Last updated: 20 May 2026

StepStone ESL respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information carefully and responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and how you can contact us about your information.

StepStone ESL provides English language tutoring and ESL support for children, teens and adults in Australia.

1. What information we collect

We may collect personal information when you contact us, submit an enquiry form, email us, or ask about tutoring services.

This may include:

• your name
• your email address
• your phone number
• your suburb or location
• whether the enquiry is for a child, teen, adult learner or someone else
• preferred lesson type, such as online or face-to-face
• information you choose to include in your message
• information about the learner's English goals, confidence, school needs, tutoring needs or communication challenges

If you are enquiring for a child, you may choose to provide information about the child's age group, learning needs, school English support needs, confidence, or tutoring goals.

Please only provide information that is relevant to your enquiry.

2. How we collect information

We collect information when you:

• submit the website enquiry form
• email StepStone ESL directly
• call or text StepStone ESL
• communicate with us about tutoring services
• provide information during an assessment or lesson enquiry

The website enquiry form is currently designed to send enquiry details to StepStone ESL by email.

3. Why we collect information

We collect personal information so we can:

• respond to enquiries
• understand what kind of English support is needed
• explain tutoring options
• arrange lessons or assessments
• communicate with parents, carers or adult learners
• provide tutoring services
• send relevant follow-up information
• keep basic business and communication records

We do not sell personal information.

4. Information about children

StepStone ESL may receive information from parents or carers about a child's English learning needs.

We only ask for information that helps us understand whether StepStone ESL may be suitable for the learner.

Parents and carers should avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information through the enquiry form.

If you need to discuss detailed learning needs, disability support needs, school concerns or other personal circumstances, it is usually better to raise this directly with Irene after initial contact has been made.

5. Sensitive information

Sometimes people may choose to share information about learning challenges, confidence, anxiety, school struggles, disability, cultural background, language background or family circumstances.

We ask that you only share what is necessary for the tutoring enquiry.

If sensitive information is provided, we will only use it for the purpose of understanding the enquiry and providing appropriate tutoring support.

6. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• reply to your enquiry
• answer questions
• discuss tutoring options
• plan or provide tutoring services
• communicate about lesson times, changes or follow-up
• keep records of communication where needed for business purposes

We may also use general, non-identifying information to understand what kinds of services people are asking about, such as common tutoring needs or service areas.

7. Email and form submissions

When you submit the enquiry form, your details are sent to StepStone ESL by email so Irene can respond.

A short-term backup copy of each submission is kept in the website's secure database for up to 30 days, then automatically deleted. The backup exists only so we do not lose enquiries if an email is delayed. It is not publicly readable.

Email is not always a fully secure method of communication. Please avoid sending highly sensitive information through the website form or email unless it is necessary.

8. Third-party services

The website may use third-party services to operate and improve the site.

These may include:

• Lovable or the website hosting platform
• Google Translate or automatic translation tools
• Google Analytics, if added later
• Google services connected to email or website measurement
• domain, hosting or technical service providers

These services may process limited technical information such as browser type, device information, IP address, page visits, cookies or usage data.

Some third-party providers may store or process information outside Australia.

9. Website analytics

Google Analytics is not currently confirmed as active.

If Google Analytics or similar tools are added later, the website may collect general usage information such as:

• pages visited
• approximate location
• device and browser type
• traffic source
• time spent on the website
• whether users interact with key buttons or forms

This information helps us understand how people use the website and improve it over time.

Analytics information is generally aggregated and does not directly identify individual visitors.

10. Cookies and translation tools

The website may use cookies or similar technologies to support basic website functions, translation features, analytics or user preferences.

The translation feature is provided for convenience only. Translations are auto generated and may not always be accurate. The English version is the official version of the website.

11. Disclosure of information

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:

• provide tutoring services
• respond to your enquiry
• use trusted service providers that help operate the website, email or business systems
• comply with legal obligations
• protect safety, rights or lawful interests where required

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

12. How we protect information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

This may include:

• using password-protected email and business systems
• limiting access to enquiry information
• avoiding unnecessary collection of sensitive information
• keeping only information needed for business or service purposes
• deleting information when it is no longer needed, where reasonable and lawful

No website, email system or online service can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. How long we keep information

We keep personal information for as long as needed to respond to enquiries, provide tutoring services, manage business records, or meet legal and administrative requirements.

If you do not become a client, we may still keep limited enquiry records for a reasonable period in case you contact us again.

You can ask us to delete your information, and we will do so where reasonable and lawful.

14. Accessing or correcting your information

You can contact StepStone ESL to ask for access to personal information we hold about you.

You can also ask us to correct information if it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete.

Please use the contact details in section 18 below.

We may need to verify your identity before providing access or making changes.

15. Complaints or privacy concerns

If you have a privacy concern, please contact StepStone ESL first so we can try to resolve it.

Use the contact details in section 18 below.

Please include enough detail for us to understand the issue.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

16. External links

The website may contain links to external websites or third-party services.

StepStone ESL is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites. Please review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

The latest version will be available on this page.

18. Contact

For privacy questions, access requests, corrections or complaints, please contact: