Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 17, 2026

1. Who We Are

School Sentiment is operated by Serenik Ltd ("we", "us", or "our"), a company registered in England and Wales under company number 14940646, with its registered office located at 83 Brighton Road, Birmingham, England, B12 8QH.

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Serenik Ltd is the Data Controller responsible for your personal information. This means we determine how and why your personal data is processed.

2. Our Commitment to Privacy

School Sentiment is built on trust and anonymity. We collect minimal personal data by design. This policy explains what information we do collect and why.

✅ What We DO NOT Collect

  • Your name or real identity
  • Your physical address
  • Payment or credit card information
  • Your browsing history outside School Sentiment
  • Location data (unless you voluntarily use "Schools Near Me")

1.5 Image Metadata Protection

When you upload images to School Sentiment, we automatically remove all metadata before the image is stored. This includes:

  • GPS location data
  • Camera or device make and model
  • Date and time the photo was taken
  • Any other embedded metadata that could identify you

This process is automatic and irreversible. Once metadata is removed, it cannot be recovered from the image stored on our platform. This protects your privacy and ensures that no personal information is inadvertently shared through your images.

We believe that your privacy should not be compromised when you share your school experiences. This is one of the ways we work to keep you safe.

1.6 Automated Content Analysis

To protect our community, we may use automated analysis tools to review content submitted to the platform. These tools help us identify and block content that violates our community guidelines.

All analysis is conducted in accordance with applicable data protection laws and your privacy rights. We do not share the results of automated content analysis with third parties except as required by law.

If you have questions about how we moderate content, please contact us.

2. What Data We Collect

2.1 When You Write a Review (Anonymous)

You can write reviews without creating an account. When you do, we collect:

  • Your review content (text, ratings, school name)
  • Your IP address (to prevent spam and abuse)
  • Browser type and device information (for analytics)
  • Date and time of submission

This data is stored anonymously and is not linked to your identity.

2.2 When You Create an Account (Optional)

If you choose to create an account using magic link login, we additionally collect:

  • Your email address (only to send magic links and manage your account)
  • A list of reviews you have written (linked to your account, but still anonymous to others)
  • Reviews you have saved/favourited
  • Ads you have posted on the School Noticeboard
  • Ads you have saved for later viewing
  • Schools you follow to receive notifications
  • Messages you send and receive about ads

We never sell or share your email address with third parties.

2.3 School Staff Accounts & Verification

If you are a school staff member claiming your school, we collect:

  • Your full name and work email address
  • Your role at the school
  • Work phone and website (optional)
  • School description (optional)

This information is used only to verify your association with the school and to display school contact information on the school profile page (with your consent).

2.4 When You Post on the Noticeboard

When you post an ad on the School Noticeboard, we collect:

  • Item title, description, price, and condition
  • Photos you upload (up to 5 per ad)
  • School name associated with the ad
  • Your email address (so buyers can contact you via the messaging system)

Your email address is never displayed publicly. Buyers contact you through our secure messaging system.

2.5 Notifications

If you follow a school, we may send you:

  • Email notifications when new reviews or ads are posted at schools you follow
  • In-app notifications (visible when you are logged in)

You can unfollow any school at any time to stop receiving notifications.

2.6 Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use a single cookie only when you are logged in to keep you signed in. No tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or analytics cookies are used.

Cookies We Use

Cookie Name Purpose Duration Essential?
sessionToken Keeps you logged in to your account 30 days Yes
cookieConsent Remembers your cookie preference 1 year Yes (functional)

We do not use any third-party tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or analytics cookies.

3. How We Use Your Data

  • Display your reviews and ads - Publicly shown on school pages and noticeboard
  • Enable messaging - Facilitate communication between buyers and sellers
  • Send notifications - Email and in-app alerts for followed schools
  • Prevent abuse - IP addresses help us block spam and fake reviews
  • Improve our service - Anonymous analytics help us understand how people use the site
  • Send magic links - If you have an account, we email you login links (no marketing emails)
  • Verify school staff - Confirm eligibility to claim and reply to reviews
  • Manage your saved items - Remember which reviews and ads you have saved

4. Data Retention

  • Reviews - Stored indefinitely (anonymously)
  • Ads - Stored for 30 days after expiry, then deleted
  • Photos - Stored as long as the ad exists
  • Messages - Stored indefinitely (both parties can see history)
  • IP addresses - Retained for 90 days, then anonymized
  • Account data - Retained until you delete your account
  • Magic link tokens - Deleted after 15 minutes or immediately after use
  • School claim data - Retained for audit purposes

5. Your Rights (UK GDPR)

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

  • Access - Request a copy of your data
  • Rectification - Correct inaccurate data
  • Erasure - Request deletion of your account and associated data
  • Restrict processing - Limit how we use your data
  • Data portability - Receive your data in a portable format
  • Object - Object to certain data processing (including notifications)

To exercise these rights, email us at privacy@schoolsentiment.co.uk

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only in these limited circumstances:

  • Legal requirements - If required by law enforcement or court order
  • Service providers - Hosting and email providers (who also cannot use your data)
  • With your consent - If you explicitly agree

7. Children's Privacy

School Sentiment is used by parents, students, and staff. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please use the site with a parent or guardian.

8. Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your data, including encryption and secure HTTPS connections. However, no internet transmission is 100% secure.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. The latest version will always be posted here with the effective date at the top. Continued use of School Sentiment after changes means you accept the revised policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact:

Email: privacy@schoolsentiment.co.uk

📋 Summary for parents and students:

School Sentiment is designed to protect your privacy. You can write reviews completely anonymously. If you create an account, we only use your email to send login links and notifications (if you follow schools). Your messages, saved items, and followed schools are private to your account. We never sell your data, show you ads, or track you across the web. Your trust is our priority.