Privacy policy

At Contact Group, we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains when and why we collect personal information about people who visit the website, https://www.the-contactgroup.com. It also explains how we use this information and the conditions by which we may disclose this to others. Finally, it outlines how we keep any supplied information secure.

We may change this policy from time to time, and it is recommended that you occasionally read and check any changes that occur. By using our website you are agreeing to be bound by this policy.

For more information regarding this policy and our privacy practices please contact dpo@the-contactgroup.com, or writing to Truancy Call Ltd, 5th Floor, Lyndon House, 58-62 Hagley Road, Birmingham, B16 8PE or phoning 03333 131415.

Who are we?

Contact Group is a leading provider of best in class communication and data services in the education sector, working with around 3,000 education establishments in the UK. Our range of solutions cover mass messaging, online payments, personalised schools app, attendance management, anti-bullying system, parents evening booking, curriculum planning and assessment, and Looked-after Children. We are a company incorporated in England and Wales under Company Number 4125665.

How do we collect information from you?

We obtain information about you when you use our website, for example, when you contact us about products and services. Our products may also collect information from your School Management Systems that we may use to contact you regarding additional services we offer.

What type of information is collected from you?

The personal information we collect includes:

First and last name
Email
Telephone

This information is collected on the enquiry form.

Additionally we do collect anonymous information via Google Analytics that helps us monitor the website and improve experience and performance for the end user.

How is your information used?

We use your information to:

Process requests that you have submitted
Carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into by you and us
Seek your views or comments on the services we provide
Notify you of changes to our services
Send you communications that you have requested, which may be of interest to you.

Retention and Deletion

We review our retention periods for personal information on a regular basis. We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as is necessary for the relevant activity, or as long as is set out in any relevant contract you hold with us.

Who has access to your information?

We will not sell or rent your information to third parties. We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Third Party Service Providers working on our behalf:

We may pass your information to our third party service providers, agents subcontractors and other associated organisations for the purposes of completing tasks and providing services to you on our behalf (for example to process messages and communications sent to you).

However, when we use third party service providers for further processing, we disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service and we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes. Please be reassured that we will not release your information to third parties for them to use for their own direct marketing purposes (unless you have requested us to do so), or if we are required to do so by law, for example, by a court order, or for the purposes of prevention of fraud or other crime.

We may transfer your personal information to a third party as part of a product sale. Or, if we transfer some or all of our business/assets to a third party as part of any business restructuring or reorganisation. If we’re under a duty to disclose or share your personal data to comply with any legal obligation or to enforce or apply our terms of use or to protect the rights, property or safety of our customers; we may transfer your personal information. However, we will take steps to ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected.

Your choices:

You have a right to ask us to stop processing your personal data, and if it is not necessary for the purpose you provided it to us for (e.g. direct marketing) we will do so. If you do not want to receive direct marketing communications from us (e.g. information about how we can improve parental engagement and other related activities), then you can select your choices by ticking the relevant boxes situated on the form on which we collect your information.

We will not contact you for marketing purposes by email, phone or text message unless you have given your prior consent. We will not contact you for marketing purposes by post if you have indicated that you do not wish to be contacted. You can change your marketing preferences at any time by contacting us by email: dpo@the-contactgroup.com or telephone on 03333 131415.

How you can access and update your information:

The accuracy of your information is important to us. We are working on ways to make it easier for you to review and correct the information that we hold about you. In the meantime, if you change email address, or you believe any of the other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date, please email us at: dpo@the-contactgroup.com. Alternatively, you can telephone 03333 131415.

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information that Contact Group holds about you. If the request is deemed to be manifestly unfounded or excessive, we reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee of £10 to cover such processing.

Security precautions in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of your information:

When you give us personal information, we take steps to ensure that it’s treated securely. Any sensitive information is encrypted and protected with the following software 256 Bit encryption on SSL. When you are on a secure page, a lock icon will appear next to the address bar at the top of popular browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your information, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems. Where we have given (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our websites; you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.

Profiling:

We may analyse your personal information to create a profile of your interests and preferences so that we can contact you with information relevant to you. We may make use of additional information about you when it is available from external sources to help us do this effectively.

Use of ‘cookies’:

Like many other websites, Contact Group’s website uses cookies. ‘Cookies’ are small pieces of information sent by an organisation to your computer and stored on your hard drive to allow that website to recognise you when you visit. They collect statistical data about your browsing actions and patterns and do not identify you as an individual. This helps us to improve our website and deliver an improved, more personalised service.

It is possible to switch off cookies by setting your browser preferences. For more information on how to switch off cookies on your computer, visit our full cookies policy. Turning cookies off, may result in a loss of functionality when using our website.

Links to other websites:

Our website may contain links to other websites run by other organisations. This privacy policy applies only to our website‚ so we encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit. We cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other sites even if you access those using links from our website.

In addition, if you linked to our website from a third party site, we cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of the owners and operators of that third party site and recommend that you check the policy of that third party site.

16 or Under:

We are committed to protecting the privacy of children aged 16 or under. If you are aged 16 or under‚ please get your parent/guardian’s permission beforehand whenever you provide us with personal information.

Transferring your information outside the UK and European Union (EU):

Some of our processing uses services that may operate outside the UK and the EU. For example we use JIRA Service Desk to manage any support incidents and queries from our customers. Data protection laws may not be equivalent in countries outside the UK and EU. If we transfer your information outside of the EU in this way, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate security measures are taken with the aim of ensuring that your privacy rights continue to be protected as outlined in this Policy.

Review of this Policy:

We keep this Policy under regular review. This Policy was last updated on the 4^th March 2018.

Our Products

Our Partner Products

“This technology has helped us to contact parents a lot more efficiently. Previously we had to call all the parents individually, now we simply press a button.”

