Parent & Guardian FAQs
This document accompanies the LearnerLens Parent & Guardian Privacy Notice and explains, in plain language, how LearnerLens supports schools and protects learner information.
1. Why is my child's school using LearnerLens?
Your child's school wants to better understand learner wellbeing, identify strengths and recognise emerging needs earlier. LearnerLens provides evidence-informed information to help schools plan appropriate support. It is designed to support educational decision-making and does not replace the professional judgement of teachers, counsellors or psychologists.
2. Is participation compulsory?
In most cases, your child's participation requires your consent as a parent or guardian, or another lawful basis permitted under POPIA, arranged by your child's school. Your school can tell you exactly how consent or authorisation has been obtained for its use of LearnerLens, and who to contact if you have questions about participation.
3. Why does some of this information need extra care?
Wellbeing survey responses are treated by POPIA as a special category of information, because they can relate to a learner's health or emotional wellbeing. This means extra safeguards apply to how this information is accessed, stored and used, over and above the protections that apply to ordinary personal information.
4. How will my child's information be used?
Information is used only for agreed educational purposes, including generating learner wellbeing reports, supporting authorised school staff and informing whole-school wellbeing planning.
5. Who can see my child's report?
Individual learner reports are available only to authorised school personnel identified by the school. Access is controlled and limited to those with a legitimate educational role.
6. Will teachers see all of my child's answers?
Not necessarily. Schools determine who may access learner information. LearnerLens provides the platform; the school controls access in accordance with its policies.
7. Does LearnerLens diagnose mental health conditions?
No. LearnerLens is not a diagnostic or clinical assessment tool. It provides wellbeing information to support schools in identifying learners who may benefit from additional support or conversation.
8. Can my child be identified in school-wide reports?
No. School, grade and class reports are designed to present trends and patterns. LearnerLens uses aggregated information for these reports so that individual learners are not identified.
9. Does LearnerLens sell or share learner information?
No. LearnerLens does not sell learner information or use it for advertising. Information is processed only to deliver the agreed services or where required by law.
10. How is my child's privacy protected?
Appropriate technical and organisational safeguards, controlled access, confidentiality obligations and secure processing practices are used to protect personal information.
11. Where is my child's information stored?
LearnerLens hosts production data within South Africa. Where any information is transferred to or accessed from outside South Africa, LearnerLens ensures the transfer complies with POPIA.
12. How long is information kept?
LearnerLens does not retain identifiable learner information beyond the agreed retention period unless required by law or expressly instructed by the school. Once that period ends, identifiable information is securely deleted or returned to the school. Only aggregated and de-identified statistical information, which cannot reasonably be linked back to an identifiable learner, may be retained for longer, for quality assurance, benchmarking, research and service improvement.
13. What happens when my child leaves the school?
The management of learner information follows the agreement between LearnerLens and the school. The school remains responsible for determining retention and deletion instructions under POPIA.
14. What rights do I have regarding my child's information?
You, or your child's school on your behalf, can ask what personal information is held about your child, ask for incorrect information to be corrected, and object to certain processing or ask for information to be deleted where this is permitted by POPIA. Start with your child's school, as the Responsible Party. If you are not satisfied with how a request has been handled, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za or www.inforegulator.org.za.
15. Who can I contact?
Questions about your child's participation or personal information should first be directed to your child's school. Privacy enquiries relating to LearnerLens may be directed to the LearnerLens Information Officer at keiran@learnerlens.org
Our Commitment
LearnerLens is committed to supporting schools responsibly, protecting learner privacy and using information ethically. LearnerLens does not retain identifiable learner information beyond what is necessary to deliver the agreed services. Benchmarking, research, quality assurance and product improvement are undertaken using aggregated and de-identified information that cannot reasonably identify an individual learner.