Last updated: January 2026
These Platform Terms of Use (“Terms”), together with any other documents referred to in them, govern the relationship between you and Education Companion Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our” or “Education Companion”) in relation to your access to and use of:
The Platform is operated by Education Companion Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 16158976, with its registered office at 21 Woodhill Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 7EU.
These Terms apply whether you are:
Please read these Terms carefully before accessing or using the Platform. By accessing or using the Website and/or the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms.
Where you access the Platform on behalf of a school, trust or other organisation, you confirm that you have the authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.
Use of the Platform is also subject to our Privacy Notice, Cookie Policy, and (where applicable) a separate Licence Agreement entered into between Education Companion Ltd and the relevant school or trust. In the event of any conflict, the terms of the applicable Licence Agreement shall prevail.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Platform.
2.1 The Platform may only be used by:
(a) authorised school staff;
(b) authorised trust or MAT staff; and
(c) parents or carers invited by a school or trust.
2.2 User accounts are created and managed by schools, trusts or Education Companion. Self-registration is not permitted.
2.3 Users must only use the Platform for legitimate school-related purposes.
3. ACCESSING THE WEBSITE
3.1 Access to the Platform is provided on a temporary and conditional basis.
3.2 We may suspend, withdraw, restrict or change the Platform (or any part of it) at any time for operational, maintenance, security or legal reasons.
3.3 We do not guarantee that the Platform will always be available, uninterrupted or error-free.
4. USER ACCOUNTS AND SECURITY
4.1 Users must keep their login details confidential and must not share credentials with others.
4.2 Users are responsible for all activity carried out under their account.
4.3 We may suspend or disable access where we reasonably believe that:
(a) these Terms have been breached;
(b) access presents a safeguarding, security or legal risk; or
(c) continued use could harm others or the integrity of the Platform.
5. USER RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT
5.1 Users must:
(a) act professionally, respectfully and lawfully;
(b) provide accurate and up-to-date information;
(c) maintain confidentiality of pupil, parent and staff data; and
(d) comply with all applicable laws, including data-protection law.
5.2 Users must not:
(a) harass, threaten, abuse or discriminate against others;
(b) upload or share unlawful, misleading or inappropriate content;
(c) misuse the Platform, including spamming or unauthorised access; or
(d) use the Platform for purposes unrelated to complaint handling.
6. PARENT USE OF THE PLATFORM
6.1 Parents and carers may use the Platform only to:
(a) submit complaints;
(b) view updates relating to their own complaint; and
(c) communicate with the relevant school or trust.
6.2 Schools and trusts may restrict or suspend parent access where misuse occurs.
7. PROHIBITED USE
7.1 Users must not:
(a) copy, modify, distribute, sell or reverse-engineer any part of the Platform;
(b) attempt to bypass security or access controls;
(c) scrape, automate or bulk-download data;
(d) interfere with system performance or integrity; or
(e) upload malicious code or attempt unauthorised access.
7.2 Any prohibited activity may result in immediate suspension or termination of access.
8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
8.1 All intellectual property rights in and to the Platform, including all software, source code, databases, functionality, designs, workflows, documentation, branding, logos, trademarks, service marks and any content made available through the Platform (together, the “Platform IP”), are owned by or licensed to Education Companion.
8.2 You acknowledge and agree that Education Companion owns all right, title and interest in the Platform IP. Except as expressly stated in these Terms or in an applicable Licence Agreement, no rights or licences are granted to you in respect of the Platform IP.
8.3 Nothing in these Terms transfers to you any ownership interest in the Platform or the Platform IP. Your rights are limited to the right to access and use the Platform in accordance with these Terms and any applicable Licence Agreement.
8.4 You must not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, sell, lease, sublicense, reverse-engineer or otherwise exploit any part of the Platform or the Platform IP, except to the extent expressly permitted by law or authorised in writing by Education Companion.
