1. Introduction
Knowness Ltd ("Knowness", "we", "us" or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of everyone who uses our educational platform.
Knowness is an educational technology platform designed to support students, teachers and parents through interactive learning resources, revision tools, assessments, progress tracking and educational insights.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, how it is stored and protected, and the rights individuals have regarding their personal information.
This policy applies to:
- Students using Knowness through their school or independently.
- Teachers using Knowness through their school or independently.
- Parents using Knowness to support or monitor their children's learning.
- Visitors to our website and mobile applications.
Knowness is operated by:
Knowness Ltd
Company Registration Number: 13204257
Registered Address: Studio 9, 50-54 St Paul’s Square, Birmingham, England, B3 1QS
Website: https://knowness.com
Email: [email protected]
Knowness is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration number ZB873664.
Our Commitment to Privacy
We recognise that protecting personal information is particularly important in an educational environment, where many of our users are children.
Knowness does not sell personal information to third parties.
We do not use personal information provided by schools for third-party advertising, targeted marketing or commercial data sales.
Personal information is collected and processed for legitimate educational, administrative, security and operational purposes, as explained in this policy.
Where third-party service providers are required to operate our platform, we take appropriate steps to ensure that personal information is handled securely and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.
2. Our Role Under UK GDPR
Knowness complies with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Our responsibilities depend on how an account is created and the purposes for which personal information is processed.
2.1 School-Managed Accounts
When a school provides access to Knowness for its students and teachers, the school will generally act as the Data Controller for personal information processed on its behalf.
Knowness acts as the Data Processor for these activities.
This means:
- The school determines the purposes for which personal information is processed.
- Knowness processes the relevant information on behalf of the school and in accordance with its documented instructions.
- The school controls and authorises the information shared with Knowness through integrations such as Wonde.
- Knowness uses the information to deliver educational services and authorised platform functionality.
- The school's agreement with Knowness governs the processing of school-managed personal information.
Our Data Processing Agreement (DPA) provides further information about these arrangements.
Data Processing Agreement: https://knowness.com/dpa
2.2 Independently Registered Accounts
When a student or teacher registers independently, Knowness generally acts as the Data Controller for the personal information it collects and processes to provide its services.
Parent accounts are registered independently and are not created or managed through school integrations.
Knowness acts as the Data Controller for personal information processed in connection with parent accounts.
As Data Controller, Knowness is responsible for determining the purposes and lawful bases for processing this information.
Additional protections apply where an account belongs to a child.
2.3 Other Processing Activities
Knowness may also act as an independent Data Controller for certain activities where it determines the purposes and means of processing, such as managing its own legal obligations or business communications.
Where this occurs, Knowness is responsible for establishing an appropriate lawful basis and complying with applicable data protection requirements.
3. Types of Accounts
Knowness supports three primary account types: Student, Teacher and Parent.
- Student Accounts: Provide access to educational resources, learning activities and progress tracking. Accounts may be created independently or through schools.
- Teacher Accounts: Provide access to educational resources, class management and authorised student progress information. Accounts may be created independently or through schools.
- Parent Accounts: Provide access to relevant educational information associated with linked student accounts. Parent accounts are registered independently and are not managed through schools.
The information collected and accessible depends on the account type, permissions and services provided.
4. Personal Information We Collect
The information collected depends on the user's account type, how the account was created, and which platform features are used.
We aim to collect and process only the personal information reasonably necessary for the relevant purposes.
4.1 Student Information
Depending on how the student account is created and used, we may process:
Account information:
- Name and email address.
- Account credentials and preferences.
School information:
- School name, year group, classes and subjects.
- Other relevant educational information authorised by the school.
Learning and performance information:
- Platform usage and learning activity.
- Academic progress, performance and assessment information.
4.2 Teacher Information
Depending on the account's origin and functionality, we may process:
- Name, title and email address.
- School, department, class and subject information.
- Account credentials and preferences.
- Platform usage and teaching activity.
- Communications with Knowness.
4.3 Parent Information
When a parent creates an account, we may process:
- Name and email address.
- Account credentials and preferences.
- Information linking the parent account to authorised student accounts.
- Platform usage and communications with Knowness.
Parent accounts are managed independently of schools. Where parents have access to their children's educational information, this is limited to information authorised for their account.
4.4 Technical and Usage Information
When users access Knowness, we may automatically collect technical information necessary for the operation, security and improvement of our services.
This may include:
- IP address.
- Browser type and version.
- Operating system and device type.
- Login and authentication activity.
- Pages and features accessed.
- Error reports and diagnostic information.
- Dates and times of platform activity.
- Information about the performance and reliability of our services.
We do not require precise GPS location information for the ordinary delivery of our educational services.
Approximate location information may be inferred from IP addresses for security or operational purposes.
4.5 Sensitive Personal Information
Knowness does not intentionally require special category personal data, such as information about health, religion or ethnicity, for its ordinary educational functionality.
