Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

SchoolSphere is operated by SchoolSphere Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. We are the data controller of your personal data under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We do not currently have a designated Data Protection Officer (DPO). Data protection queries should be directed to privacy@schoolsphere.app.

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113.

2. International Users & Governing Law

This policy is governed by the laws of England and Wales. SchoolSphere is primarily designed for users in the United Kingdom and is operated under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

If you access SchoolSphere from outside the UK, the following may also apply to you:

• European Union / EEA users: You may have additional rights under EU GDPR (Regulation 2016/679), including the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
• California residents (USA): You may have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
• US users (children under 13): We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. See Section 7 for details.

Where data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or equivalent safeguards are in place as required by the ICO's international transfer guidance.

3. What Data We Collect

Account information

When you sign in via Google OAuth, we store your name, email address, unique user ID, and account creation date. We do not store your password.

Children's profile information

When you add a child, we store their first name or nickname, year group, avatar emoji, and colour. We do not collect children's dates of birth, addresses, photographs, or government identifiers. Children cannot create accounts or access the app directly.

Events and calendar data

We store events you add manually or import via text, email, PDF extraction, school letter scanning, or voice input — including titles, dates, requirements, and the child they are associated with. This includes school events, clubs, parties, medical appointments, play dates, childminder sessions, and sports fixtures added through the Family Hub.

Gmail integration (optional)

If you connect Gmail, we access your inbox with read-only scope to extract school events. We do not store the full text of your emails. Raw email content is processed in memory and discarded immediately — or within a few seconds at most — after extraction. Only extracted event data is saved.

Uploaded documents

PDFs and photos you upload are temporarily stored, processed by AI to extract event information, and then permanently deleted immediately after extraction. We do not retain uploaded documents.

Pasted text and voice input

Text you paste (email text, WhatsApp messages) and voice recordings you make via the voice input feature are sent to our AI for extraction and are not stored beyond the extraction process. Voice audio is transcribed and then discarded immediately — we do not retain audio recordings.

Subscription and billing data

If you subscribe, payment is processed by Stripe. We do not store your card details. We receive from Stripe: your customer ID, subscription status, plan type, and billing dates.

Push notification tokens

If you enable push notifications, we store a device push token to deliver reminders to your device.

Technical data

We collect standard server logs (IP addresses, request timestamps, error reports) for security monitoring only. Logs are pseudonymised where possible and retained for a maximum of 90 days. We do not use any third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, or Mixpanel). No analytics cookies or tracking pixels are used.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use your data only to provide the SchoolSphere service. Specifically:

• To run your account and calendar — lawful basis: contract
• To process Gmail and uploaded documents — lawful basis: consent (revocable at any time in Settings)
• To process subscription payments — lawful basis: contract
• For security monitoring and fraud prevention — lawful basis: legitimate interests
• To store children's minimal profile data (first name, year group) — lawful basis: contract / legitimate interests of the parent or carer using the service

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose not listed here.

5. Data Minimisation & Purpose Limitation

We collect only the data that is strictly necessary to provide the SchoolSphere service. We do not collect data speculatively or "just in case." Each data field we store has a documented purpose, and we periodically review what we hold to ensure it remains necessary and proportionate.

We do not repurpose data for uses beyond those described in this policy. If we wish to use your data for a new purpose, we will seek fresh consent or establish a new lawful basis before doing so.

6. AI Processing — How It Works

SchoolSphere uses AI to extract event information from emails, documents, and natural language input. This processing is performed by OpenAI, L.L.C. (USA), operating under a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with SchoolSphere Ltd. OpenAI is contractually prohibited from using API data to train their models — see OpenAI's Data Processing Addendum.

When we send content to OpenAI for processing, we send only the relevant text (for example, the body of a forwarded email or a pasted message). We do not send your name, account ID, or any other identifying information alongside the content. OpenAI processes the text and returns structured event data; the original text is not retained by us or OpenAI after processing.

AI processing is performed server-side (not on your device). All communication between our servers and OpenAI is encrypted in transit. OpenAI is used solely for event extraction and calendar assistant features — it is not used for profiling, advertising, or any decision-making about you.

7. Children's Data — Special Protections

SchoolSphere is for parents and carers aged 18 and over. Children do not have accounts and cannot access the app directly.

Age verification: We require users to self-declare they are 18 or over during sign-up. We also rely on Google's account age signals where available via Google OAuth. We do not use additional age-verification services at this time, as the service is not directed at children — it is a tool for parents and carers to manage their own calendars.

Consent for Gmail and AI features: Before connecting Gmail or using AI-powered extraction features, users are shown a clear consent screen explaining what data is processed and how. This consent can be withdrawn at any time in Settings.

We apply the following protections in line with the ICO's Children's Code:

• Children's data is stored only as entered by the parent or carer
• Children cannot access or modify their own records
• We do not use children's information for advertising or profiling
• Household members only see children's data for children the account holder has explicitly shared
• When an account is deleted, all children's data is permanently deleted
• We collect only the minimum information necessary (first name or nickname and year group)
• We do not knowingly process personal data for children under 13 without verifiable parental consent

We have carried out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) in line with ICO guidance, covering AI processing, Gmail integration, and children's profile data.

8. Third-Party Processors

We do not sell your data. We share data only with the following trusted service providers, each acting as a data processor under a written agreement:

Where data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or equivalent safeguards are in place as required by the ICO's international transfer guidance.

9. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Account and profile data: until you delete your account
• Events and calendar entries: until you delete them or your account
• Uploaded files: deleted immediately after AI processing
• Gmail OAuth token: until you disconnect Gmail in Settings
• Push tokens: until you revoke notification permission
• Stripe billing data: 7 years (UK financial regulations)
• Server logs: 90 days maximum
• Consent records: 7 years

10. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access a copy of your data — use "Download My Data" in Settings
• Rectify inaccurate data
• Erase your account and all data — Settings → Delete Account
• Data portability — export as JSON via Settings
• Restrict processing in certain circumstances
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent at any time for Gmail sync, push notifications, and email digest

EU/EEA users may also lodge a complaint with their local supervisory authority. California residents may exercise CCPA/CPRA rights by emailing us.

To exercise any right, email privacy@schoolsphere.app. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

11. Security

All data is transmitted over HTTPS (TLS 1.2+). Session cookies are httpOnly and secure. OAuth tokens are stored encrypted at rest. Uploaded files use randomised storage keys and are deleted immediately after processing. We do not store passwords. Server logs are pseudonymised where possible.

In the event of a data breach likely to risk your rights, we will notify you and the ICO within 72 hours as required by UK GDPR.

12. Cookies & Local Storage

SchoolSphere uses a single session cookie to keep you logged in. This cookie is strictly necessary for the app to function and does not track you across other websites.

We also use browser local storage to save your app preferences (such as selected child filter and calendar view). This data stays on your device and is never transmitted to our servers.

We do not use advertising cookies, analytics cookies, third-party tracking pixels, or device fingerprinting of any kind.

13. School Website Term Dates

Term dates retrieved from school websites are provided for convenience only and may not be accurate. Always verify important dates directly with your school. We are not affiliated with any school.

14. Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you via email and via an in-app banner before the changes take effect, where possible. We will ask you to review and accept material changes before continuing to use SchoolSphere.

Previous versions of this policy are available on request by emailing privacy@schoolsphere.app.

15. Contact Us

Data protection queries: privacy@schoolsphere.app

General enquiries: hello@schoolsphere.app

ICO: ico.org.uk · 0303 123 1113