Effective Date: 3 August 2026
Company: Teachers Guide Ltd
Registered Office: 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX
Company Number: 16776662
Email: admin@teachers.guide
Website: www.teachers.guide
1. Introduction
Teachers Guide Ltd ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use the Teachers Guide website and related digital products and services (collectively referred to as "the Service").
We operate in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using the Service, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
a. Information you provide directly
- Name, email address, school name, role, and other professional identifiers
- Account credentials (username, password)
- SLT and Safeguarding Lead role assignments (for school accounts)
- School-issued staff login codes and student 4-digit login codes (for school accounts)
- Scoped caregiver / parent access tokens (where enabled by a school for a single pupil's helper view)
- Chrome extension bearer token (stored in
chrome.storage.local on the user's device) and, if the user connects Google Docs, an encrypted OAuth refresh token - Payment and billing details (where applicable)
- Communications sent via email, contact forms, or support requests
- Files or materials uploaded to the Service (for example, lesson plans or resources)
- Voice input, where you choose to use dictation or the live voice conversation (see Section 12D)
- School, class and pupil records imported from a school's management information system, where the school enables MIS interoperability
- Behaviour records, pupil reports and classroom work created inside a school account (see Section 12E)
b. Information automatically collected
- Device and browser information
- IP address, login data, and session duration
- Usage analytics, including interaction with specific modules, pages visited, and performance data
- Application error reports and automated-abuse detection logs (see Section 12G)
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 10 below)
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data to:
- Provide and manage access to the Service
- Administer user accounts, subscriptions, and billing
- Communicate with you regarding updates, support, and new features
- Improve our products and user experience through analytics and performance tracking
- Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and security obligations
- Send marketing communications (only with your consent, which you may withdraw at any time)
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We rely on the following lawful bases:
- Contractual necessity: to provide you with the Service you have requested
- Legitimate interests: to improve and protect our Service, prevent misuse, and communicate relevant updates
- Consent: for optional communications such as newsletters
- Legal obligation: to comply with statutory duties (e.g., accounting and tax requirements)
5. Disclosure of Personal Data & Sub-processors
Your personal data may be shared with the following sub-processors, each bound by written processor obligations:
- Supabase Inc. – database, authentication, storage and edge compute (UK/EEA hosting).
- Google LLC – Gemini API for model inference only. Google contractually does not use API inputs to train its models.
- ElevenLabs – speech synthesis, speech-to-text and real-time conversational voice, where voice features are used. Audio is processed to fulfil the request only and is not used to train models.
- Wonde – secure MIS interoperability, where a school chooses to connect its management information system so that school, class and pupil records stay in step. Only schools that enable this integration are affected.
- Resend – transactional email (welcome, notifications, password resets).
- Stripe – payments and subscription billing (we do not store card details on our servers).
- Professional advisers (legal, accounting, insurance) where necessary.
- Law enforcement or regulators, if required by law.
- In the event of business restructuring, merger, or acquisition, where your data may transfer under equivalent protection measures.
We never sell or rent personal data to third parties. We never use your content to train AI models.
6. International Transfers
If your data is transferred outside the UK (for instance, to cloud services located abroad), we ensure equivalent protection through adequate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or compliance with UK adequacy decisions.
7. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy or as required by law:
- Individual account data: retained for the duration of your active subscription and deleted 12 months after termination.
- Individual user-generated content (lesson plans, saved documents, uploaded marking files) on solo teacher accounts: automatically deleted 24 hours after creation.
- School accounts (trial or paid, DPA-signed): retention is governed by the school's DPA. Ring-fenced content is deleted within 30 days of the school's access ending. The 24-hour auto-purge does NOT apply.
- Student accounts: tied to the school's lifecycle. Deleted when the school's access ends or when SLT removes the pupil.
- Caregiver access tokens: valid until the school revokes them or the pupil is removed.
- Behaviour records (merit points, sanctions, detentions) and pupil reports: retained inside the school's ring-fenced workspace for the period set out in the school's DPA, and deleted within 30 days of the school's access ending. The 24-hour auto-purge does not apply.
- Live class monitoring (Zones) activity: retained only while the assigned task is active, and thereafter with the associated pupil work under the school's retention terms.
- Voice audio: processed transiently for the request and not stored by us as a recording.
- Error and security logs: retained for no longer than 12 months.
- Billing records: retained for up to six years for tax and accounting purposes.
8. Security of Your Data
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include encryption, secure access controls, and regular security assessments.
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access a copy of your personal data
- Request rectification or deletion of inaccurate or outdated data
- Object to or restrict certain processing activities
- Withdraw consent (where applicable)
- Request data portability (to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format)
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your rights have been violated
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at admin@teachers.guide.
10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, analyse usage patterns, and deliver personalised content.
