learner.
To support safeguarding and data minimisation, we expect responsible adult contact details to be recorded for the account. For the learner, we only require personal details needed to provide the service safely and effectively, including the learner's name and relevant learning conditions.
If you have concerns about how our service interacts with minors or vulnerable persons, please contact Dr Ross Cooper in confidence via this website's contact form. In cases of suspected wrongdoing, you should also contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.
Visual Reading Online will cooperate with lawful requests from law enforcement agencies relating to the protection of minors and vulnerable persons.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by email or through a notice on our website.
12. Contact & Complaints
For privacy enquiries: privacy@visualreadingonline.com
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk