Help
Frequently asked questions
The short version: the tools are free, there is no account, and your pupils' data stays in your browser. The details are below.
- Is SpudSchool free?
- Yes — all the tools are free to use, with no account required. Some advanced extras may become paid features in future, but the core tools stay free.
- Do I need to create an account?
- No. There is no sign-up and no login. You can open any tool and start straight away.
- Where is my pupils' data stored?
- Entirely in your browser, on the device you are using. There is no server-side database and nothing is uploaded. Closing the tab keeps your work; clearing your browser's site data removes it. You can export a backup file at any time from the Classes page.
- Is any data sent to a server or used to train AI?
- No. The tools run locally in your browser, so pupil names and details are not sent anywhere and are not used to train any model. We use only privacy-friendly, aggregate analytics that count how often each tool is opened.
- Are the school reports written by AI?
- No. Report drafts are assembled from a curated bank of sentences, each tied to a specific National Curriculum statement and attainment band. There is no language model writing about your pupils, so the wording is reliable, consistent and never invents facts. You edit the draft into your own voice.
- Which key stages and curricula does the Report Writer cover?
- KS1 to KS4 across primary and secondary subjects, based on the statutory National Curriculum for England. Primary key stages use a three-band scale; KS4 uses the GCSE 9–1 scale. Other UK nations' curricula may follow later.
- Where does the curriculum content come from?
- Topics and statements are based on the Department for Education's statutory National Curriculum programmes of study, which are Crown copyright and available under the Open Government Licence. The report sentences are curated by teachers.
- How do the Class Mixer and Seating Plan decide on groups?
- They balance the attributes schools are asked to consider — prior attainment, behaviour, gender, and flags such as Pupil Premium, EAL and SEN — spreading them evenly across groups or tables. The seating auto-assign also offers mixed or grouped ability, and options to spread summer-born and livelier pupils, reflecting EEF, Ofsted and DfE guidance.
- Can I print or export my work?
- Yes. Seating plans and timetables print cleanly to PDF, and report drafts can be copied straight into your MIS or word processor. Your classes can be exported to a backup file.
- Will it work on a school network or tablet?
- Yes — it runs in any modern browser with no installation. Because data is stored per-browser, your saved work is tied to the specific device and browser you use, so use the backup export if you move between devices.
Still stuck? The guides walk through each tool in more detail, and the privacy page explains exactly how data is handled.