Privacy Policy

About this policy

Visual Maths Builder (“we”, “our” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

Most visitors can use the website without providing personal information or creating a profile. Some features, including Times Tables Player Profiles, are optional.

Information we collect

Most of Visual Maths Builder can be used without a profile or account. We may collect information when you contact us, send feedback, join the mailing list, use Times Tables practice, choose to create a Times Tables Player Profile, take part in a class challenge, or use a restricted school or staff area.

Contact, feedback and mailing list

Contact and feedback forms are provided using Formspree. A submission may contain your name, email address and message; feedback may also include the VMB page, browser and screen size so that technical problems can be investigated.

Our mailing list is provided using Kit. Kit processes your email address and, if supplied, your first name, and manages subscription confirmation, delivery and unsubscribing. Visual Maths Builder does not maintain a separate mailing-list database.

Times Tables practice, Player Profiles and analytics

Times Tables can be used without a Player Profile. General usage information may be recorded so that the resource can operate and be improved. This can include the practice mode, number of questions, correct and incorrect answers, first-attempt accuracy, response timings and fact-level statistics. Random browser and session identifiers may be stored in your browser and sent with these events so that repeat use and sessions can be counted. These identifiers are not intended to contain a pupil's name or email address.

An optional Times Tables Player Profile can be created to keep personal progress between sessions and across devices. A Player Profile does not require a real name, email address, date of birth or conventional password. It uses an anonymous internal Player ID, a six-character access code and a generated or chosen display name. Ordinary pupil profiles use the Times Tables three-part name system, such as “Mighty Purple Penguin”; authorised VMB administrators can create a profile with a custom display name and access code where appropriate.

When a Player Profile is used, VMB can store personal Times Tables performance including attempted, correct and incorrect responses, accuracy, recent performance, response times and fact-level history. This evidence is used to provide the player's personal statistics, 12 × 12 multiplication heatmap, mastery information and Improvement Mode. Unpractised facts can be distinguished from facts for which performance evidence exists.

The access code allows the same profile and progress to be restored on another device. It should therefore be treated as private: anyone who knows it may be able to access that profile. VMB does not require an email address or other recovery identity for a Player Profile.

Personal progress storage is separate from aggregate Times Tables analytics. A Player Profile can have analytics tracking disabled. In that case its personal progress can still be stored and used for its statistics, heatmap, mastery and Improvement Mode, while its activity is excluded from global or public Times Tables analytics. Aggregate analytics are used to understand overall use and performance patterns rather than to publish individual Player Profiles.

Times Tables class challenges

Teachers can create account-free class challenges. Pupils initially choose from randomly generated display names. Challenge records can include the challenge settings, generated display name, scores, question totals, streaks, answer statistics and timestamps. Open challenges automatically close after 90 days without activity.

A pupil can take part in a class challenge without a Player Profile, as before. If a pupil is signed in to a Player Profile while taking part, their challenge performance can also contribute to that profile's personal Times Tables history. The challenge identity and Player Profile remain separate: the challenge uses its own leaderboard display identity and does not expose the pupil's Player Profile or access code to the teacher.

A teacher with the private management link can edit a leaderboard display name. This means a teacher can choose to enter a pupil's real name or another identifier. VMB does not require real names and recommends using a first name, initials, nickname or other classroom identifier where that meets the teaching need. Teachers and schools are responsible for deciding whether entering an identifiable pupil name is appropriate under their own data-protection arrangements. Challenge leaderboards are visible to people using that challenge.

Teachers managing a challenge can see information associated with that challenge, but they do not receive a browsable directory of Times Tables Player Profiles or pupils' profile access codes through the challenge. VMB administrators can see the total number of Player Profiles and can manage a particular profile when its access code or exact display name is known; the management console is deliberately not a browsable pupil-account directory.

Cookies and browser storage

Visual Maths Builder aims to minimise cookies. Essential cookies or browser storage may be used for restricted-area sessions, Times Tables challenge continuity, analytics identifiers and preferences such as presentation settings or example history. Local preferences remain on your device unless the feature explicitly sends data to VMB.

Website analytics

Visual Maths Builder uses Cloudflare services and VMB usage events to understand how the site and its resources are used. Information is used to operate, secure and improve VMB, not for advertising or advertising profiles.

Third-party services

Visual Maths Builder uses Cloudflare for website delivery, security and analytics, Formspree for contact and feedback submissions, and Kit for the mailing list. These providers have their own privacy information and data-processing responsibilities.

How we use and retain information

Information is used to provide requested features, operate restricted areas, respond to enquiries, understand resource use, investigate problems and improve VMB. We do not sell personal information or use it for advertising.

Contact correspondence is kept only as long as reasonably necessary. Mailing-list information is held in Kit while you remain subscribed. Challenge and usage data are retained only for the operation, analysis and improvement of these services and may be deleted or aggregated when no longer needed.

A Times Tables Player Profile is intended to persist so that the player can return to their progress. The profile and its personal Times Tables history can be deleted through the available profile-management process; deletion removes the stored profile and its associated personal history. Information already incorporated into genuinely aggregate statistics may not be capable of being separated back out. An administrator may also delete a specific profile when it can be identified safely.

Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect information, including restricting staff and management functions. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your rights

Depending on where you live and the circumstances of the processing, you may have rights to request access to, correction of or deletion of personal information. For school-controlled information you may also need to contact the relevant school or local authority.

Changes to this policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. The latest version will always be published on this page.

Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy can be sent to [email protected].