Northstar Learning › Privacy
Privacy
Last updated 29 October 2026
The short version
- You can use Northstar without an account. Your progress then stays on your own device.
- To make an account you need to be 13 or over. We ask for a username, an email address (only so you can reset a forgotten password) and a password. No real name.
- Children under 13 don't make their own account: a parent or teacher adds them, and they sign in with a code. No email for them.
- We save your learning progress so you can carry on from any device.
- No adverts. We never sell your information or share it for marketing, and we don't track you around other websites.
- You can download your progress or delete your account at any time.
- Questions? Send us a message.
If you are a child: this page explains what happens to the things you do on Northstar. If anything worries you, talk to a parent, carer or teacher, or ask us.
Who runs Northstar
Northstar Learning (northstarlearning.fun) is run by Northstar Creations (Carl Hussain) in the United Kingdom. We are responsible for the information described here. You can reach us with the message form below.
What we store, and why
| What | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Your account: username, password (stored only as a one-way scrambled code we cannot turn back into your password), account type (learner, parent or teacher) and the date you joined | So you can sign in and keep your progress safe | Until you or the adult who made the account deletes it |
| Your email address (accounts for people aged 13 and over; never for pupil accounts), and one-time password reset links, which we store only as a scrambled code | So you can sign in with it and reset a forgotten password, and to tell you when it is changed. Nothing else: no newsletters or marketing | The email: until you change it or delete the account. Reset links: 1 hour, or until used |
| Classes you join with a class code from your own account | So that teacher can see your username and learning progress: questions done, which days you practised in the last three weeks, and which questions are still to get right | Until you leave the class, the teacher removes you, or the class is deleted |
| Your progress: questions done, answers you got wrong, your review schedule, coins, character and gear, and any notes you type in the practice notes box | So you can carry on where you left off, on any device | Until the account is deleted |
| Pupil accounts (made by a teacher or parent): the name they type for the pupil, the class, the school name if they add one, a class weekly goal, and an optional PIN (stored scrambled) | So a teacher or parent can set up and support their learners | Until the teacher or parent removes them |
A sign-in cookie (one small file called __Host-northstar_session) | Keeps you signed in. It is essential, so it needs no consent banner | 30 days, or until you sign out |
| Group quizzes: the nickname and emoji you choose, and your score | To run the quiz and show the leaderboard | Deleted automatically after 7 days |
| Question reports: the reason and any note you add when you report a question | To fix mistakes in questions | Kept with the question's fix history. Never linked to an account |
| Answer statistics: how often each question is answered right or wrong, not linked to anyone | To find questions that are too hard or wrong | Kept, as they say nothing about any person |
| A visit counter: a random code your browser makes up. We keep only a scrambled version of it, with the days it visited. It is not linked to any account | To count how many different people use the site. You can turn this off | 13 months |
| Anonymous usage counts: daily totals of what is used, for example how many maths questions were answered, which courses were opened, how long visits last, the type of device, the website you came from and your country. There is no code, cookie or account link, nothing is stored on your device, and nothing you type is sent. A count cannot be traced back to a person | To see which parts of Northstar help people and what to improve. You can turn this off | 13 months |
| Spam protection: a scrambled code made from your internet connection. We never store your IP address itself | To stop people guessing passwords or flooding the site | About 2 days |
| Messages you send us with the form below, the username you give, and a way to reply if you choose to leave one | To deal with your request and, if you asked, reply | 180 days |
If our admin deletes an account or class (for example after a request), it is kept for 7 days in case it was a mistake, then removed. Our hosting provider keeps short-term recovery copies of the database for up to 30 days, after which deleted information is gone for good.
What we do not collect
No email address for pupil accounts, and none for anyone else beyond the one on your own account (or one you leave so we can reply to a message). No phone number, home address or location beyond the country, which is only ever added to anonymous totals. No real name is needed: a nickname is fine, and teachers and parents should use a first name or nickname for pupils. No adverts, no advertising or tracking cookies, and no outside analytics services.
On your own device
Your browser keeps a copy of your progress and settings (such as sound, voice and accessibility choices) so the site works offline. This stays on your device. When you sign out of an account, this device forgets that learner's progress, review schedule and goals, so the next person starts fresh. Your settings stay.
Our legal basis
Under UK data protection law we rely on legitimate interests: running a free learning service that you have chosen to use, and keeping it working and secure. We have weighed this against the interests of the people who use it, especially children. That is why we collect as little as possible, use it only to provide the service, and never use it for advertising or profiling.
Children
Northstar is made for learners of all ages, including children. We follow the ideas of the UK Children's Code: the most private settings are the default, children under 13 cannot make their own account (a parent or teacher adds them, with no email address), there is no chat with strangers, and there are no adverts or tricks to make anyone share more. Pupil accounts are created and managed by a teacher or parent, who can remove them at any time. That teacher or parent can see the pupil's progress, including which days they practised in the last three weeks and which questions they are still working on. Nobody else can.
Who else is involved
- Cloudflare hosts the site and its database and handles this information for us. Cloudflare may process it outside the UK, protected by the safeguards UK law requires.
- jsDelivr and Leaning Technologies (CheerpJ) supply the tools that run Python, SQL, TypeScript and Java inside your browser. When you use those features your browser downloads them directly, so these services see your internet address, as any website you visit does. They receive nothing else from us.
- Resend sends password reset emails for us. It receives the email address and the message. Resend is based in the United States, and the transfer is protected by the safeguards UK law requires.
- Ko-fi, only if you click a "Support" link. That takes you to Ko-fi's own site.
We do not share your information with anyone else unless the law requires it.
Your rights
You can ask to see the information we hold about you, to correct it, to delete it, or to stop or limit how we use it. You can also take a copy of your progress with you.
- Download your progress: on the main site, open Save, sync & backup and choose Export JSON backup.
- Delete your account: use the delete section below.
- Anything else: send us a message. We will deal with it within one month. Sending it while signed in shows us the account is yours.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or 0303 123 1113. We would be grateful for the chance to put things right first.
Delete your account
Checking whether you are signed in…
Pupil accounts are removed by the teacher or parent who made them. Teachers and parents need to remove their pupils and classes first.
Visit counting
We count roughly how many different people visit each day, and keep anonymous daily totals of how the site is used (see the table above). No adverts, no tracking across sites, and nothing that identifies you. This is allowed without asking first, but you can switch both off for this browser. Browsers set to “Do Not Track” or “Global Privacy Control” are never counted.
Send us a message
Changes
If we change how we handle information, we will update this page and the date at the top.