Privacy policy
Updated 5th Sep 26
Classmates ("Classmates", "we", "us" or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect and use your information.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the Classmates app and website, why we collect it, how we use it, who we share it with and the choices you have.
Classmates is designed for parents and carers who homeschool or home educate children. We do not create accounts for children, and children are not intended to use Classmates independently.
1. Who we are
Classmates is operated by:
Classmates Limited
23 Clydesdale House, 255 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1ED
[COMPANY NUMBER]
nantonmiles@gmail.com
For the purposes of UK data protection law, we are the data controller responsible for your personal information.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your information, please contact us at:
2. Information we collect
Depending on how you use Classmates, we may collect the following information.
Account information
When you create an account, we may collect:
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Your first and last name
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Email address
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Password or authentication information
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Profile information
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Account preferences
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Information about your homeschooling
To help personalise Classmates, you may provide information such as:
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The number of children you homeschool
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Children's age or age range
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Subjects or areas of learning you are interested in
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Your preferred homeschooling or teaching approach
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Experiences you are interested in
We use this information to help personalise your experience, including the experiences and community content shown to you.
Location information
With your permission, we may collect your approximate location or information about your location.
We use location information to:
Show relevant experiences near you
Help connect you with an appropriate local community
Personalise recommendations
You can control location permissions through your device settings.
We do not need to use your precise location to provide all Classmates features.
Community content
If you choose to participate in the Classmates community, we may collect information that you voluntarily provide, including:
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Posts
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Questions
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Replies
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Comments
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Profile information
Please remember that information you post to a community feature may be visible to other Classmates users. Do not share information that you do not want other members of the community to see.
Experiences and learning records
Classmates allows you to save, complete and create experiences.
We may collect information about:
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Experiences you save
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Experiences you mark as completed
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Experiences you add to your timetable
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Custom experiences you create
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Notes you add to experiences
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Photos you upload
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Dates and locations associated with experiences
Custom experiences may contain information about activities you have undertaken with your family. Please avoid including unnecessary personal information about children or other individuals in your notes or photos.
Technical information
When you use Classmates, we may automatically collect certain technical information, such as:
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Device type
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Operating system
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App version
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IP address
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General usage information
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Crash and diagnostic information
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Information about how you interact with the app
We use this information to maintain, secure and improve Classmates.
3. How we use your information
We may use your information to:
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Create and manage your account
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Provide Classmates features
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Personalise your experience
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Recommend relevant experiences
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Help you discover your local homeschooling community
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Display and manage your timetable
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Save your experiences and learning records
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Allow you to create and document your own experiences
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Communicate with you about your account
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Provide customer support
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Improve and develop Classmates
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Monitor and maintain the security of our platform
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Detect and prevent abuse, fraud or misuse
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Moderate community content
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Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
4. Children's information
Classmates is designed for parents and carers, rather than children.
We do not ask children to create accounts or provide information directly to us.
When you use Classmates, you may provide information relating to the children you homeschool, such as their age or age range. We use this information to provide relevant recommendations and features.
We encourage parents and carers not to provide unnecessary information that could directly identify a child, such as their full name, school, home address, telephone number or other identifying information.
Children's information should not be posted publicly within community features.
If you believe that a child has provided personal information to Classmates directly, or that personal information about a child has been shared inappropriately, please contact us at nantonmiles@gmail.com.
5. Legal bases for processing
Under UK data protection law, we need a lawful basis for processing personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:
Contract
Where processing is necessary to provide the Classmates service you have requested, such as creating and managing your account.
Legitimate interests
Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as improving Classmates, maintaining security, preventing misuse and understanding how our service is used, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights.
Consent
Where we ask for your permission to process information, such as certain optional location permissions or marketing communications.
You can withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
Legal obligation
Where we need to process information to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement.
6. Location information
Location is an important part of the Classmates experience because it helps us show relevant experiences and connect you with your local community.
Where your device provides location information, we will only use it for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and where permitted by your device permissions and applicable law.
You can disable location access through your device settings. Some location-based features may not work correctly if you do so.
7. Sharing your information
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share information with trusted third parties where necessary to operate Classmates, including providers that help us with:
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Hosting and cloud infrastructure
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Authentication
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Database and storage services
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Analytics and diagnostics
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Customer support
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Subscription and payment management
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Security and fraud prevention
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Communications
These providers may only process your information as necessary to provide services to us and are required to protect your information.
We may also disclose information where required by law, court order or a lawful request from a regulatory or law enforcement authority.
8. Payments and subscriptions
If you subscribe to Classmates, payments may be processed through the relevant app store or payment provider.
We do not need to store your full payment card details to provide the Classmates subscription service.
Information relating to your subscription may be provided to us or our subscription management provider so that we can determine whether your account has an active subscription and provide the appropriate features.
9. Community and public information
Some areas of Classmates are designed to help parents and carers connect with one another.
Information that you choose to publish through community features may be visible to other Classmates users. Please consider carefully what you share.
For your safety, we recommend that you do not post:
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Your home address
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Your child's full name
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Your child's school
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Private contact details
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Financial information
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Passwords
Other information that could unnecessarily identify or locate you or your children
We may remove content that breaches our community guidelines or creates a safety or privacy risk.
10. Photos and notes
Classmates allows you to document experiences using photographs and notes.
You are responsible for ensuring that you have the appropriate permission to upload photographs of other people.
We recommend avoiding photographs that unnecessarily identify children or other individuals.
You retain ownership of photographs and other content that you upload. By uploading content to Classmates, you give us permission to store and display that content as necessary to provide the Classmates service and according to the settings and features you use.
11. Data retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
How long information is retained depends on the type of information and why we collected it.
For example, we may retain account information while your account remains active. When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise personal information where reasonably possible, subject to information that we are legally required or legitimately permitted to retain.
Some information may remain temporarily in backups before being securely deleted.
12. Keeping your information secure
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
However, no online service can guarantee complete security.
You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and should contact us immediately if you believe your account has been compromised.
13. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have rights including:
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The right to access your personal information
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The right to correct inaccurate information
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The right to request deletion of your information
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The right to restrict certain processing
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The right to object to certain processing
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The right to data portability in certain circumstances
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The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
You can exercise your rights by contacting us at:
We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.
14. Marketing
Where we send marketing communications, we will provide an appropriate way for you to opt out.
You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time.
Transactional or service-related communications, such as important information about your account or subscription, may still be sent where necessary.
15. Cookies and similar technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, understand usage and improve our services.
Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before using non-essential cookies.
You can manage cookies through your browser settings and, where applicable, our cookie preferences.
16. International transfers
Some of our service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where this happens, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal information receives a level of protection that is consistent with UK data protection law.
This may include using adequacy regulations or appropriate contractual safeguards.
17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to Classmates, our services or applicable law.
When we make significant changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify you.
The date at the top of this Privacy Policy shows when it was last updated.
18. Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information or how Classmates handles data, please contact:
Classmates Limited
Email: nantonmiles@gmail.com
Address: 23 Clydedale House, 255 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1ED
You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe that we have not handled your personal information appropriately.
You can find information about the ICO and your data protection rights at ico.org.uk.