Last updated: 10 November 2026
Our commitment: children’s safety and wellbeing come first in everything GMHSC makes. This policy covers GMHSC Tutor, which children use directly, and GMHSC Coach, which coaches aged 14 and over use to plan for the people they coach, often children.
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Graham Herstell · support@gmhsc.co.uk · we aim to reply to safeguarding concerns within 24 hours.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 first.
NSPCC helpline: 0808 800 5000 · Childline (for children): 0800 1111 · Report online abuse to CEOP: ceop.police.uk
1. Our principles
- Child safety first: it comes before everything else.
- Right for the age: content is matched to the age or age group given.
- Prevent, don’t just react: several layers of checks stop harmful content before anyone sees it.
- Be open: we tell parents, teachers and coaches how our safety checks work.
- Keep improving: we review and update these measures regularly.
2. Who this policy is for
- children and young people using GMHSC Tutor;
- parents and guardians;
- teachers, schools and trainers using Tutor’s Teacher Mode;
- coaches, clubs and welfare officers using GMHSC Coach;
- GMHSC itself, and what we’re responsible for.
3. How we keep content safe
Every request goes through four layers of checks:
- Before the AI is asked: each request is checked for unsafe topics (weapons, violence, drugs, sexual content, self-harm, illegal activity), for anything unsuitable for the age given, and for attempts to get round the checks. Unsafe requests are stopped straight away with a kind, age-appropriate explanation, and no credit is taken.
- Instructions to the AI: the AI is told to stay educational (or, in Coach, to stay on coaching), to suit the age, to be encouraging, and to refuse anything harmful.
- The AI’s own safety filters (Google Gemini’s) block harmful categories.
- After the AI replies: the result is checked again. Anything that fails isn’t shown.
What we block
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Violence | graphic violence, gore, weapons |
| Sexual content | anything sexual or explicit, inappropriate relationships |
| Risk to wellbeing | self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, dangerous challenges |
| Illegal activity | drugs, theft, hacking, fraud, underage drinking |
| Hate | racism, discrimination, bullying, extremism |
| Personal details | requests for addresses, phone numbers or where someone is |
| Grooming | romantic relationships with children, grooming behaviour |
Matching the age (Tutor)
| Age | What lessons are like |
|---|---|
| 5–7 | simple words, positive themes, nothing frightening |
| 8–11 | a bit more depth, still positive, no mature themes |
| 12–14 | harder ideas; history and science handled sensitively |
| 15–18 | can cover mature academic topics (e.g. war in history), still filtered |
| Adult | full academic range, still filtered for harmful or illegal content |
4. GMHSC Tutor: keeping learners safe
- No messaging or social features. Learners can’t message each other. There are no chat rooms, forums, friend lists, comments or public profiles, which removes the risk of grooming or bullying through the app.
- Private by default. A learner’s lessons are visible only to them, with one exception: when they join a class or family, their teacher or parent can see the work set for them, their scores and their written answers.
- Little personal information. Learners aren’t asked for addresses, phone numbers or photos. Teachers give a school or organisation name when they set up Teacher Mode.
- Parents and guardians can ask to see their child’s lessons, have content deleted, or close their child’s account by emailing support@gmhsc.co.uk.
For schools and teachers
- Get parental consent before pupils use Tutor, as your school’s policies require.
- Use Tutor alongside your teaching, under your supervision, and in line with your own safeguarding policy.
- Look at lessons before you set them (Teacher Mode shows you a preview).
- Report any inappropriate content to us straight away.
- We can provide safeguarding documents and a named contact for your school. Email support@gmhsc.co.uk.
5. GMHSC Coach: keeping players safe
Coach is used by coaches aged 14 and over (under-18s with a parent’s or guardian’s permission), and what it produces is often for children. So:
- Plans are made for the age group you give, including safe practice for that age (warm-ups, load, contact and supervision).
- No player details are needed. Please don’t type in players’ names or personal information.
- If what you describe sounds like a child might be at risk (for example abuse, bullying, self-harm or an injury that needs urgent help), Coach doesn’t make a plan. It shows a support card that points you to your club’s welfare officer, the NSPCC helpline, Childline or 999. No credit is taken.
- The mental game has extra-careful checks. Anything that suggests crisis, self-harm, eating or weight worries, abuse or a child at risk goes straight to a support card, and those words are never sent to the AI. Every result also says: This is coaching, not therapy.
- When our checks stop a request, we keep a short record (the tool, the reason, the age group and the time) to improve the checks. We don’t keep what was typed.
Coach doesn’t replace your club’s safeguarding arrangements. Always follow your club’s and governing body’s safeguarding policy, and raise concerns with your welfare officer.
6. Reporting a concern
Email support@gmhsc.co.uk with what happened, the date and time, a screenshot if you have one, and the age of any child involved. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 first.
What we do:
- Within 24 hours: confirm we’ve got your report.
- Within 48 hours: look into it.
- Act: remove harmful content, tighten our checks, contact the parent or school where right, suspend accounts that break our terms, and report to the authorities when the law requires it.
- Within 7 days: tell you what we’ve done, as far as privacy allows.
We’ll report to the police, local safeguarding partnerships or CEOP if we learn of child abuse or neglect, illegal activity involving children, or a child in immediate danger.
7. AI: what to keep in mind
- We always make it clear that content is made by AI.
- AI can get things wrong. Check important facts, especially for exams, health or safety.
- Younger children should use Tutor with an adult nearby.
- AI is a learning and planning aid. It doesn’t replace teachers, coaches or parents.
8. Laws and guidance we follow
UK GDPR and the Children’s Code; the Online Safety Act; Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE); NSPCC and UK Safer Internet Centre guidance; and, for Coach, the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit’s guidance. Coach plans also tell you to check your sport’s governing body’s rules on age limits for techniques.
9. Tips
For parents: talk with your child about staying safe online, stay nearby with younger children, look at what they’re learning, and agree some ground rules.
For learners: only ask for things that are right for your age; tell an adult if anything worries you; never type in your address, phone number or other private details; and check important facts with a teacher or parent.
More help online: NSPCC (nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety), UK Safer Internet Centre (saferinternet.org.uk), Childnet (childnet.com), Internet Matters (internetmatters.org).
10. Reviewing this policy
We look at reported concerns and how well our checks work every month, update our checks every quarter, and review this whole policy every year, or sooner if the law or the risks change. If we make big changes, we’ll tell schools and clubs.
11. Contact
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Graham Herstell · support@gmhsc.co.uk · Graham Herstell, trading as GMHSC