Privacy Policy

Last reviewed: 10 August 2026
Next review due: 10 August 2027

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how AC Group (Education) Ltd (“AC Group Education”, “we”, “our” or “us”) collects, uses, stores and protects personal information.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable data protection legislation.

This Privacy Policy explains:

what personal information we collect;
why we collect and use it;
the lawful bases we rely upon;
who we may share information with;
how long we retain information;
how we keep information secure; and
your rights in relation to your personal information.

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected through our website, www.acgroupeducation.co.uk, and through the delivery and administration of our alternative provision, education, tutoring and mentoring services.

2. Who We Are

Data Controller:
AC Group (Education) Ltd

Company number: 12097964
ICO registration/reference number: ZA756672

Registered office:
1–2 Basford House
Derby Road
Heanor
England
DE75 7QL

Email: info@theacgroup.co.uk
Telephone: 01158 881192
Website: www.acgroupeducation.co.uk

AC Group (Education) Ltd provides personalised, relationship-focused alternative provision, tutoring, mentoring, sports mentoring and community-based learning for children and young people.

Our services are primarily delivered across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

3. What Personal Information We Collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us and the services we are providing.

We may collect and process the following categories of information:

Identification and Contact Information

This may include:

name;
address;
telephone number;
email address;
date of birth;
organisation;
job title; and
emergency contact details.

Learner and Education Information

Where we provide education or support to a child or young person, we may process information including:

learner details and educational history;
school or education setting information;
attendance information;
assessments and academic progress;
learning needs;
Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) information where applicable;
agreed outcomes and provision;
session notes and progress reports;
qualifications and assessment information;
interests, strengths and areas of need;
preparation for adulthood information; and
information provided by schools, local authorities, parents, carers or other professionals involved with the young person.

Special Category Information

Because of the nature of our services, we may need to process sensitive personal information about a child or young person where this is necessary to provide safe, appropriate and effective support.

This may include information relating to:

physical health;
mental health;
disabilities;
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND);
Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs;
medication or medical requirements;
allergies;
racial or ethnic origin;
religious or philosophical beliefs where relevant;
safeguarding and welfare; and
other special category information where it is necessary and lawful for us to process it.

We only process special category information where we have an appropriate lawful basis and an additional condition for processing that information under applicable data protection legislation.

Safeguarding and Welfare Information

Where necessary, we may collect and process information relating to:

safeguarding concerns;
welfare concerns;
risk assessments;
incidents;
behaviour;
vulnerabilities;
referrals;
disclosures;
information received from relevant professionals or agencies; and
actions taken to protect a child or young person.

Communication Information

This may include:

emails;
telephone calls;
website enquiries;
referral forms;
messages;
feedback;
complaints; and
other correspondence with us.

Financial and Administrative Information

Where relevant, we may process:

invoices;
payment information;
purchase orders;
commissioner details;
contractual information;
funding information; and
financial records.

Where payment is processed using a third-party payment provider, we do not normally retain full payment card details ourselves.

Technical and Website Information

When you use our website, we may collect limited technical information such as:

IP address;
browser type;
device type;
pages visited;
website usage information; and
cookie and analytics information.

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

4. Where We Obtain Personal Information

We may receive personal information directly from you.

Where we provide services to a child or young person, information may also be provided to us by organisations or individuals including:

parents and carers;
schools and academies;
local authorities;
SEND teams;
inclusion teams;
EOTAS teams;
social care professionals;
education professionals;
health professionals where appropriate;
commissioning organisations;
partner providers; and
other professionals involved in supporting the child or young person.

We only use information received from other organisations where there is a lawful and appropriate reason for doing so.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

respond to enquiries and communicate with you;
assess referrals and determine whether we are able to meet a young person's needs;
plan and provide alternative provision, tutoring, mentoring and other support;
develop personalised programmes of education and support;
monitor attendance, engagement, progress and outcomes;
produce reports and provide updates to commissioners, schools, parents or carers where appropriate;
support the safeguarding and welfare of children and young people;
manage risk and maintain appropriate risk assessments;
respond appropriately to incidents or safeguarding concerns;
meet contractual requirements;
communicate with schools, local authorities, families and other professionals;
administer funding, invoicing and payments;
arrange examinations, assessments or qualifications where applicable;
maintain accurate educational, safeguarding and administrative records;
undertake quality assurance and service monitoring;
deal with complaints or concerns;
protect the legal rights, safety and interests of AC Group (Education) Ltd, our learners, staff and others;
manage and improve our website;
understand how our website is used; and
comply with legal, safeguarding, regulatory and contractual obligations.

6. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

Under UK data protection legislation, we must have an appropriate lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We may process personal information where this is necessary to enter into or fulfil a contract or agreement for the provision of our services.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal information where this is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, including obligations relating to safeguarding, employment, taxation, financial records or other applicable legislation.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal information where this is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of another organisation, provided those interests do not override the rights and freedoms of the individual concerned.

Examples may include:

managing and administering our services;
communicating with commissioners and professionals;
maintaining appropriate records;
ensuring the safety and security of our services;
preventing fraud or misuse;
managing complaints;
protecting our organisation and service users; and
improving our services.

Where personal information relates to a child or young person, we give particular consideration to their rights, freedoms and best interests.

Consent

In some circumstances, we may ask for consent before collecting or using personal information.

Where consent is the lawful basis relied upon, that consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Withdrawing consent does not affect any processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn.

Vital Interests

In exceptional circumstances, we may process personal information where this is necessary to protect someone's life or physical safety.

