Nova by STEM Tutoring Website and Platform Policies

Use of our service. These terms apply when a parent, student, school or authorised user accesses the STEM Tutoring website, the Nova online platform, live masterclasses, recorded lessons, revision resources or exam practice tools.

Who we are. STEM Tutoring is a UK online education provider supporting GCSE and A level learners through live teaching, recorded content, revision activities and assessment practice. The service, including the Nova platform, is operated by Compass 13 Ltd (Company No. 12273967), registered at 320 Firecrest Court, Centre Park, Warrington, WA1 1RG.

Eligibility and age. The Nova platform is designed for learners aged 13 and over. Accounts are not made available to children under 13. Where a school provides access for its pupils, the school confirms that the learners it enrols meet this age requirement.

Accounts and access. Student accounts are personal to the named learner. Login details must be kept secure and must not be shared. Parents, schools and students should tell us promptly if they believe an account has been accessed without permission.

What is included. The features included in each subscription or school package will be shown before purchase or confirmed in the relevant school agreement. This may include live masterclasses, recordings, MCQs, revision tools, homework features and progress reporting.

Student conduct. Students must behave respectfully towards staff and other learners. They must not record, screenshot, copy or share lesson content without permission. Serious or repeated misuse may lead to restricted access, suspension or account closure.

Intellectual property. All course content, recordings, question banks, revision materials and platform features are owned by or licensed to Compass 13 Ltd and may be used only for the learner’s personal study. They may not be redistributed, resold or published.

Live sessions. Live masterclasses may be recorded so students can catch up and so STEM Tutoring can monitor quality and safety. More detail is provided in the Online Safety and Safeguarding section below.

Acceptable use and availability. We aim to keep the platform available at all times but cannot guarantee uninterrupted access, and we may carry out maintenance. We may suspend access to investigate suspected misuse or security issues.

Service changes. Session times, tutors, content and platform features may change where necessary. If a change materially affects access, we will provide reasonable notice and, where possible, a suitable alternative such as a recording or rescheduled session.

Liability. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law. We are not liable for losses that are not reasonably foreseeable or that arise from a learner’s or school’s failure to follow these terms.

Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.

Contact. General questions about these terms can be sent to info@stemtutoring.co.uk.

Our approach. STEM Tutoring takes data protection seriously, including because many students who use the Nova platform are under 18. We collect only the information needed to provide, manage and improve the service safely, and we follow the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the ICO Children’s Code (Age Appropriate Design Code).

Data controller. Compass 13 Ltd (Company No. 12273967), registered at 320 Firecrest Court, Centre Park, Warrington, WA1 1RG, is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. Where a school determines how pupil data is used within its own programme, the school and STEM Tutoring may act as joint or independent controllers as set out in the school agreement.

Student data. We may process a student name, year group, school, class information, account details, lesson attendance, quiz scores, homework completion, exam practice results and relevant support information shared by a parent or school.

Parent and school data. We may process parent contact details, billing information, communication history, school contact details, teacher account information and agreed reporting information connected to a purchased service or school partnership.

Why we use data. We use personal data to create accounts, deliver live and recorded learning, manage payments, track progress, provide support, protect the platform, respond to enquiries and meet legal or safeguarding obligations.

Lawful bases. We usually process data because it is necessary to provide the service (contract), because we have a legitimate interest in running the platform safely and improving it, because the law requires it (legal obligation), or because consent has been given for optional communications and non-essential cookies.

Recording of live lessons. Live masterclasses may be recorded for catch-up access, quality assurance and safeguarding. We rely on our legitimate interests in education quality and learner safety, balanced against learner privacy, and we provide clear notice before sessions are recorded. Recordings are access-controlled and retained in line with the retention period below.

No sale of data, no child marketing. We do not sell personal data. We do not use students’ data for direct marketing and we do not build behavioural advertising or marketing profiles of student users.

Trusted providers. We may share limited data with trusted service providers such as hosting, video delivery, the learning platform, email and payment providers. These providers act on our instructions and may only use the data for the purpose agreed with STEM Tutoring.

International transfers. Where a provider processes data outside the UK, we ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place, such as UK ‘adequacy’ regulations or the ICO’s International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, so that your data remains protected.

Data storage and retention. Data is stored securely and kept only for as long as needed. As a standard rule, learner activity data is retained for 6 months after the relevant lessons have been completed, after which it is deleted or anonymised, unless a longer period is required for legal, financial or safeguarding reasons. Schools are responsible for, and are encouraged to delete, the data held within their own school account when it is no longer needed.

Data protection impact assessments. Because we process children’s data, we complete and maintain a Data Protection Impact Assessment for higher-risk processing, in line with the Children’s Code.

Your rights. Parents, students where appropriate, staff and school contacts can ask to access, correct, delete or restrict use of their personal data, or object to certain processing, where the law allows.

Requests should be sent to dataprotection@stemtutoring.co.uk.

Complaints. Data protection concerns should be raised with us first at dataprotection@stemtutoring.co.uk. Individuals also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

What cookies are. Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Similar technologies, such as local storage, pixels and tags, work in comparable ways. This policy explains how the STEM Tutoring website and the Nova platform use cookies and how you can control them. We use cookies in line with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the UK GDPR.

