Russell Ready
Compliance

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 18 September 2026

1. Introduction and who we are

Russell Ready (“Russell Ready”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is a UK-based specialist university admissions consultancy. We are the data controller responsible for the personal data described in this policy, meaning we decide how and why that data is processed.

This policy explains what personal data we collect, how and why we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights available to you, in each case when you visit this website, contact us, apply to become a mentor, or take part in the Russell Ready Admissions Programme (the “Programme”) as a student, parent, or partner school.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Where a visitor to this site is located in the European Economic Area, we apply the equivalent standards of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) to their personal data.

2. Personal data we collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

  • Enquiry and contact form data: name, email address, school/organisation, your role (school representative, parent, or student), and the content of your message, when you submit our contact form or otherwise write to us.
  • Mentor application data: name, email address, university attended, a short personal statement, and the contents of any CV or résumé you choose to upload, when you apply to become a mentor.
  • Admissions Programme and student portal data: for students enrolled in the Programme and the staff who support them, we collect account information (name, email address, school, and role), programme progress records, application materials and drafts submitted for review (including personal statements and supporting documents), consultant feedback and inline annotations on those materials, and messages exchanged between students and consultants within the portal.
  • Correspondence: records of emails or other communications you send us directly.
  • Technical and usage data: limited technical data necessary to operate this website securely, described in full in the Cookies and Similar Technologies section below.

We do not knowingly collect special category data (for example, data concerning health, disability, or ethnicity) unless it is voluntarily and knowingly provided to us by a student, parent, or school where relevant to safeguarding or reasonable adjustments, in which case it is handled under the additional safeguards described in section 5.

3. How and why we use your data, and our legal basis

We use personal data only for the following purposes:

  • To respond to enquiries and provide information about our services, on the basis of our legitimate interest in responding to people who contact us, and to take steps prior to entering into a contract at your request.
  • To assess and respond to mentor applications, on the basis of our legitimate interest in recruiting suitably qualified mentors, and, where a mentor role proceeds, to take steps toward a contract.
  • To deliver the Admissions Programme, including reviewing and providing feedback on application materials, tracking programme progress, and communicating with students, parents, and partner schools about a student's application journey, on the basis of the contract between Russell Ready and the student, parent, or partner school, and, for students under 18, on the basis of the consent of a parent, guardian, or partner school given on the student's behalf.
  • To safeguard students, including maintaining records of communications and, where necessary, sharing limited information with a partner school or parent, on the basis of our legitimate interest in protecting the welfare of the students we work with and, where applicable, our legal obligations relating to safeguarding.
  • To maintain the security of this website and the student portal, including authenticating accounts and preventing unauthorised access, on the basis of our legitimate interest in keeping our systems and your data secure.
  • To comply with our legal obligations, for example in response to a lawful request from a regulator or law enforcement body.

We do not use personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects, and no decision about a student's participation in, or progress through, the Programme is made by automated means alone. We do not sell personal data, and we do not use personal data collected through the Programme or the student portal for marketing purposes.

4. Children’s and students’ data

Much of our work involves supporting students under the age of 18, and we treat their personal data with particular care. In relation to a student under 18:

  • A student is enrolled onto the Programme, and their account on the student portal is created, only following appropriate consent from a parent, guardian, or partner school acting on the family's behalf.
  • We collect only the personal data reasonably necessary to deliver the Programme and to communicate about a student's progress; we do not seek data beyond that purpose.
  • Access to a student's application materials, feedback, and messages within the student portal is restricted to that student and to authorised Russell Ready consultants and administrators; other students cannot access another student's data.
  • A parent, guardian, or partner school may request access to, a copy of, or the deletion of a student's personal data at any time by contacting us using the details in section 11, subject to the safeguarding and legal considerations described in this policy, for example where records must be retained to protect a child's welfare or to meet a legal obligation.
  • Communications between a student and a Russell Ready consultant within the student portal are logged and may be made available to a parent or partner school on reasonable request, consistent with our safeguarding practice.

5. Special category data and safeguarding information

We do not ask students, parents, or schools to provide special category data (such as information about health, disability, or the need for reasonable adjustments) as a condition of taking part in the Programme. Where such information is volunteered (for example, to help us make an appropriate adjustment during an admissions test preparation session), we process it only for that safeguarding or welfare purpose, on the basis of explicit consent or, where necessary to protect a student's vital interests or those of another person, on the basis permitted by UK GDPR Article 9(2)(c), and we limit access to that information to the individuals who genuinely need it to support the student.

