Privacy policy.
Plain and short.

Who runs ScholarLab

ScholarLab (scholarlab.education) is an independent study site run by Dr Evan Murphy. For this policy, we are the “controller” of the small amount of personal information described below. “We” and “us” mean the operator.

To contact us, use the feedback form. See “Contact” below.

What we collect and why

When you use the site

Like every website, our host receives some technical details each time your browser asks for a page: your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. This is needed to deliver pages and keep the site secure. See “Third parties” below.

Page-view counts

We use Vercel Web Analytics to see which pages are useful. See “Analytics” below.

Feedback you choose to send

The “Give feedback” button in the footer is the only form on the site. If you use it, we receive:

• your comment (required);
• your first name, last name and email address, but only if you choose to add them. Add an email only if you would like a reply;
• the page you were on (the address only, such as /simulations) and the time you sent it.

We use this to read your feedback, reply if you asked us to, and improve the site. Please do not include sensitive personal information in a comment.

To stop spam, the form also limits how many messages can be sent in an hour. For this we store a scrambled code made from your IP address (a keyed one-way hash), together with the time. We do not store your IP address itself, and this code is kept apart from your feedback.

What we do not collect

We do not create accounts, and we do not collect your quiz answers, written answers, self-ratings or study plans. We do not ask for your school, age or date of birth.

Our legal reasons

UK data protection law asks us to say why we are allowed to use personal information. We rely on our legitimate interests in running a secure, useful study site (hosting, security, spam protection and page-view counts) and in reading and replying to feedback you choose to send.

Cookies and local storage

ScholarLab does not set cookies.

Some features save information in your browser’s local storage so they work the next time you visit. This stays on your device. It is not sent to us and we cannot see it. It includes:

• practice, recall and exam question progress, such as how confident you rated yourself on a question;
• your progress profile on My progress: lessons you mark as done, which lessons you opened and when, which labs, models and activities you started or completed (including Data Gym and Maths Clinic), career profiles you opened and when, and the career areas you mark “I’m interested” on the careers pages;
• Logic Lab progress;
• your study plan, calendar and mind map;
• careers choices, such as saved subjects, courses, careers, pathways, comparisons and plans;
• small display settings, such as whether a help card or the course menu is open, and the daily message.

Anyone who uses the same browser on the same device can see this information. You can remove it with the reset controls on those pages, or by clearing site data in your browser settings. On My progress you can clear your recall and exam question ratings, reset all progress, or export it to a file and import that file on another device. The file is saved where you choose and is never sent to us; it includes any Logic Lab answers you wrote, so keep it private. Using a private or incognito window means nothing is kept after you close it.

Analytics

We use Vercel Web Analytics to count page views. It does not use cookies or store anything on your device. For each page view it records the page address, the website that sent you, your approximate location (such as the country), and your browser, operating system and device type.

To count visitors, Vercel makes a scrambled code from details of the request. That code resets every day, so you cannot be followed from one day to the next or across other websites. Your IP address is not stored in the analytics, and we only see totals. We never send feedback, answers, ratings or names to analytics.

Third parties who help us

We use a small number of service providers. They act on our instructions:

• Vercel hosts the website and provides the page-view counts. Vercel receives the technical details of each request and keeps request logs for a limited time to run and secure its service.
• Google (Google Sheets) stores feedback messages and the spam-protection codes in a private Google Sheet linked to the operator’s Google account.

These companies may process information in other countries, including the United States. When they do, they use the safeguards UK law requires, such as approved contract terms. Their own privacy notices explain more: Vercel and Google.

The site’s fonts are stored on our own site, and we do not embed videos, social media or adverts. Links to other websites, such as the Pearson specification or careers resources, take you to sites with their own privacy policies.

How long we keep information

• Feedback: kept for up to 12 months, then deleted automatically. We delete it sooner if you ask.
• Spam-protection codes: only needed for one hour, and deleted automatically after 30 days.
• Page-view counts: kept as totals in Vercel. The daily visitor code is discarded after 24 hours.
• Hosting logs: kept by Vercel for a limited time under its own policy.
• Local storage: stays on your device until you reset it or clear your browser data.

Students and children

Many people who use ScholarLab are A-level students, and some are under 18. We have designed the site with that in mind. It works fully without any personal information, there are no accounts, adverts or profiles, and privacy-friendly settings are the default. This follows the spirit of the UK Information Commissioner’s Age Appropriate Design Code (the Children’s code).

You do not need to give your name or email to send feedback. If you are under 13, please ask a parent or carer before adding your name or email. Parents and carers can contact us at any time to ask what we hold about their child or to have it deleted.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018), you can ask us to:

• tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy;
• correct it if it is wrong;
• delete it;
• stop or limit how we use it, or object to our use of it.

Because the site has no accounts, send your request through the feedback form, and tell us roughly when you sent any earlier feedback and what it said so we can find it. Include an email address if you would like a reply. We will reply within one month. It is free.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Contact

For questions about privacy, or a request about your information, please use the feedback form (the “Give feedback” button at the bottom of every page). It is the only way to contact us. Names and email are optional, so include an email address if you would like a reply.

Changes to this policy

If we change how ScholarLab handles information, we will update this page and the date at the top. If a change is important, such as collecting something new, we will make it clear on the site.