Consent. Strictly necessary cookies are always active because the service cannot work without them. All non-essential cookies, such as analytics, are switched off by default and are only set after you give consent through our cookie banner. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the cookie settings link in the website footer.

Strictly necessary cookies keep the website and platform working properly, for example by supporting login, session management, security, load balancing, checkout and account access. They do not require consent, but are explained here for transparency.

Functional or preference cookies remember choices you make, such as your cookie preferences or display settings, to give you a better experience. Where they are not strictly necessary, they are only used with your consent.

Analytics or performance cookies help us understand how the website and platform are used, on an aggregated basis, so we can improve performance and usability. They are only used where consent has been given through the cookie banner or preference tool.

Marketing or advertising cookies. STEM Tutoring does not use third-party advertising cookies, and does not use cookies to build behavioural advertising or marketing profiles of student users.

Examples of cookies. The exact cookies in use may change as the platform develops. The live list and durations are always available in the cookie settings tool on the website.

Managing preferences. You can accept, reject or change non-essential cookie preferences through the website cookie banner, the footer cookie settings link, or your browser settings. Most browsers also let you block or delete cookies; doing so may affect how parts of the service work.

Protecting young people. Because our services are used by learners aged 13 and over, cookies are not used to create behavioural advertising profiles of student users, and non-essential cookies are off until consent is given.

Contact. Cookie questions can be sent to dataprotection@stemtutoring.co.uk.

Purpose. STEM Tutoring delivers learning online through the Nova platform, so student safety, professional boundaries and secure communication are core requirements of the service.

Recordings and monitoring. Live sessions may be recorded for catch-up access, quality assurance and safeguarding review. Chat and messaging features may be monitored by authorised staff so concerns can be handled quickly. Recordings are access-controlled and retained in line with our retention period.

Staff conduct. Staff, tutors and mentors must communicate with students only through approved STEM Tutoring systems or approved school channels. Personal social media, personal phone numbers and private messaging apps must not be used to contact students.

Safer recruitment. Staff and tutors working with under-18s are subject to appropriate recruitment checks, including DBS checks where required for their role.

Student conduct. Students should use an appropriate name, treat others respectfully, follow staff instructions during live sessions and avoid sharing personal information in public chat spaces.

Account security. Students and parents must keep login details private. Suspected unauthorised access should be reported immediately so the account can be reviewed.

Reporting a concern. Any concern about student safety, staff conduct, online behaviour or platform misuse should be reported promptly to safeguarding@stemtutoring.co.uk.

Safeguarding leads. The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Jaspal Singh. The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead is Baltej Singh. Full safeguarding procedures are available to schools and parents on request.

External agencies. Where there is a concern that a child may be at risk of harm, we may share information with parents, schools, the relevant local authority or the police, in line with statutory safeguarding guidance, without consent where necessary to protect a child.

Our commitment. Complaints are taken seriously, handled fairly and used to improve the service. Raising a complaint in good faith will not affect a student’s access or support.

Stage 1 – initial complaint. Email info@stemtutoring.co.uk with the details of the issue, the account or school affected and the outcome being requested. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 2 working days and resolve straightforward matters within 10 working days.

Stage 2 – review. If the response does not resolve the issue, the complaint can be reviewed by a senior member of the team. A further response will normally be provided within 10 working days.

Stage 3 – final review. If the matter remains unresolved, a director will complete a final internal review and confirm STEM Tutoring’s final position.

Safeguarding concerns. If a complaint involves the safety or welfare of a child, it should be marked urgent and sent to safeguarding@stemtutoring.co.uk. Safeguarding concerns are handled immediately and separately from the standard complaints stages where required.

External routes. Data protection complaints can be referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Serious safeguarding concerns can be referred to the relevant local authority or the police where appropriate.

Clear pricing. The price, access period, payment schedule and features included will be shown before checkout or set out in the school agreement. Some products may be sold as a fixed 12 month subscription or academic year access package.

14 day cooling off period. Where a parent buys online, they may usually cancel within 14 days for a full refund. If access has started during this period at the parent’s request, we may deduct a fair amount for the service already provided.

Subscriptions. A rolling subscription can be cancelled in line with the checkout terms. Access will normally continue until the end of the current paid period. Partial refunds are not normally given for time already paid for unless required by law or where STEM Tutoring has not provided the service promised.

Missed live sessions. If a student misses a live masterclass, access to the recording will usually be provided where available.

Changes or cancellations by STEM Tutoring. If STEM Tutoring cancels a paid session or cannot provide a purchased feature and no reasonable alternative is available, we will offer a suitable credit, replacement access or refund where appropriate.

Technical issues. If a fault on our side prevents access to a live session or important platform feature, we will investigate and provide recording access, replacement access, credit or refund where appropriate.

School purchases. Where a school buys access for pupils, refund and cancellation terms are governed by the school agreement.

Refund requests. Refund requests should be sent to info@stemtutoring.co.uk with the account details, purchase details and reason for the request. We aim to respond within 10 working days. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method where possible.