Privacy Policy
Last updated: 22 June 2026
This is a working template aligned to UK GDPR / EU GDPR principles. Have it reviewed by a qualified solicitor and insert your registered company details before going live.
1. Who we are
ScholarsGate ("we", "us") is the data controller for the personal data described here. For any privacy request, contact privacy@scholarsgate.co.uk.
2. Data we collect
- Account data: name, email, password (hashed), role, timezone, phone (optional).
- Profile data: for students — study level, subjects, goals; for tutors — qualifications, bio, rates, DBS status.
- Booking & payment data: lessons booked and transaction records (card details are handled by Stripe, never stored by us).
- Messages & attachments exchanged between students and tutors.
- Technical data: IP address and minimal logs for security and abuse prevention.
3. Legal bases & purposes
- Contract: to create your account, match you with tutors, process bookings and payments.
- Legitimate interests: to keep the platform secure, prevent fraud/abuse, and improve the service.
- Legal obligation: to retain transaction records for tax and accounting law.
- Consent: for any optional communications, which you can withdraw at any time.
4. Sharing & processors
We share data only with processors that help us run the service, under data-processing agreements:
- Stripe — payments.
- Resend — transactional email.
- Cloudflare — CDN and DDoS protection.
- Hetzner (EU/Germany or Finland) — hosting and database.
- Google — optional "Sign in with Google".
We never sell your personal data.
5. International transfers
Our infrastructure is hosted within the EU. Where a processor transfers data outside the UK/EEA, we rely on adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses.
6. Retention
We keep account and profile data while your account is active. When you delete your account we anonymise your personal data but retain booking and payment records where required by law (typically up to 6 years for tax).
7. Your rights
You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, port and object to processing of your data. You can download your data and delete your account from your account settings (or your tutor settings). You may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
8. Cookies
We use only strictly necessary cookies (to keep you signed in and the site secure). We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies.
9. Children & safeguarding
Many learners are under 18. Accounts for under-18s should be set up and managed with parent/guardian involvement. See our Safeguarding Policy.