Headteacher at secondary school, Carlisle

‘OurSchoolsApp has been fantastic in improving parental engagement, as the parents have all the important information in one place, in the palm of their hands. We can send FREE calendar reminders to parents so they don’t forget about events that we have in school, which is especially useful for fundraising events where the more people that attend the better. We also send our newsletter via the app, meaning we have saved a ridiculous amount of money on paper and ink. The app has paid for itself many times over and we’re always in the loop with new features as soon as they come out!’

(School Business Manager, Gosforth C of E Primary, Cumbria)

at

“Reducing the time teachers have to spend taking the register means more time for teaching. In an era when everyone is under pressure to deliver great results, that’s good news not just for students, but teachers too. The Reggie® app is incredibly quick and easy to use and takes full advantage of smartphone simplicity to free up hours of extra contact time over the school year. The fact Reggie® is available for both Apple and Android devices is the icing on the cake.”

Co-ordinator at Technology College

“Truancy Call has helped us reduce the rates of unauthorised absence significantly.”

Headteacher at an Academy in Essex

“We have used this solution for 3 years now and we take the line that children often ‘talk with their thumbs’ and that texting provides them with a familiar medium to communicate issues that they might otherwise find difficult.

“It’s very simple to use, I get a text when someone has made a report and I can listen to it as a voicemail and reply by text. We always respond the same day. The commitment I give is that I will drop whatever I’m doing and will arrange for the most appropriate person to deal with the incident immediately.”

Deputy Headteacher at Secondary School, Derbyshire

“The App is useful as news reaches parents directly, rather than them having to look for it on the school website. It’s a good way of making sure parents are getting the necessary information.”

Assistant Headteacher at secondary school, Liverpool

“LCC is now able to meet, at a reasonable cost, its statutory requirements under the Children’s Act 2004. In addition to this it is able to send more quickly and efficiently regular reports to its partners on its LAC’s educational performance.

“The recent Ofsted report stated: ‘A new electronic data system for attendance monitoring, both within the city and out of area, ensures daily checks and swift action.”

Strategic Lead for LAC Education at Liverpool City Council

“ClubContact is just excellent. Members are very happy to be informed via texts and emails. It’s more efficient and also it saves loads of admin time. The setup has taken no time at all and we were up and running within a day or two, what more can I say, it’s great!”

Football club owner at Essex

“This particular scheme has been very successful …. mentees can discreetly send information and seek assistance about problems they are encountering. Although there are considerable advantages to our face-to-face method, there are also drawbacks. For example, sometimes mentors aren’t always available when the student wants to see them or the question they have may just require a quick reply and so a meeting isn’t always necessary.”

Strategic ICT Co-ordinator at secondary school, Herefordshire

“We have also started using Reggie® as a way for the SLT to monitor attendance. They can log in to the app on their own devices, which allows them to get an overview of attendance for the current and previous days.”

IT Manager at secondary school, Worcestershire

“The visual representation of the data really helps a teacher plan and organise the room to maximise learning opportunities and, if required, make changes quickly and easily. A real winner!”

Deputy headteacher at school and sports college, Bolton

“10 out of 10 for all things, very impressed with it, it has saved staff time and made it easy to collate information from lots of staff.”

Staff at academy, Nottingham

“…extremely well received by both staff and parents… used extensively by staff on a daily basis…”

Assistant Headteacher at secondary school, Bolton

“Truancy call is by far one of the easiest and most user-friendly systems for first day calling – I have been using the system for over 10 years and in that time have been asked to try others – I haven’t found any that are as good or help us account for all our students so quickly each day. I particularly like the feature that allows for letter sending so easily too”

Victoria Howe (Attendance Officer) at The Priory, Church of England School, Surrey

“There wasn’t anything on the market that offered the flexibility we needed and that met the requirements of our staff. Instead we relied on manually gathering this information in Excel spreadsheets and SIMS which was time-consuming and made it difficult to extract real value.”

Kevin Barnett, Centre Director at Freemantle Church of England Community Academy.

“Truancy Call has undoubtedly helped us achieve some of the best attendance rates in Bedfordshire (95.2%)”

Headteacher at Newnham Middle School, Bedfordshire

“This technology has helped us to contact parents a lot more efficiently. Previously we had to call all the parents individually, now we simply press a button and Call Parents does the job for us! A text message is not only immediate, it is easy to read and less formal than a letter, so it allows us to engage with parents who are otherwise hard to reach.”

Deputy Head at Alexandra High School

“One of the main difficulties that schools face is reluctance from young people to report bullying face-to- face or in school. So providing them with a way of telling someone when they are away from school or at home is important and this technology is now making it easier for young people to report bullying from the safety of their home.”

Joe Dawson Principal Educational Psychologist at Leicester City Council

“The parents love it and so do we.”

Headteacher at Primary School in Denbighshire

“We don’t have a great deal of bullying reported but it is dealt with quickly. The work we do with the technology and the assemblies is to raise awareness of the different kinds of bullying and to explain to pupils the difference between simply falling out with a friend and sustained bullying.”

Martin Ebbage Deputy Headteacher at Tuton Hall School

“Our parents are far happier receiving communications through Call Parents. It’s much better than pieces of paper that can get lost or dog-eared – and it’s more secure. Before using it, we wouldn’t get replies from many parents and we spent a lot of time chasing them up, but now we are guaranteed a much higher level of response. Ultimately we need 100% replies and we get that far more quickly now. We are quite a traditional school so it’s important for us to use new technology – with hindsight perhaps we should have adopted it sooner!”

Val Mathews, Marketing Manager at Seaton House School

“…ensure that no child ‘slips through the net’…”

Project Manager at local authority

“I have been using Truancy Call and Call Parents for a number of years now and would agree emphatically that you provide a solid and reliable service.”