A Terms of use page, and a home page that search engines can read
The site now has a Terms of use page next to Privacy, About and Contact, in English and French, linked from the footer on every screen. The plain-HTML copy of the home page, which crawlers read when they do not run scripts, also gained a short "About this site" paragraph and the same four footer links, so the trust pages are reachable from the very first page a crawler sees.
The blog index page now lists every post as a normal link in the page itself, instead of loading the list only after the page starts, so search engines see the posts too.
The home page's plain-HTML copy is now a full page of text, with a how-it-works section, a short list of common questions and a note on privacy and advertising. The site also loads faster on a first visit: the parent area, the practice screens and the documentation pages are now fetched only when someone opens them, instead of being downloaded with the very first screen.
What the Terms of use page actually says
The new page is written in plain language rather than legal jargon, and it covers the questions families and teachers most often ask.
- Who the site is for. It is a free educational site. Children practise skills, and parents and teachers use the parent area to follow progress. A child should use the site with the knowledge of a parent or guardian, who is responsible for how it is used.
- What you may do. Personal, non-commercial learning at home or in a classroom is welcome. You can print pages, share links, and quote short extracts as long as you link back to the page they came from.
- What you may not do. Please do not copy the activities, articles or code to republish them elsewhere, try to overload the site, or use it in a way that is unlawful or harms others.
- Accuracy. We work hard to keep activities correct and suited to the grade they are labelled for, but we cannot promise they are free of mistakes. The site supports a child's learning and does not replace a teacher or a school programme. If you spot an error, the Contact page is the way to tell us.
- Your data and advertising. Children's practice data stays on your own device. Pages meant for adults may show advertising, which helps pay for the site, while children's activity screens show none. The Privacy page explains the details.
Putting all of this in one findable place, linked from every footer, means nobody has to hunt for the rules, and the family or classroom using the site can see exactly what it expects of them and what they can expect from us.