Who we are
Verbatim is a New Zealand education-technology venture founded by Alec Hanna. We build software that helps schools identify students who may be struggling with writing, as a screening indicator, never a diagnosis. You can contact us at any time at alechanna12@gmail.com.
Our core principle: patterns, not writing
Verbatim does not store the content of what a student writes. The software reads text only to identify error patterns, then discards it. What we keep is the structured signal: the type and frequency of errors, never the sentences, documents, or ideas a student wrote.
This principle sits at the centre of the product. Where the system needs to process text, for example to work out an intended word, that processing is transient, and only the structured result is retained.
What data we handle
- Account information for the school staff who use Verbatim, such as name, work email, role, and school, used to sign in and to control who can see what.
- Structured error-pattern data derived from student writing, such as error types, frequencies, and trends over time. This is the signal the product is built to surface.
- Basic usage information needed to run the service reliably and securely.
We do not collect raw student writing, sensitive personal details, or any information beyond what is needed to provide the service.
This website: newsletter and enquiries
Separately from the product, this website lets you get in touch and sign up for updates. If you use the "register interest" or "book a demo" form, we collect the details you enter: your name, email, school, and role. If you sign up to the newsletter, we collect your email address. We use these only to reply to you and to send the updates you asked for. We never sell your details, and we never use them for advertising.
These form submissions are handled by Formspree, a third-party form service, which delivers them to us by email and stores them in our account so that we can respond. This website sets no tracking or advertising cookies and runs no analytics. You can ask us to delete your details, or unsubscribe from updates, at any time by emailing alechanna12@gmail.com.
Children's data and consent
Verbatim is used in schools and necessarily involves data relating to children, so we treat it with particular care.
- Any use of a child's writing rests on a clear legal basis agreed with the school, consistent with the school's own obligations.
- Families will be given a plain-English explanation of what is collected and why, with the ability to opt out, before the tool is used with their child.
- Student data is never sold, and is never used for advertising or profiling unrelated to learning support.
Who can see what
A school stays in control of its own data. Student-level detail is visible only to the school's own learning-support staff, such as a SENCO, and not to us. The product surfaces patterns; decisions about assessment, referral, or contacting a family always rest with qualified school staff.
How we use data
We use the data described above only to provide and improve the service: to show schools the patterns in their students' writing, to keep the product working reliably, and to develop its accuracy. We do not use it to make automated decisions about a child, and Verbatim does not diagnose.
Research and product improvement
Improving Verbatim, and in time validating it, depends on research. Any use of data for research or to improve our models happens only with clear, informed consent and the ability to opt out, under appropriate ethical oversight through our research partners, and wherever possible using de-identified or aggregated data that cannot be traced back to an individual student. We will not use identifiable children's writing to train commercial models without that explicit, informed consent.
Sharing and third parties
We do not sell personal information. We use a small number of reputable service providers (for example, cloud hosting) to run the service; where they process data on our behalf they are bound to protect it and use it only for that purpose. We will name our key providers to schools as part of any pilot agreement.
Security
We protect data through encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and by minimising what we collect and keep in the first place. Before any pilot, Verbatim's security will be independently reviewed.
Retention
We keep data only as long as needed to provide the service or as agreed with a school. Because raw writing is not retained, what persists is limited structured pattern data. Schools can request deletion of their data.
Your rights
Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, individuals have the right to access and correct personal information we hold about them. Requests relating to a student are handled through the student's school, which holds the relationship with the family. To make a request, or to ask a question about privacy, contact us at alechanna12@gmail.com, or your school's learning-support team.
Cookies and analytics
This website currently uses no tracking or advertising cookies. If we add basic, privacy-respecting analytics in future, we will update this policy to say so.
Changes to this policy
We will update this policy as Verbatim develops, and the date at the top will always show when it last changed. For any pilot, the agreed version and any school-specific data agreement take precedence over this general policy.
Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns: alechanna12@gmail.com.