8.5 If you download, copy or otherwise use any part of the Platform or Platform IP in breach of these Terms, your right to access and use the Platform shall cease immediately and you must, at our option, return or permanently delete any copies made.
8.6 For the avoidance of doubt, you may not sell, commercially exploit or make available to third parties any information, materials or content obtained through the Platform.
9. DATA PROTECTION
9.1 Education Companion processes personal data in accordance with applicable UK data-protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
9.2 To provide and operate the Platform, it may be necessary for Education Companion to collect, store and process personal data relating to users and individuals connected with complaints managed through the Platform. Further information about how we handle personal data is set out in our Privacy Notice.
9.3 Where the Platform is used by a school, academy, trust or multi-academy trust:
(a) the relevant institution acts as the Data Controller; and
(b) Education Companion acts as the Data Processor, processing personal data only on the documented instructions of the Data Controller.
9.4 Education Companion implements appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage.
9.5 Personal data processed through the Platform may be hosted or processed within the United Kingdom and/or the European Economic Area, and may be accessed by Education Companion personnel solely for the purposes of providing support, maintaining system integrity and fulfilling contractual obligations.
9.6 Where personal data is processed outside the United Kingdom, Education Companion will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data-protection law.
9.7 Further details regarding data processing, security measures, retention and data-subject rights are set out in applicable Licence Agreements, Data Protection Addenda and our Privacy Notice.
10. SERVICE DISCLAIMER
10.1 The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.
10.2 Companion will use its best endeavours to maintain reliable access to the Platform during UK school hours (8.00 am to 6.00 pm UK time, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays). However, Companion does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation.
10.3 Temporary interruptions to access may occur from time to time due to maintenance, updates, upgrades, technical issues, or circumstances outside Companion’s reasonable control.
10.4 Companion may apply updates, patches or enhancements to the Platform to improve performance, security or functionality. Where reasonably practicable, planned maintenance will be scheduled outside core school hours, but Companion reserves the right to carry out urgent maintenance at any time where necessary to protect system integrity or data security.
10.5 Without prejudice to the foregoing, we do not guarantee:
(a) uninterrupted availability of the Platform;
(b) compatibility with all devices, systems or software; or
(c) that use of the Platform will produce any specific outcomes or results.
11. VIRUSES AND SECURITY
11.1 Users must not introduce viruses, malware or other harmful material.
11.2 Any attempt to damage, disrupt or gain unauthorised access to the Platform may constitute a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and may be reported to relevant authorities.
12. TERMINATION
12.1 We may suspend or terminate user access immediately where:
(a) these Terms are breached;
(b) misuse occurs; or
(c) access presents a safeguarding, legal or security risk.
12.2 Termination of individual access does not automatically terminate any institutional licence.
13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
13.2 We will not be liable to any user for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty or otherwise, arising under or in connection with:
(a) use of, or inability to use, the Platform or Website; or
(b) use of, or reliance on, any content, information or outputs made available through the Platform.
13.3 In particular, we shall not be liable for any:
(a) loss of profits, sales, business or revenue;
(b) business interruption;
(c) loss of anticipated savings;
(d) loss of business opportunity, goodwill or reputation; or
(e) any indirect or consequential loss or damage.
13.4 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for:
(a) death or personal injury caused by negligence;
(b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
(c) any other liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
13.5 Where a separate Licence Agreement exists between Education Companion and a school, trust or other institution, liability shall be governed exclusively by that Licence Agreement, and not by these Terms.
14. EVENTS OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL
14.1 We will not be liable for any failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
14.2 We shall not be liable for failures or defaults of banks, financial institutions, payment systems or regulatory bodies.
15. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS
15.1 We may update these Terms from time to time.
15.2 Continued use of the Platform after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
17. THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS
17.1 These Terms do not create rights for third parties under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
18. SEVERABILITY
18.1 If any provision is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
19. GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION
19.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
19.2 The English courts have exclusive jurisdiction.