Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Effective date: 4 September 2026

Last reviewed: 4 September 2026

1. ABOUT THIS POLICY

This policy explains how Hiregrade Group Ltd collects and uses personal information about visitors to our website, current and prospective school and client contacts, referees, suppliers, professional advisers and other business contacts.

Candidates, applicants, prospective candidates, temporary workers and contractors should also read our separate Candidate Privacy Notice at https://hiregrade.co.uk/candidate-privacy-notice. That notice explains how we use information for recruitment, vetting, safeguarding and placements.

Hiregrade Group Ltd is the controller of the personal information described in this policy.

2. WHO WE ARE AND HOW TO CONTACT US

Legal name: Hiregrade Group Ltd

Company number: 17107297

Registered office: 4 Chapman Gain, Tregarne Terrace, St Austell, England, PL25 4BE

Privacy contact: James Patrick Stevens, Director

Email: hello@hiregrade.co.uk

Telephone: 07857 007850

Website: https://hiregrade.co.uk

ICO registration number: ZC200458

3. WHO THIS POLICY COVERS

This policy covers people who visit or contact us through our website; employees and representatives of schools, academies, trusts, colleges, nurseries and other current or prospective clients; referees and former employers contacted as part of candidate checks; employees and representatives of suppliers, umbrella companies and professional advisers; and other people who communicate with us in a business or professional capacity.

If you provide personal information about another person, you should ensure that you are permitted to do so and, where appropriate, make this policy available to them.

4. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

The information we collect depends on your relationship with us.

For school and client contacts, we may collect your name, job title, employer, work address, work telephone number, work email address, recruitment requirements, vacancy and assignment information, communications, meeting notes, contractual information, invoices and payment records.

For referees and former employers, we may collect your name, job title, employer, professional contact details, relationship to a candidate, the information you provide in a reference and records showing how the reference was requested and verified.

For suppliers, umbrella companies and advisers, we may collect names, roles, business contact details, contracts, due-diligence information, insurance or accreditation details, payment information and communications.

For website visitors and people who make enquiries, we may collect names, contact details, the content of enquiries and correspondence, IP address, browser or device information, pages viewed and website-interaction data. Analytics information is subject to our cookie information and your choices.

We may also keep records needed to manage complaints, safeguarding concerns, security incidents, disputes, legal claims and compliance obligations.

5. WHERE WE OBTAIN INFORMATION

We may receive information directly from you when you contact us, use our website, discuss recruitment requirements, provide a reference, enter into a contract or supply services to us.

We may also receive information from your employer or organisation, candidates who name you as a referee, publicly available professional sources, Companies House, schools and education organisations, suppliers, professional advisers, public authorities and other lawful business sources.

6. WHY WE USE INFORMATION

We use personal information to respond to enquiries; identify and communicate with current or prospective schools and clients; understand recruitment requirements; agree and manage vacancies, introductions and temporary assignments; obtain and verify references; manage supplier, umbrella-company and professional relationships; prepare and perform contracts; administer invoices and payments; maintain business, audit and compliance records; manage complaints, safeguarding matters, disputes and legal claims; prevent fraud and protect our systems; send relevant business communications where lawful; and understand and improve use of our website through analytics used with any required consent.

We do not sell personal information.

7. OUR LAWFUL BASES

Legitimate interests. We may use information where necessary to operate and develop our recruitment business, communicate with business and professional contacts, respond to hiring needs, obtain references, manage relationships, prevent fraud, protect our systems and establish or defend legal claims. We consider whether these interests are balanced against your rights and reasonable expectations.

Contract. We may use information where it is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you.

Legal obligation. We may use information where necessary to comply with legal, tax, accounting, employment-business, safeguarding, regulatory or record-keeping duties.

Consent. We use consent where it is appropriate and genuinely optional, including for non-essential analytics cookies and certain electronic marketing. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting processing that took place before withdrawal.

Legal claims and substantial public interest. These bases may apply where information is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, protect people from harm or carry out another purpose recognised by data-protection law.

8. BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

We may contact people at schools and other organisations about recruitment services where the communication is relevant to their professional role and the law permits it. We may also send requested updates or other communications for which valid consent has been provided.