Types of cookies we use:
- Essential cookies: required for the Service to function correctly
- Performance cookies: help us understand how users interact with the Service
- Functionality cookies: remember your preferences and settings
- Marketing cookies: used to deliver relevant advertisements (only with your consent)
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as page views, time spent on pages, and navigation paths. Analytics cookies are only set with your explicit consent. This data is anonymized and processed by Google, subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
You can manage cookie preferences through our cookie banner or browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Service.
11. Third-Party Services
The Service may integrate with third-party platforms (such as payment processors or analytics providers). These third parties have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external services.
12. Children and Student Accounts
The individual (solo teacher) Service is intended for use by adults in professional educational settings. Student accounts on the platform exist only within a school account and are provisioned by the school's SLT under the school's authority as Data Controller. Where a school enables student access:
- The school is responsible for obtaining any parental consent required by law or its own policies, and for age-appropriate use.
- Students log in with a 4-digit code issued by the school; no personal email is required.
- No PII beyond a display name (which may be anonymised, e.g. “Pupil A”) is required to use the platform.
- Student data sits inside the school's ring-fenced workspace and is subject to the same processor restrictions (no cross-school co-mingling, no AI model training) as all other school data.
12A. School Accounts & Ring-Fencing
For school and multi-academy trust accounts, the school is the Data Controller and Teachers Guide Ltd is the Data Processor. Each school's data is stored in a logically isolated ("ring-fenced") workspace, is not combined with any other school's data, is not used to train AI models, and is not used for cross-school benchmarking or analytics. Where a school uses a custom subdomain, hostname-to-school mapping scopes branding and access to that school. Full processor terms are set out in the school's School Terms & Conditions and the signed Data Processing Agreement (DPA).
12B. Chrome Extension
The Teachers.guide Chrome extension processes only the text you submit and stores a bearer token in chrome.storage.local on your device. Optional Google Docs integration uses an encrypted refresh token to insert content into your own documents. Full details are in the Extension Privacy Policy.
12C. Caregiver / Parent Helper Access
Where a school enables it, caregivers may access a read-only helper view scoped to a single pupil. No caregiver account is created; access is via a scoped link issued by the school and can be revoked by the school at any time.
12D. Voice Features (read aloud, dictation and live conversation)
Some parts of the Service use voice. Homework and helper content can be read aloud, spoken input can be transcribed, and a live "talk to the homework" conversation is available where a school enables it. These features are delivered using ElevenLabs as a sub-processor for speech synthesis, speech-to-text and real-time conversational audio.
- Microphone access is only requested when you start dictation or a live conversation, and only for the duration of that session. You can decline microphone permission and continue to use the rest of the Service.
- Audio and the text sent alongside it (for example, the homework task being discussed) are transmitted to the voice provider solely to produce the response for that request.
- We do not store conversation audio recordings on our own systems; transcripts may be retained where a school feature requires it, under the school's retention terms.
- We do not use voice input or output to train AI models, and our provider agreements prohibit our content being used for provider model training.
- Voice features involve transfers outside the UK; these are covered by the safeguards described in Section 6.
12E. Behaviour Records, Reports and Live Class Monitoring
Where a school uses these features, the school remains the Data Controller and Teachers Guide Ltd acts only as Data Processor within the school's ring-fenced workspace:
- Rewards and sanctions: staff may log merit points, sanctions and detentions against a pupil. These records are visible to staff with the appropriate role and, where the school enables it, to the pupil's caregiver.
- Pupil reports: written reports may pass through a review workflow (teacher, Head of Year, senior leadership) before release to caregivers. Drafts and released versions are stored within the school's workspace.
- Live class monitoring (Zones): teachers may view pupil work in progress on assigned tasks in real time and send an on-screen message to a pupil. This is monitoring of classroom work only; it does not access a pupil's device, camera or files outside the Service.
Schools are responsible for ensuring these features are used in line with their behaviour, reporting, safeguarding and privacy policies, and for any notices or consents required from pupils and caregivers.
12F. School Policy and Knowledge Documents
Senior leaders may upload school policies, vision statements and similar documents so that AI output can be grounded in the school's own context. These documents are stored in the school's ring-fenced workspace, are used only to generate output for that school, and are never used to train AI models or shared with other schools. Schools should not upload documents containing pupil or staff personal data unless the relevant module and their DPA permit it.
12G. Service Integrity and Error Logging
To keep the Service working and secure, we log application errors and suspicious automated requests. These logs may include the route or page involved, a user or school identifier, browser and device information, and an IP address. They are used only for diagnosis, abuse prevention and security, are not used for profiling or marketing, and are retained for no longer than 12 months.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or Service offerings. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Effective Date."
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Email: admin@teachers.guide
Address: Teachers Guide Ltd, 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX
Data Protection Officer: Available via admin@teachers.guide
15. Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
If you are not satisfied with our response to a data protection concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's supervisory authority:
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: ico.org.uk
Phone: 0303 123 1113