Main privacy notice
About this notice
This privacy notice is for students who use Bitesize Personalised learning. This page aims to tell you why we collect your data and what we do with it.
Why we collect your information
Bitesize personalised learning asks questions that are right for your level and shows you what to practise next. We collect some information about you so we can:
- show you the right questions
- remember what you’ve already done
- help you understand your progress
- suggest what to try next
You use this feature by signing in with your BBC account. If you’re under 13, personalisation is off by default. A parent or guardian must turn it on for you to use personalised learning.
What information we collect
Information about your BBC account
- Your BBC account ID (this is a code, not your name)
Information about what you study
- The subject, topic and unit of personalised learning you’re working on
- The questions you see
Information about your activity
- When you answer a question
- When you finish a unit
- How many questions you’ve answered
- How many units you’ve completed
- Your latest scores
This helps us show you your progress.
What information our learning partner uses
We work with a third-party learning partner to help us understand how you learn so the system can recommend what to practise next.They use information like:
- which questions you got right and wrong
- how many times you’ve practised something
- what you might already know
- how confident you say you are
This information is linked to your BBC account using a code, not your name. Our learning partner only uses this information to help the learning feature work. They do not use it for advertising or anything outside Bitesize personalised learning. We never use your information to advertise to you.
Who is responsible for your information?
The BBC is responsible for your information. This means we decide how your information is collected and used. We also have a Data Protection Officer. Their job is to make sure we follow the law and look after your information properly. If you have any questions about the information we collect, you can email them at: DataProtection.Officer@bbc.co.uk
The rules we have to follow when we collect your information
The BBC must follow data protection rules when we collect and use your information. For Bitesize, we use a rule called ‘public task’. This means we collect and use your information because the BBC was set up to inform, educate and entertain, and we need this information to help personalise your learning.
How long we keep your information
We keep your learning information while you use the feature. If we stop running this learning tool, we tell our learning partner to delete your information. They must do this within 30 days. They must do this and cannot keep it for anything else. Your information is stored in the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA).
Your rights
You have rights over your information. These include:
- asking for a copy of your information
- asking us to fix anything that’s wrong
- asking us to delete your information (sometimes we must keep some things for legal reasons)
- asking us to stop using your information
If you’re aged 13-15, you can also ask us directly to see or delete your information.You can find out more at: bbc.co.uk/privacy. If you’re interested about how your information has been used, you can contact the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
If this notice changes
We will update this page if anything changes in how we use your information. If we make important changes, we will make this clear so you can understand what’s new.
Read the full BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy.
Information for parents and guardians
The BBC is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information about your child when they use Bitesize personalised learning. You can find out more about information and privacy in the BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy.
What will we do with the personal information we collect?
We use your child’s information to:
- provide personalised learning recommendations
- help them understand their progress
- show them what they may find useful to study next
- maintain their study plan
We also work with a third-party learning partner, a specialist learning technology provider who use certain information to generate personalised learning recommendations and support the personalised learning feature.Your child’s information is never used for advertising, behavioural targeting, or any purpose outside learning.
What personal information will we collect from you?
When your child uses Bitesize personalised learning, the BBC collects the following information:
BBC account information
- A unique BBC account ID (a coded identifier, not your child’s name)
Study information
- The subject, topics and units your child chooses
- The questions they are shown
Activity information
- When they answer a question
- Whether they answered correctly
- How many questions and units they complete
- Their scores and progress summaries
Our learning partner also uses information such as time spent on questions, confidence indicators, and practice history to generate personalised recommendations. This information is linked to your child’s BBC account using a coded identifier.
Who is the Data Controller?
The BBC is the Data Controller of your child’s personal data. This means the BBC decides what your child’s personal data is used for and the ways in which it is processed. Your child’s personal data will be collected and processed solely for the purposes set out in this privacy notice.
Lawful basis for processing your personal data
The BBC processes your child’s personal data under the lawful basis of public task. This is because the processing is necessary for the BBC to carry out its public purposes—specifically, to support learning for children and teenagers and to provide specialist educational content for children and teenagers across the UK. We do not use your child’s information for advertising or to influence behaviour.
Who do we share your information with?
We work with a learning partner, who uses certain information to support the personalised learning feature and generate recommendations.Our learning partner receives only coded identifiers and cannot identify your child by name. We do not share your child’s information with any other third parties for advertising or commercial purposes.
If your child accesses Bitesize through a third-party device or platform, their use of that service is also subject to the provider’s own privacy policy.
How long will we keep your personal information?
- Your child’s learning information is kept while they use the feature.
- If the BBC stops running this learning tool, we instruct our learning partner to delete all learning data. They are required to do this within 30 days.
- Our learning partner must comply with this and cannot retain the information for any other purpose.
- Information is stored in the UK and the EEA.
Find out more
You and your child have rights over their information, including:
- the right to request a copy of their information
- the right to ask for corrections
- the right to request deletion (in some cases)
- the right to object to or restrict processing, where applicable
Children aged 13-16 may exercise these rights directly with the BBC.You can read more about these rights and how to contact the BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy.
If you have concerns about how your child’s information has been handled, you can contact the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Read the full BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy.
