Last updated: 9 October 2026
This notice explains how student information is used when a school uses the AB Tutor cloud service. If your school runs AB Tutor on its own infrastructure (an “on-premise” installation), a separate notice applies — ask your school which they use. It has two parts: a short version written for students, and a detailed version for parents, guardians and schools. US schools should also see our Children’s Privacy Notice (COPPA) — Cloud Service.
Hello! Your school uses AB Tutor to help keep you safe and focused when you use school computers. Here’s what you should know, in plain words:
What AB Tutor can see. If your school turns these features on, your teachers may be able to see your screen, which websites and apps you use, and messages you send through AB Tutor. AB Tutor can also spot certain words that might mean you’re upset or unsafe — if you type one of those words, a short note of what you typed is saved so a trusted adult at school can check you’re okay. It does not record everything you type.
Who can see it. Only staff at your school that your school chooses. We (the people who make AB Tutor) don’t watch you, and we never show your information to anyone else or use it for adverts.
How long it’s kept. Activity information is deleted automatically after 28 days.
It’s your data. If you have questions, or think something is wrong, talk to a teacher, your parents, or another adult you trust at school.
Your child’s school is the data controller: it decides to use AB Tutor, which monitoring features to switch on, and why. AB Tutor Limited is the school’s data processor: we handle student data only on the school’s instructions, under our Data Processing Agreement — Cloud Service. For questions about how your child’s school uses AB Tutor, or to exercise your child’s data rights, please contact the school first — we will support them in responding.
Only the features the school enables collect data. The full set is:
We collect only what is needed for the school to run the service. We do not use student data for advertising or marketing, do not sell it, do not build profiles for any non-educational purpose, and do not use it to train AI models.
Schools use AB Tutor to manage classroom device use, keep students on task, and meet their safeguarding duties (in the UK, including under Keeping Children Safe in Education). The school is responsible for its lawful basis and for informing students and parents; this notice supports, but does not replace, the school’s own privacy information.
Monitoring and activity data is automatically deleted after 28 days. Encrypted backups are overwritten within a further 20 days. Account data lasts for the school’s subscription and is deleted within 30 days of it ending.
Data is hosted with Linode (Akamai) in the data centre region serving the school: EU data centres for UK and EU schools, US data centres for US schools, and Australian data centres for Australian schools. Linode is the only company that holds your child’s information for us, and it is bound by a strict contract; the full list is in our Data Processing Agreement — Cloud Service. If the school enables it, AB Tutor can sync class lists and logins with the school’s own Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra ID system.
Our helpdesk and licence systems are for school staff and administrators — your child’s information is not sent to them.
Separately, the software tells us which of its features a school uses (simple counts, labelled with the school’s licence). That contains nothing about your child.
Student data is encrypted in transit and at rest, access is restricted to authorised school staff and a limited number of vetted AB Tutor engineers, and we operate a written security programme reviewed at least annually. AB Tutor Limited is certified to ISO/IEC 27001 and holds Cyber Essentials.
You can ask to see, correct or delete your child’s information, or object to or restrict its use. Please make requests to the school, which controls the data; we help schools respond within their legal deadlines. Students (depending on their age and capacity) can exercise these rights themselves.
If you have a data protection complaint about AB Tutor itself, contact support@abtutor.com (you can mark it FAO: Jayne James, our Data Protection Officer) — we will acknowledge it within 30 days and keep you informed. You can also complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. Families in the EU may complain to their local supervisory authority; families in Australia may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au); US families should see our Children’s Privacy Notice (COPPA) — Cloud Service.
support@abtutor.com — all questions, requests and complaints.