Users should avoid including unnecessary sensitive personal information in free-text responses or communications.
Where personal information requiring additional protection is processed, we apply appropriate safeguards and comply with applicable legal requirements.
5. How We Receive Personal Information
Personal information may be received through several sources.
5.1 Wonde School Integration
Knowness uses Wonde to facilitate secure data integration with participating schools.
Wonde acts as an intermediary between a school's Management Information System (MIS) and authorised educational service providers such as Knowness.
Schools control the authorisation of data sharing through Wonde.
Where a school has approved the integration, Knowness may receive relevant student and teacher information necessary to create accounts, organise classes and deliver educational services.
This information may include names, school email addresses, class enrolments, subjects and year groups.
The specific information transferred depends on the permissions granted by the school and the data required by Knowness.
5.2 Other Sources
We may also collect personal information directly from users during registration, account management or communication with Knowness.
Additional information, including platform usage and learning progress, is generated as users interact with our services.
6. How We Use Personal Information
Knowness processes personal information for legitimate educational, administrative, security and operational purposes, including:
- Educational Services: Providing access to educational resources, learning activities, assessments and progress tracking.
- School and Teacher Support: Supporting class management, assignments and the monitoring of student progress.
- Parent Access: Providing parents with access to relevant learning and progress information associated with their linked student accounts.
- Account Management: Creating and maintaining accounts, managing authentication and communicating important service information.
- Security and Maintenance: Protecting our services, preventing unauthorised access and resolving technical issues.
- Service Improvement: Analysing platform performance and usage trends to maintain and improve our services.
Where Knowness processes personal information on behalf of schools, we do so in accordance with the relevant school's documented instructions.
Where possible and appropriate, we use aggregated or anonymised information for service improvement.
7. Artificial Intelligence and Automated Features
Knowness uses automated technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to support educational features such as answer checking, feedback and progress tracking.
For AI-assisted answer checking, submitted answers may be processed through an external AI service. Knowness does not provide students' names, email addresses or account identifiers to the AI provider. Submitted information is not used to train AI models.
Knowness also uses automated calculations to generate educational performance indicators. These are intended to support learning and do not constitute definitive assessments of a student's academic ability.
8. Children's Privacy
Knowness recognises that many users are under the age of 18 and that children's personal information requires particular care.
We are committed to providing an educational environment that respects children's privacy and protects their personal information.
8.1 School-Managed Student Accounts
Where a school provides access to Knowness, personal information is generally processed on behalf of that school for authorised educational purposes.
The school is responsible for establishing an appropriate lawful basis for the processing it controls.
Parental consent is not automatically required for every instance of school-directed educational processing.
8.2 Independently Registered Children
Children who register independently are entitled to additional data protection safeguards.
Where consent is the applicable lawful basis for an online service offered directly to a child under 13, we comply with the relevant UK GDPR parental authorisation requirements.
Other appropriate lawful bases may apply to particular processing activities.
8.3 Protection of Children's Information
We aim to:
- Collect only information necessary for the educational service.
- Limit access to personal information according to authorised roles.
- Prevent unauthorised disclosure of student information.
- Avoid using school-provided student information for advertising or promotional marketing.
- Provide clear information about how student data is used.
- Apply appropriate security measures to protect children's information.
8.4 Children's Privacy Rights
Children have data protection rights in their own right.
Students and parents may contact Knowness for assistance with privacy-related questions or requests.
Where personal information is processed on behalf of a school, requests may need to be handled by or in coordination with the relevant school.
9. Sharing Personal Information
Knowness does not sell personal information to third parties.
We do not share school-provided student information with advertisers, data brokers or marketing companies for their own advertising or commercial purposes.
Personal information may be shared only where necessary and lawful, including in the following circumstances.
9.1 Schools and Authorised Educational Personnel
For school-managed accounts, relevant educational information may be accessible to authorised teachers and school administrators for legitimate educational purposes.
Access is controlled according to account roles and permissions.
9.2 Authorised Service Providers
Knowness uses authorised third-party service providers to support the operation, maintenance and security of its platform.
These may include providers of hosting, data storage, authentication, school integrations, communications, analytics and educational functionality.
Where these providers process personal information on our behalf, we require appropriate contractual and security safeguards to protect that information.
Knowness does not sell personal information or permit service providers to use school-provided student information for their own advertising or marketing purposes.
9.3 Legal and Regulatory Requirements
We may disclose personal information where required by applicable law, a valid legal obligation or an authorised regulatory process.
9.4 Business Transfers
Where information may be involved in a legitimate corporate transaction, such as a merger or acquisition, we will ensure that any disclosure or transfer complies with applicable data protection law and relevant contractual obligations, including obligations to schools.
10. Advertising and Marketing
Knowness does not sell personal information for advertising or marketing purposes.
We do not use school-provided student information for targeted advertising or third-party marketing.