6. Who we share your data with

We do not sell or rent personal data. We share personal data only in the following circumstances:

  • With a partner school, where the data concerns that school's own student and sharing is necessary to deliver or report on the Programme.
  • With service providers who process data on our behalf (our “processors”), strictly to operate this website and the student portal, under contractual terms that require them to protect your data and use it only as we instruct. Our current processors are:
    • a database and authentication provider, which stores student portal accounts, application materials, and messages within the European Union;
    • a transactional email provider, which sends enquiry, mentor application, and account-related emails on our behalf;
    • a website hosting and infrastructure provider, which serves this website and the student portal.
  • Where required by law, for example in response to a valid request from a court, regulator, or law enforcement body, or to protect the vital interests of a student.
  • In connection with a business transfer, such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we would take reasonable steps to ensure your data continues to be protected to the standard set out in this policy.

7. International transfers

Some of the processors described in section 6 store or process personal data outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States. Where we transfer personal data outside the UK, we do so only to processors that provide an adequate level of protection, either because the destination has been assessed as adequate, or because the transfer is protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. You may request further information about these safeguards by contacting us using the details in section 11.

8. Data retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, as set out in this policy. In practice, this means:

  • Enquiry, contact form, and mentor application data is retained for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to and follow up on the enquiry or application, and is then deleted or anonymised.
  • Student portal accounts, application materials, feedback, and progress records are retained for the duration of a student's participation in the Programme and for a limited period afterwards, to allow us to respond to follow-up enquiries, provide references where requested, and meet our safeguarding and legal obligations, after which they are securely deleted or anonymised.
  • Where we are required to keep data for longer to comply with a legal, regulatory, accounting, or safeguarding obligation, we retain it for that longer period only.

9. How we protect your data

We apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the data we hold, including: encryption of data in transit between your device and our systems; database-level access controls that restrict a student's application materials, feedback, and messages to that student and to authorised Russell Ready staff only; invite-only account creation for the student portal, rather than open self-registration; and limiting access to personal data among our own team to those who need it to deliver the Programme.

10. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • request access to the personal data we hold about you;
  • request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
  • request that we erase your personal data, where there is no compelling reason for us to continue processing it;
  • request that we restrict the processing of your personal data;
  • object to our processing of your personal data in certain circumstances;
  • request a copy of your personal data in a portable, machine-readable format;
  • withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent as our legal basis, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdrew it; and
  • lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the statutory body responsible for upholding data protection rights in the UK, at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by calling 0303 123 1113.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 11. We will respond within one month of receiving a valid request, as required by UK GDPR. Where a request concerns a student under 18, we may ask a parent, guardian, or partner school to confirm the request on the student's behalf, to protect the student's interests.

11. Data protection queries and contact

Russell Ready has not appointed a statutory Data Protection Officer, as our processing activities do not meet the UK GDPR threshold that requires one. Questions about this policy, or requests to exercise any of the rights described in section 10, should be sent to our designated privacy contact at info@russellready.com. We aim to acknowledge all data protection queries promptly.

12. Cookies and similar technologies

This site uses only the storage that is strictly necessary for it to function, unless and until you actively choose to accept additional storage via the cookie banner shown on your first visit. No non-essential cookies or tracking technologies are set before you give that consent, and no advertising or analytics cookies are used on this site at present.

  • Site access (strictly necessary): while this website is in pre-launch preview, a short-lived cookie records that a visitor has entered the preview password, so it is not requested again on every page. This cookie contains no personal data.
  • Cookie preference (strictly necessary): a local storage entry records the choice you make in the cookie banner, so we do not ask again on every visit.
  • Student portal authentication (strictly necessary): if you sign in to the student portal, authentication cookies keep you securely signed in between pages and visits. These are set only for signed-in portal users and are required for the portal to function.

Because these are all strictly necessary to provide the service you have requested, they do not require consent under PECR. You can withdraw consent to any future non-essential storage at any time by clearing your browser's local storage and cookies for this site.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes to our services or to data protection law. Where we make a material change, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.