Every electronic marketing message will identify Hiregrade Group Ltd and provide a simple way to opt out. You may object to direct marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe option in the message or emailing hello@hiregrade.co.uk. We will keep minimal suppression information where necessary to ensure that your preference is respected.

Opting out of marketing will not prevent necessary communications about an existing enquiry, vacancy, contract, candidate introduction, assignment, reference or other active business matter.

9. WHO WE SHARE INFORMATION WITH

Where necessary and lawful, we may share relevant information with schools, academies, trusts, colleges, nurseries and other current or prospective clients; candidates where appropriate; referees and former employers; Clipper Contracting Group Limited and other approved umbrella or payroll providers; Giig Hire as our recruitment CRM and candidate-email provider; Microsoft 365 for communications and business files; GoDaddy for website hosting; IT, security, cloud, e-signature, banking, accounting, insurance, legal and auditing providers; the Department for Education, Teaching Regulation Agency, Disclosure and Barring Service, Home Office, HMRC, local authorities, police, courts and regulators where required; and a purchaser, investor or successor in connection with a proposed or completed business transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

We share only information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. Suppliers that process information for us are expected to protect it and act in accordance with applicable data-protection requirements and their agreements with us.

Information about how candidate data is shared for recruitment, vetting and placements is set out in our Candidate Privacy Notice.

10. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Some suppliers, including providers of recruitment software, Microsoft 365 and website or cloud services, may store or permit access to personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where a restricted transfer is made, we use an applicable legal mechanism, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses or another lawful safeguard. You may contact us for information about safeguards relevant to your information.

11. WEBSITE ANALYTICS AND COOKIES

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for it to function. It may also use analytics technologies to help us understand visitor numbers, pages viewed and how people interact with the website.

Analytics cookies or similar technologies that are not strictly necessary will not be set unless you consent through our cookie controls. You can reject non-essential cookies or change your preferences. Details of the cookies in use, their providers, purposes and duration should be shown in our Cookie Notice or cookie-preference tool.

12. HOW LONG WE KEEP INFORMATION

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for applicable legal, tax, accounting, safeguarding, insurance, audit and dispute-resolution requirements.

General enquiries and prospective business-contact records are normally reviewed after two years without meaningful contact or activity and deleted or anonymised when no longer required.

Client, supplier, contractual and assignment-related business records may normally be kept for up to seven years after the relevant relationship ends where needed for contracts, insurance, disputes or legal claims.

Financial, tax and accounting records are normally kept for six years after the relevant financial or tax period, subject to applicable requirements.

Reference information and records connected with a candidate are kept in accordance with the relevant candidate-record retention period and any continuing safeguarding or legal purpose.

Marketing information is kept while it remains relevant and lawful. Minimal suppression information may be kept after an objection or unsubscribe request so that we do not contact you again for direct marketing.

Cookie and analytics information is kept for the period stated in our Cookie Notice or cookie-preference tool.

Different periods may apply where information is relevant to safeguarding, an investigation, litigation, a regulatory request or another continuing legal obligation.

13. SECURITY

We use proportionate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information. These include access controls, confidentiality requirements, secure systems, supplier due diligence, staff training and procedures for managing security incidents.

Access to sensitive, safeguarding, contractual and financial information is restricted to people who need it for their role.

14. YOUR DATA-PROTECTION RIGHTS

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis, you may have the right to be informed about how we use your information; request access to it; ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information; request erasure or restriction; object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing; receive certain information in a portable format; withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and challenge certain decisions made solely by automated means.

These rights are not absolute and exemptions may apply. We may ask for information needed to verify your identity. We do not normally charge a fee, although the law permits a reasonable fee or refusal in limited circumstances, such as where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

To exercise a right, email hello@hiregrade.co.uk.

15. AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

We do not currently make decisions about the people covered by this policy based solely on automated processing that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

16. COMPLAINTS

Please contact us first at hello@hiregrade.co.uk so that we can try to resolve your concern.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by calling 0303 123 1113.

17. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our services, suppliers or legal obligations. The current version will be published on our website with its effective and review dates. Where a change materially affects how we use existing information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected individuals.