Child Safety & Safeguarding Policy

Children's safety is at the heart of how LearnarooHub is designed and run. This policy explains the steps we take to keep children safe when they use our Platform, the standards we follow, and how to raise a concern. It reflects the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code (the Children's Code), the Online Safety Act 2023, UK GDPR, and recognised safeguarding principles.

1.Our commitment

We are committed to providing a safe online learning environment in which the best interests of the child are a primary consideration in every decision about how the Platform works. We treat children's safety and wellbeing as more important than commercial or engagement goals.

2.Standards and laws we follow

• ICO Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) — 15 standards for online services likely to be accessed by children.
• Online Safety Act 2023 — duties to protect children from harmful content and to assess risks where the service is likely to be accessed by children.
• UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 — lawful, fair, and minimised handling of children's data.
• Recognised safeguarding guidance — principles drawn from Working Together to Safeguard Children and Keeping Children Safe in Education, applied to an online learning provider.

3.Safety by design

We build child protection into the Platform, not on top of it. This includes:

• High-privacy defaults for student profiles;
• Data minimisation — collecting only what is needed for learning and progress tracking;
• No behavioural advertising to children and no sale of children's data;
• Geolocation off by default;
• No dark patterns or nudges that pressure children to share more data or weaken protections;
• Clear, age-appropriate explanations of how the Platform works alongside our full Privacy Policy.

4.Age-appropriate access and age assurance

The Platform is designed for children to use under the supervision of a parent, carer, or teacher. Student Accounts are created and managed by a responsible adult, and account-holding and payment relationships are with adults only (you must be 18 or over to hold a paying account). We tailor the experience to the relevant key stage and apply age-appropriate protections. We carry out, and keep under review, a children's access and risk assessment in line with the Online Safety Act, and apply proportionate age-assurance measures appropriate to an educational service.

5.Children's data protection

How we collect, use, and protect children's data — including progress and learning analytics — is set out in detail in our Privacy Policy. In summary, children's data is used to support learning, not to profile children commercially, and is shared only with the responsible adults entitled to see it (a parent/carer or a teacher/school) and trusted service providers under strict contracts.

6.Content standards and moderation

All Content is created and curated to be age-appropriate, curriculum-aligned, and suitable for the intended key stage. We review Content before publication and act promptly to correct or remove anything reported as inappropriate. Where any feature allows user-generated input, we apply controls proportionate to the risk and the Online Safety Act, including the ability to report and remove content.

7.Contact and interaction controls

The Platform is a learning environment, not a social network. We limit features that allow children to be contacted by strangers. Any communication features are designed so that interactions involving children take place within the supervised context of a parent/carer or school account. Attempts to misuse the Platform to contact, groom, or exploit a child are strictly prohibited under our Acceptable Use Policy and will be reported to law enforcement.

8.Working with parents, carers and schools

We give parents, carers, and teachers visibility and control over the children in their care, including access to progress dashboards and account settings. Schools using the Platform remain responsible for their own safeguarding duties and for their Designated Safeguarding Lead; we support those duties and will cooperate with a school's safeguarding processes.

9.Our people and vetting

Staff and contractors who could come into contact with children's data or content are bound by confidentiality, receive appropriate safeguarding and data-protection awareness, and are granted only the access they need. Where roles warrant it, we carry out appropriate background checks to be confirmed.

10.Raising a safeguarding concern

11.How we respond and report

When a safeguarding concern is reported, we will acknowledge it promptly, take immediate protective steps where needed (such as restricting an account), and escalate to our Safeguarding Lead. Where we believe a child is at risk, we will report to the police, children's social care, or the relevant safeguarding partner, and we will cooperate fully with any investigation. We will preserve relevant records and act in line with our legal obligations, including any duties under the Online Safety Act.

12.Support resources

13.Review of this policy

We review this policy at least once a year, and sooner if the law, guidance, or our services change. The version and effective date at the top of this page show when it was last updated.