Privacy Policy

Who we are

TypingCoach (typingcoach.co.uk) is a typing tutor built for schools, operated by Apps4Edu Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 12614353 ("we", "us", "our"). It helps pupils build keyboard fluency through structured lessons, practice texts and typing tests, in both English and Welsh, and gives teachers tools to manage classes and follow pupil progress.

Where you register with us directly, we are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. Where a pupil uses TypingCoach through a class managed by their school, the school is the data controller and we act as its data processor (see Schools as data controllers below). If you have any questions about this policy, or about how we handle your data, contact us at privacy@typingcoach.co.uk.

What we collect

We collect only the information needed to run the service:

• Account details. Your name and email address, provided either when you register directly or shared by your sign-in provider (see the next section). Teachers also provide their school details when applying for a teacher account.
• Learning activity. Your typing attempts and the statistics that come from them, such as speed, accuracy, lessons completed, badges earned and class membership. For each attempt this includes a keystroke log: a record of the keys pressed and their timings during that attempt. We keep this so your score can be verified on our servers rather than trusted from the browser, which keeps results fair and protects against tampering. Keystroke logs are recorded only inside a typing task, never anywhere else on the site, and are never used to identify how you type outside of scoring.
• Preferences. Settings you choose, such as your keyboard layout, language and light or dark theme.
• Usage data. We use a privacy-focused, self-hosted analytics tool to understand how the site is used in aggregate. It does not use cookies for tracking and does not build profiles of individual visitors.

Signing in with Google or Microsoft

You can sign in to TypingCoach with a Google or Microsoft account. When you do, we receive your name, your email address and a unique account identifier from that provider. We use this information solely to create and sign you into your TypingCoach account. We do not request access to your files, contacts, calendar or any other data held by your provider.

TypingCoach's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We do not sell Google user data, use it for advertising, or transfer it to third parties except as needed to provide the service or as required by law.

How we use your data

• To provide your account and keep you signed in.
• To record your typing progress and show it back to you, and to your teacher if you are a member of a class.
• To award badges and maintain class leaderboards.
• To review and approve teacher account applications.
• To keep the service secure and diagnose technical problems.

We do not sell your data, use it for advertising, or share it with third parties for their own purposes. Pupil data is visible to the pupil's teacher only when the pupil is a member of that teacher's class.

Schools as data controllers

When a pupil uses TypingCoach as part of a class managed by their school, the school decides why and how pupil data is used, so the school is the data controller and we process pupil data as the school's data processor, on its instructions and under a data processing agreement with the school. In that case, questions and requests about a pupil's data should go to the school in the first instance, and we will support the school in answering them. We never use pupil data for our own purposes.

Our lawful basis

Under UK GDPR, where you register with us directly we process account and learning data because it is necessary to perform our contract with you (providing the typing tutor you signed up for), and we process security and aggregate usage data under our legitimate interest in running a safe, reliable service. Where pupils use TypingCoach through a school-managed class, we process pupil data on the school's documented instructions as its processor; the school relies on its own lawful basis, which for schools in England and Wales is normally its public task in delivering education.

Children's privacy

TypingCoach is designed for use in schools and many of our users are children. We take this seriously: we collect the minimum data needed, we do not show advertising, we do not profile users, and pupils can join a class with a simple join code. Teacher accounts are individually reviewed and approved before they can manage a class. If you are a parent or guardian and have questions about your child's data, contact us or speak to your child's school.

Where your data is stored and for how long

Your data is stored on our servers in the United Kingdom, hosted with a UK-based hosting provider acting as our subprocessor. A current list of subprocessors is available on request from privacy@typingcoach.co.uk. Connections to TypingCoach are encrypted using HTTPS.

We keep different data for different lengths of time, based on what it is for:

• Keystroke logs exist only to verify scores, and are deleted at the end of the school term in which they were recorded.
• Attempt summaries (speed, accuracy, stars, lessons completed and badges) form your learning record and are kept for the life of your account, so your progress history stays with you throughout your time using TypingCoach.
• Inactive accounts are deleted, along with all their data, after two years without a sign-in.

If you delete your account, or ask us to, we delete your personal data within 30 days. For pupils in school-managed classes, we also delete pupil data when the school instructs us to, or when the school stops using TypingCoach. In each case, limited data may be retained where the law requires it.

Your rights

You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to correct it, to have it deleted, to restrict or object to our processing of it, and to receive a copy in a portable format. To exercise any of these rights, email us. For pupils in school-managed classes these requests are normally made through the school, since the school is the controller, but if you contact us directly we will make sure your request reaches the right place. Email privacy@typingcoach.co.uk. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).

Changes to this policy

If we make significant changes to this policy we will update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, let you know within the app. Continued use of TypingCoach after a change means you accept the updated policy.