Privacy & cookies

Last updated: 29 October 2026

The short version

No pupil names, emails or photos are stored online. Pupils log in with a class code and a short pupil code.
We store pupils' progress (scores, levels, game saves and revision answers) so they can carry on from any computer.
We only use cookies that are needed to log in. There's no advertising, tracking or analytics.
Teachers or the school can delete a class and all its saved work at any time.

Who runs Swainware

Swainware is an independent teaching resource created and run by Tom Swain, a computing teacher. You can reach us through the contact page.

When a school uses Swainware with its pupils, the school is the data controller for its pupils' information, and Swainware handles that information on the school's behalf and only for teaching. Questions about a pupil's data can go to the school or to us.

What we collect, and why

Pupils

Class code and pupil code, made by the teacher, to log in. These are random codes, not names.
Progress: scores, levels and streaks in lessons, game saves, Python Pal progress, and GCSE revision answers (including written answers and the teacher's marks), so pupils can carry on from any computer and teachers can see how the class is doing.
During a live lesson: which part of the lesson the pupil is on, their score, whether their hand is up, and how they said they were feeling (😊 😐 ☹️), so the teacher can help.
If a teacher types pupils' names on the Class Progress page, the names stay in that teacher's own browser on that computer. They are never uploaded.

Please ask pupils not to type personal details (such as names, addresses or phone numbers) into written answers.

Teachers

Name, username and role, and which classes they created. No email address is needed.
Password: only a scrambled (hashed) version is stored, so nobody, including us, can read it.

The contact form

Your name, email address, topic and message, so we can reply. Please don't include any pupils' personal details.

Cookies and storage on your device

What	Why	How long
`sw_session` cookie	Keeps you logged in. Without it the site can't work.	8 hours for pupils, 12 hours for teachers, 2 hours for the demo, or until you log out
Browser storage (localStorage)	Keeps progress and your settings (like light/dark mode and text size) on the device, so lessons load fast and work if the internet drops.	Until you log out or clear your browser
Session storage	Remembers things for the current tab only, such as where you are in the demo.	Until the tab is closed

These are all needed for the site to work, so we don't show a cookie banner. We don't use advertising, tracking or analytics cookies.

Services we use

Netlify hosts the website, the progress database and the contact form messages. Netlify is a US company, so information may be stored or processed outside the UK.
Ably (if switched on) delivers live-lesson updates instantly. It passes on the live-lesson information above, but doesn't store progress.
Google Fonts supplies the easy-to-read font. Like any website, Google receives your device's IP address when the font is downloaded.

We never sell information or use it for advertising.

How long we keep it

Pupil progress is kept until the class is deleted. Teachers can reset a pupil, and deleting a class removes all its pupil codes and saved work for good.
Live-lesson information is replaced each lesson and deleted with the class.
Teacher accounts are kept until the admin removes them.
Contact messages are kept only as long as we need to reply and follow up, then deleted.

Keeping it safe

Everything is sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection.
Lessons, games and progress need a Swainware login. Teacher pages need a teacher login.
Teachers only see their own classes, unless the school chooses otherwise.
Passwords are hashed, and repeated wrong passwords lock the account for a while.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR) you can ask to see the information held about you, have it corrected, or have it deleted. Pupils can ask their teacher, who can reset or remove their progress. Anyone can also contact us.

If you're unhappy with how your information has been handled, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Small print

Not affiliated with OCR. Swainware is independent and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, OCR or any exam board. GCSE questions are original, written to match the J277 specification. OCR is a trademark of Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations.
For learning. Swainware is provided for teaching and revision, as it is. We work hard to keep it accurate, but please check it against your own scheme of work and the official specification, and tell us if you spot a mistake.
Links to other websites are provided for convenience. We aren't responsible for their content.