Governance Toolkit — Terms of Use

1.About this service

The Governance Toolkit is a free online service provided by RDT Systems Limited (trading as Choice Voting) ("we", "us", "our"), trading as Choice Voting, a company registered in England (company number 08708849). Our registered address is Lytchett House, 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6FA.

The Toolkit provides governance administration tools for UK schools, academy trusts, and other educational organisations.

By creating an account or using the Toolkit, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

2.The service is free

The Governance Toolkit is provided free of charge. There are no subscription fees, no trial periods, and no premium tiers. We may introduce paid features or services in the future, but any tools that are free at the date you create your account will remain free for the duration of your use.

3.What you can use the Toolkit for

The Toolkit is intended solely for governance administration in schools and educational organisations. You may use it to:

• Calculate quorum for board meetings
• Track governor skills and identify gaps
• Monitor terms of office and board composition
• Plan and track governor elections
• Manage compliance calendars and policy reviews
• Generate welcome packs for new governors
• Log governor training records and CPD hours
• Draft and manage meeting minutes
• Track DBS checks and safeguarding compliance
• Manage registers of pecuniary interests
• Record and track governor monitoring visits
• Track meeting attendance

You must not use the Toolkit:

• For any unlawful purpose
• To attempt to access another organisation's data
• To store data unrelated to school governance administration
• To circumvent any security measures or access controls
• In any way that could damage, disable, or impair the service
• To transmit any malicious code, virus, or harmful content

Use of the Toolkit is also subject to our Fair-Use Policy, which forms part of these terms.

4.Sensitive and special category data

Some tools within the Toolkit are designed to handle data that may include special category personal data under UK data protection law. This includes, but is not limited to:

• DBS and Checks Tracker: may record DBS certificate numbers, dates, and safeguarding status of governors
• Register of Interests: records pecuniary and personal interests of governors, which may reveal financial, political, or other sensitive associations
• Skills Audit and Board Self-Evaluation: may capture information about individuals' professional backgrounds and competencies
• Meeting Minutes: may record discussions involving safeguarding, complaints, disciplinary matters, or other sensitive topics

By entering data into any of these tools, you confirm that:

• (a) You have a lawful basis under UK data protection law (including, where applicable, a condition for processing special category data under Article 9 of UK GDPR) to enter and store that data
• (b) You have informed the individuals concerned that their data is being stored in the Toolkit, and have provided them with appropriate privacy information
• (c) You will respond to any data subject access requests relating to data you have entered
• (d) You will not enter more personal data than is necessary for the governance purpose
• (e) You understand that while we encrypt sensitive governance data at rest (see our Privacy Policy for details), you remain responsible for deciding what data to enter and for ensuring compliance with your own data protection obligations

We strongly recommend that you do not enter full DBS certificate numbers. A record of the date, status, and level of check is sufficient for governance compliance purposes.

5.Your account

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at [email protected].

You must provide accurate information when creating your account. One account should be created per organisation (school or trust), not per individual governor.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that:

• Appear to be fraudulent or created using false information
• Have been inactive for more than 12 months (we will contact you before taking action)
• Are in material breach of these terms or the Fair-Use Policy

6.Your data

Any data you enter into the Toolkit (governor names, skills assessments, meeting notes, compliance records, etc.) belongs to your organisation. We do not claim any ownership of your content.

You may export your data at any time using the export features within the Toolkit. If you delete your account, we will delete all associated data within 30 days, except where we are required by law to retain it.

You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to enter personal data about individuals and for complying with UK data protection law. See our Privacy Policy and Data Processing Agreement for full details of how we handle personal data.

7.Intellectual property

The Toolkit, including its design, code, branding, documentation, and all content created by us, is owned by RDT Systems Limited (trading as Choice Voting) and protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.

We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the Toolkit for its intended purpose (school governance administration) for as long as your account remains active and in good standing.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or create derivative works based on the Toolkit or any part of it without our prior written consent.

8.Service availability and support

We aim to keep the Toolkit available and operational, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Toolkit may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond our control.

Where planned maintenance is required, we will endeavour to carry it out during periods of low usage and, where practical, give advance notice.

Support is available via email at [email protected] during normal UK business hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays). We aim to respond to support queries within two working days.

9.Limitation of liability

The Toolkit is provided free of charge, and our liability reflects this.

What we are responsible for: If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breach of these terms or our failure to use reasonable care and skill. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time these terms were entered into, both we and you knew it might happen.

What we are not responsible for: We are not liable for:

• Any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Toolkit
• Any loss of data, including governance records, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such loss
• Any loss arising from your reliance on the Toolkit as your sole record of governance data
• Any decisions made by your organisation based on data or outputs from the Toolkit
• Any failure to meet statutory governance obligations, even where the Toolkit was used to track those obligations

We strongly recommend that you maintain your own backup records and do not rely solely on the Toolkit as your only source of governance data.

Nothing in these terms:

• Excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence
• Excludes or limits our liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
• Excludes or limits any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under English law

If you are a consumer, you have legal rights in relation to services that are not performed with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in these terms affects those statutory rights. Advice about your legal rights is available from your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Trading Standards office.

10.Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless RDT Systems Limited (trading as Choice Voting), its directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• Your breach of these terms
• Your entry of personal data into the Toolkit without a lawful basis
• Your failure to comply with UK data protection law in relation to data you have entered
• Any third-party claim arising from your use of the Toolkit

11.Changes to the service

We may update, modify, or discontinue any part of the Toolkit at any time. We will try to give reasonable notice of significant changes.

If we discontinue the Toolkit entirely, we will:

• Give you at least 90 days' notice via the email address on your account
• Provide a way to export your data before the service closes
• Not delete any data before the notice period has expired

12.Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you via the email address on your account at least 14 days before the changes take effect.

Your continued use of the Toolkit after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using the Toolkit and delete your account.

13.Third-party services

The Toolkit may contain links to third-party websites or services (such as the DfE school register). We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of any third-party sites. Your use of third-party services is subject to their own terms and conditions.

14.Severability

If any provision of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

15.Entire agreement

These terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Fair-Use Policy, and Data Processing Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and RDT Systems Limited (trading as Choice Voting) in relation to your use of the Governance Toolkit.

16.Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer, you will benefit from any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which you are resident. Nothing in these terms affects your rights as a consumer to rely on such mandatory provisions of local law.

17.Contact

If you have questions about these terms, contact us at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 01202 078866
• Address: Lytchett House, 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6FA
• Website: choicevoting.co.uk