We may communicate with teachers, parents or independently registered users about relevant Knowness services where we have an appropriate lawful basis and comply with applicable electronic marketing requirements.
Users may opt out of promotional communications where applicable.
Essential account, security and educational notifications are not treated as promotional marketing.
11. Data Security
Knowness implements technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration and disclosure.
These measures may include:
- Secure connections and encrypted transmission of information.
- Appropriate security controls for stored information.
- Access restrictions based on user roles and responsibilities.
- Secure authentication processes.
- Monitoring and maintenance of platform security.
- Confidentiality obligations for authorised personnel.
- Procedures for responding to security incidents.
School information transferred through Wonde uses authorised integrations and secure communication methods.
Although we take reasonable steps to protect personal information, no internet-based service can guarantee absolute security.
Where a personal data breach occurs, Knowness will meet its applicable legal obligations, including notifying affected schools and regulatory authorities where required.
12. International Data Transfers
Knowness is a UK-registered company.
Some technology providers supporting our services may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take steps to ensure the transfer complies with applicable data protection law.
Where required, this includes using appropriate safeguards, such as recognised international data transfer agreements, contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.
13. Data Retention and Deletion
Knowness retains personal information only for as long as necessary to provide its services, fulfil applicable legal obligations and meet relevant contractual requirements.
13.1 School-Managed Accounts
For school-managed accounts, personal information is processed and retained in accordance with the relevant school's instructions and our Data Processing Agreement.
When a school-managed account is terminated, the associated personal information is deleted from our active systems immediately, unless retention is required by law or authorised under the relevant agreement.
When a school's agreement with Knowness ends, personal information is returned or deleted in accordance with the school's instructions and the applicable Data Processing Agreement.
13.2 Independently Registered Accounts
For independently registered students, teachers and parents, personal information is retained while the account remains active.
Upon account termination, associated personal information is deleted from our active systems immediately, except where retention is necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations.
13.3 Backups and Technical Records
Some information may remain temporarily in secure backups or technical records after deletion from active systems.
Such information is protected from unauthorised access and retained only for as long as necessary before being securely deleted in accordance with our retention procedures.
14. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Knowness may use cookies and similar technologies to support authentication, maintain user sessions, remember preferences and ensure the website and platform function correctly.
We may also use analytics technologies to understand website performance and improve our services.
Where cookies or similar technologies require consent under applicable law, we will seek that consent before using them.
Further information is available in our Cookie Notice.
15. Legal Bases for Processing
Where Knowness acts as a Data Controller, we process personal information only where an appropriate lawful basis applies under UK GDPR.
Depending on the processing activity, we rely on the following lawful bases:
- Performance of a Contract: To create and manage independently registered accounts, provide educational services and fulfil our contractual obligations to users.
- Legitimate Interests: To maintain platform security, prevent unauthorised access, provide user support and improve our services, where these interests are not overridden by individuals' rights and freedoms.
- Consent: Where users provide valid consent for specific activities, such as optional communications or other processing that requires consent.
- Legal Obligations: Where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws or regulatory requirements.
School-Managed Accounts
Where Knowness acts as a Data Processor on behalf of a school, the school is responsible for establishing the appropriate lawful basis for the personal information it controls.
Knowness processes this information in accordance with the school's documented instructions, our Data Processing Agreement and applicable data protection law.
16. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, individuals may have the right to:
- Access: Request access to their personal information.
- Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Erasure: Request deletion of personal information in qualifying circumstances.
- Restriction: Request restrictions on certain processing activities.
- Portability: Request transfer of eligible information in a suitable format.
- Objection: Object to certain processing activities.
- Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.
- Automated Decision-Making: Exercise applicable rights concerning qualifying automated decisions.
- Right to Object: Where we rely on legitimate interests or another applicable legal basis that provides a right to object, individuals may object to the processing of their personal information. We will assess such requests in accordance with applicable data protection law.
These rights may be subject to legal conditions and exceptions.
School-Managed Accounts
Where a school acts as Data Controller, individuals may contact the school directly regarding their personal information.
Knowness will assist schools in responding to relevant requests in accordance with its contractual and legal obligations.
Individuals may also contact Knowness, and we will provide appropriate assistance or direct the request to the relevant school.
Independently Registered Accounts
Individuals may contact Knowness directly to exercise applicable rights relating to information for which Knowness acts as Data Controller.
Requests can be submitted to:
We will respond in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
17. Complaints
If you have concerns about how Knowness processes personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate and respond.
Email: [email protected]
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
18. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes to our services, data processing practices or applicable legal requirements.
When changes are made, we will update the revision date shown at the beginning of this policy.
Where required, we will provide additional notice of significant changes.
19. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy or how personal information is handled, please contact:
Knowness Ltd
The Exchange
3 Centenary Sq
Birmingham
B1 2DR
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://knowness.com