Privacy

Privacy policy

This policy covers the underhilladventures.com website and the Underhill Adventures apps. In short: children’s information stays on their device, and we never receive it.

The short version (for children)

Underhill Adventures does not send anything about you to us or anyone else.
There are no adverts, no sign-in and no cookies.
If you type your first name, it is only used on your certificate, on this device.
Your settings, like text size and colours, are remembered on this device so the stories look right for you.
If your teacher turns on class device mode, your first name and stars are kept on this device so your teacher can see how the class is doing. They are never sent to us.
A grown-up can delete everything at any time.
If something worries you, tell a grown-up you trust.

Who we are

The website underhilladventures.com and the Underhill Adventures apps for iPhone, iPad and Android are provided by Underhill Adventures. Underhill Adventures is run by Danny Underhill, a sole trader. In this policy, “we” and “us” means Underhill Adventures. We are the controller for the small amount of personal information described here.

Contact: contact@underhilladventures.com (for grown-ups). We do not publish a postal address: please contact us by email. [ICO registration number, if required]

What we collect

Nothing about children leaves their device. There are no accounts, no analytics, no advertising, no tracking, no social media buttons and no third-party code. The site’s fonts and pictures come from our own website, not from other companies.

The only personal information that can reach us is:

Emails you send us. If you email us, we receive your email address and what you write. We use it only to reply, and delete it within [period, for example 12 months] unless we need to keep it for a school agreement. Our email is handled by [email provider].
Basic server logs. Like every website, our hosting provider ([hosting provider – currently Surge]) receives the technical details any browser sends when it asks for a page, such as IP address, browser type and the page asked for. These are used to deliver the site and keep it secure, not to identify anyone. We do not add anything to them. [Confirm what the host logs and how long it keeps it.] Our lawful basis is legitimate interests (running a secure website).

We use Google Search Console to see how the site appears in Google search results. It works from Google’s own search data and adds nothing to our pages.

What is kept on your device, and why

The website and the apps remember a few things on the device itself, so they work properly. We never receive this information. It is not shared with anyone. You can see and remove all of it (see “Deleting your data” below).

Comfort and reading settings: always, when changed.
The first name typed at the start of an adventure: used only on the certificate and report, and kept in the page’s memory for that adventure, unless class device mode is on.
Class results: only if a teacher switches on class device mode, which is off by default. It keeps the first name, adventure, level, stars and skills practised. It never keeps the answers a child types.
Children’s names in teacher support settings: only if a teacher adds them; first names or initials only.

The exact storage keys are listed in the cookies and storage section.

Listen, the Story Builder demo and exports

Listen (reading aloud) uses only voices built into the device. Online voice services are never used, so the text being read is not sent anywhere. If a device has no built-in voice, the Listen buttons are hidden.
Story Builder demo (website only): the idea a child types stays in the browser. The demo matches it to one of three ready-made stories and does not send it anywhere. It is not included in the apps. If we ever switch on an online version, we will update this policy first.
Printing and exports: certificates, reports, a class summary spreadsheet (CSV) and a settings file are only made when someone asks. The file goes only where you choose to save, print or send it. Once a teacher or parent has exported a file, it is in their (or their school’s) care.

Extra details for the apps

The apps contain the same stories and work fully offline. The Android app does not ask for permission to use the internet. Neither app asks for the camera, microphone, location, contacts or photos.
On Android, the app reads aloud using the device’s own text-to-speech engine and on-device voices only.
A “grown-ups only” question appears before the teacher view, before exports, and before any link that leaves the app, such as our contact email.
App data is stored in the app’s private storage. On Android it is not copied to Google backups. [iOS: confirm whether app data is excluded from iCloud and computer backups, or say that device backups may include it.]
Apple and Google run their app stores under their own privacy policies.

Schools

When a school uses Underhill Adventures on its own devices, the results stay on those devices. We do not receive them, so we are not a processor for that data. Schools decide whether to switch on class device mode, and they look after any files they export. [If a separate school agreement is offered, refer to it here.]

Children’s Code: how we follow the standards

We have designed Underhill Adventures with the UK Information Commissioner’s Age Appropriate Design Code (the Children’s Code) in mind:

Best interests of the child: made for ages 7 to 11, with no adverts, no purchases for children, no streaks or timers, and clues only when asked.
Data minimisation and high-privacy defaults: nothing is collected from children; class device mode is off by default.
No profiling, no location, no nudge techniques and no data sharing.
Grown-up controls: teachers can lock support settings, and in the apps a grown-up question protects the teacher view, exports and links out.
Transparency: this policy has a child-friendly summary, and the teacher page explains what is saved.
Assessment: we keep a Data Protection Impact Assessment and review it before any change to how data is handled. [Complete and sign the DPIA before publishing.]

Cookies and storage

The site sets no cookies and uses no trackers, analytics, advertising or tracking pixels, so there is no cookie banner. Instead, it uses your browser’s own storage (localStorage and sessionStorage) for the settings below. This storage stays on your device: it is never sent to us with page requests, unlike cookies. All keys start with ua-. The apps use the same keys inside the app.

Saved in this browser (localStorage):

Key	What it holds	Why	How long
`ua-a11y`	Comfort and reading settings: font, text size, spacing, background colour, contrast, calm mode, sounds, Listen settings and voice speed, support options, and any settings a teacher has locked	So the site looks and sounds the way the child needs on every page	Until changed or removed
`ua-profiles`	Only if a teacher adds children in teacher support settings: each child’s first name or initials (12 characters at most) and their comfort settings	So each child on a shared device can pick their own settings	Until removed
`ua-a11y-profile`	Which of those children’s settings are in use (a short code, not a name)	To remember whose settings are switched on	Until removed
`ua-level`	The chosen school year (3–6) and challenge (Easy, Medium or Hard)	So the next adventure starts at the same level	Until changed or removed
`ua-class-device`	Whether class device mode is switched on (“on”, or not there at all). Off by default	So the site knows whether to keep class results	Until switched off or removed
`ua-class-results`	Only if class device mode is on: for each finished adventure, the first name typed, the adventure, year and challenge, date, stars, clue and question counts, and skills practised. Not the answers a child types	So a teacher can see a class summary on that device	Until a teacher taps “Clear all” or “Remove all”
`ua-sound`	Older versions only: whether sound effects were off. The current site reads it once to carry the choice over and does not write it	To keep an earlier choice	Until removed

Kept only while the tab is open (sessionStorage):

Key	What it holds	Why	How long
`ua-built-story`	A story made with the Story Builder demo	To pass the story from the Story Builder page to the adventure page	Until the browser tab is closed

Because this storage is needed for the features you ask for, it does not need consent under the UK’s cookie rules (PECR), but we want you to know exactly what is there. [Confirm with legal review.] The apps also keep a short-lived note that a grown-up answered the grown-ups-only question (ua-app-adult-until, for 10 minutes, until the app closes).

Deleting your data

On the teacher page, “Remove all children’s data from this device” clears every ua- key. “Clear all” clears class results only.
You can also clear this site’s data in your browser settings (often called “site data” or “cookies and site data”), or delete the app.

Your rights

You have rights under UK data protection law, including to access, correct or delete personal information and to object. Because we do not receive any data from the website or apps, we hold none to give, change or delete, except emails you send us. To use your rights, email contact@underhilladventures.com.

If you are unhappy, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

If we ever add anything that sends information off the device, such as accounts or an online Story Builder, we will update this policy and the app store privacy information before it goes live, and we will not switch it on for children by default.

Last updated: [Date of publication]. Draft prepared 25 October 2026.