7. Special Category Information

Certain types of personal information receive additional protection under UK data protection legislation.

This includes information concerning matters such as health, disability, racial or ethnic origin and religious or philosophical beliefs.

Where we process special category information, we identify:

an appropriate lawful basis for processing personal information; and
an appropriate additional condition for processing special category information.

Depending on the circumstances and purpose of the processing, the additional condition may include:

explicit consent;
protecting the vital interests of an individual;
processing necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, including safeguarding children and individuals at risk; or
another condition permitted by applicable data protection legislation.

We only collect and process special category information where it is necessary, relevant and proportionate for the purpose concerned.

8. Children's Personal Information

A significant part of our work involves supporting children and young people.

We recognise that children's personal information requires particular care and protection.

We aim to ensure that:

we only collect personal information that is necessary;
information is used only for appropriate and lawful purposes;
the child's or young person's best interests are considered;
access to information is restricted to people who need it;
information is shared only where there is an appropriate and lawful reason to do so;
appropriate technical and organisational safeguards are maintained; and
information about how personal data is used is provided as clearly as possible.

Where appropriate, we may explain how we use a young person's personal information directly to them in a way that reflects their age, ability and level of understanding.

9. Safeguarding

The safety and welfare of children and young people is a priority for AC Group (Education) Ltd.

There may be circumstances where we need to collect, use or share personal information without obtaining consent in order to:

protect a child or young person from harm;
respond to a safeguarding concern;
meet a legal obligation;
cooperate with statutory agencies;
prevent or detect serious harm or crime; or
protect the vital interests of an individual.

Where safeguarding information is shared, we aim to ensure that the information shared is relevant, necessary and proportionate to the circumstances.

10. Sharing Personal Information

We do not sell or rent personal information.

Where necessary and lawful, we may share personal information with organisations or individuals including:

local authorities;
schools and academies;
commissioning organisations;
SEND, inclusion or EOTAS teams;
social care professionals;
health professionals where relevant;
examination centres, examination boards or awarding organisations where applicable;
other education or alternative provision providers working as part of an agreed package of support;
contractors or professionals delivering services on our behalf;
safeguarding agencies;
emergency services;
our accountants, insurers, legal advisers or other professional advisers;
IT, email, website, software and secure data-storage providers; and
government, regulatory or law-enforcement bodies where required or permitted by law.

Where another organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we take steps to ensure that appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security arrangements are in place.

11. International Transfers

Some technology, software, email, website or cloud-service providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer complies with UK data protection legislation and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.

12. Data Retention

We do not keep personal information for longer than necessary.

The length of time information is retained depends on factors including:

the type of information;
the purpose for which it was collected;
safeguarding requirements;
contractual requirements;
statutory or regulatory requirements;
financial and accounting requirements; and
whether information may be required in connection with a complaint, claim or legal matter.

Information is retained in accordance with our records-retention arrangements and is securely deleted or destroyed when it is no longer required.

Certain information, including safeguarding, financial, contractual and educational records, may need to be retained for longer periods where required by law, regulation or appropriate professional practice.

13. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

unauthorised access;
accidental loss;
misuse;
alteration;
unauthorised disclosure; and
destruction.

Measures may include:

secure systems and cloud storage;
password protection;
access controls;
encryption where appropriate;
limiting access to information according to role and need;
staff training;
confidentiality requirements;
secure disposal procedures; and
appropriate arrangements with third-party service providers.

Staff and contractors who have access to personal information are expected to handle it confidentially and in accordance with our policies, procedures and legal obligations.

14. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection legislation gives you a number of rights in relation to your personal information.

These may include:

Right of Access

You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

Right to Rectification

You may ask us to correct personal information that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to Erasure

In certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your personal information.

This right does not apply in every situation, particularly where we have a legal, contractual or safeguarding reason to retain information.

Right to Restriction

In certain circumstances, you may ask us to restrict the way we use your personal information.

Right to Object

You may object to certain types of processing, including some processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests.

Right to Data Portability

In certain circumstances, you may ask us to provide personal information you have given us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or transfer it to another organisation.

Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on consent as our lawful basis for processing, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us:

Email: info@theacgroup.co.uk

Post:
AC Group (Education) Ltd
1–2 Basford House
Derby Road
Heanor
England
DE75 7QL

We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by data protection legislation.

In most circumstances, this will be within one month.

We may need to verify your identity before providing personal information or acting upon a request.

15. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

enable the website to function correctly;
remember preferences where applicable;
understand how visitors use the website; and
help us improve the website and its performance.

Where consent is required for non-essential cookies, these cookies will only be used in accordance with the choices made through our cookie consent system.

Further information about the cookies used on our website and how to manage your preferences can be found in our Cookie Policy.

16. External Websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of external websites.

We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by the relevant organisation before providing personal information through an external website.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

changes to our services;
changes in the way we collect or process personal information;
changes in legislation or regulatory guidance; or
improvements to our data protection practices.

The latest version of this Privacy Policy will be published on our website and will show the date on which it was last reviewed.

18. Contact Us and Complaints

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about how AC Group (Education) Ltd collects or uses personal information, please contact us in the first instance.

AC Group (Education) Ltd

Company number: 12097964
ICO registration/reference number: ZA756672

Registered office:
1–2 Basford House
Derby Road
Heanor
England
DE75 7QL

Email: info@theacgroup.co.uk
Telephone: 01158 881192
Website: www.acgroupeducation.co.uk

We will aim to resolve any concerns promptly and fairly.

If you remain dissatisfied with the way we have handled your personal information, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk