Teachers.guide for Microsoft Word — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 19 August 2026

Who we are

Teachers.guide provides AI teaching tools for UK schools. This policy covers the Teachers.guide add-in for Microsoft Word. It sits alongside our main Privacy Policy. Data controller enquiries and data protection questions: privacy@teachers.guide.

What the add-in reads

• Only the text you choose. The add-in reads your current selection when you press Use selection from document. If nothing is selected it reads the visible document text, capped at 6,000 characters, so you can run a module on a short draft.
• Nothing is read in the background, on a timer, or when the pane is closed.
• Other open documents, your OneDrive and your file system are never accessed.
• No Microsoft account details, mailbox data or tenant directory data are collected.

Why the add-in requests ReadWriteDocument

ReadWriteDocument is the minimum Office permission that allows the add-in to read the text you submit and to insert the generated result back at your cursor or over your selection. No wider permission is requested.

What is sent, and where

The text you submit, the module you chose and your connect token are sent over HTTPS to the Teachers.guide backend (Supabase edge functions, EU region), and from there to Google's Gemini API for generation. The result returns to the task pane only.

Lawful basis (UK GDPR)

Processing is carried out on the basis of the contract between Teachers.guide and the subscribing school or individual teacher (Article 6(1)(b)), and our legitimate interest in providing and securing the service (Article 6(1)(f)). Where a school uploads pupil personal data, Teachers.guide acts as processor under the school's Data Processing Agreement, and the school is the controller.

Pupil data

Users are instructed not to paste pupil-identifying or special-category data into the add-in unless their school has signed the Teachers.guide DPA and unlocked real names. Anonymised identifiers such as "Pupil A" should be used otherwise.

Retention

• Submitted text and generated output follow the platform retention rules: run content is purged within 24 hours by an automated job.
• Recent results shown inside the task pane are stored on that device only and are cleared when you sign out.
• The connect token is stored in Office roaming settings and browser local storage on your device, and is revoked when you sign out.

What we never do

• We do not sell or share your content with third parties for their own purposes.
• We do not use your content to train AI models.
• We do not track your document activity or telemetry inside Word.

Sub-processors

• Supabase — application database, authentication and edge functions.
• Google (Gemini API) — AI generation. Content is not used for model training.

Your rights

You may request access, correction, deletion or export of your personal data at any time by emailing privacy@teachers.guide. You may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office.

Removing the add-in

Sign out inside the task pane to revoke and delete the connect token from your device, then remove the add-in from Word. Centrally deployed add-ins are removed by your IT admin in the Microsoft 365 admin centre.

Contact

privacy@teachers.guide · 020 4652 1500 · Support · Terms of use