AI Guardrails & Content Safety
At Walnut Learning, nothing matters more than the wellbeing, privacy and protection of every young person who uses our platform. We believe children deserve digital spaces that feel safe, supportive and trustworthy, which is why safety is built into Walnut at every level—not added later. From the moment a student begins a session, their experience is shaped by technology designed specifically for child users and the adults who guide them.
Our safety framework combines advanced AI guardrails, real-time content monitoring and a structured escalation system to ensure all interactions remain appropriate and educational. Parents and teachers have full transparency through easy-to-use oversight tools, instant alerts and complete visibility of student conversations. Alongside this, strict data stewardship—including encryption, UK/EU data residency and zero data monetisation—ensures every child’s information is handled responsibly and securely. Together, these measures create a protected learning environment where students can explore, grow and learn with confidence.
🔒 Trusted technology for secure, supported learning.
Walnut combines rigorous safety systems with transparent parental controls—so your child can learn confidently, every day.
Safeguarding & Staff Safety Checks
At Walnut Learning, safeguarding is a core priority. We are committed to creating a safe environment for young learners and take careful measures to ensure the suitability of anyone working with or supporting our users. All staff undergo DBS checks (enhanced where appropriate) as part of our safer-recruitment process, and we verify identity, references and right-to-work before any role begins. Team members also receive ongoing training to ensure they understand their responsibilities around child safety, data protection and appropriate conduct when interacting with learners. If a concern is ever raised, we have clear internal procedures to report, review and respond quickly and responsibly.
Our Technology
AI Guardrails & Content Safety
Every student message is monitored by a secondary AI safety watchdog that works independently from the teaching assistant. This system analyses content in real time, detecting early signs of risk or escalation.
Multi-Tier Escalation Protocol
Our five-level escalation framework automatically takes action when concerning patterns appear—from gentle nudges to immediate session termination and account suspension at critical levels.
Educational Context Enforcement
All AI responses are tightly constrained by system-level prompts, keeping conversations strictly within safe, age-appropriate educational boundaries.
Parental Oversight Dashboard
Parents and family organisers have full visibility of their child’s conversations. Instant email alerts are sent when safety protocols activate, and concerns can be reviewed or resolved with one click.
Encryption at Rest & in Transit
All data—including messages and personal details—is encrypted both on our servers and during every connection between devices.
Secure Sign-In
Parents can enable multi-factor authentication using email or authenticator apps. Student accounts can also be protected through parent-approved verification.
Zero Data Monetisation
Your child’s data is never sold, shared or monetised. Learning data is used only to improve that child’s educational experience.
UK/EU Data Residency
All information is stored exclusively in UK and EU data centres, fully compliant with UK GDPR.
Online Safety Act Compliance
Walnut Learning is designed from the ground up to meet the expectations of the UK Online Safety Act and child-appropriate technology design.
Age-Appropriate by Design
Every element of the platform—from feedback tone to interaction limits—is designed specifically for students aged Years 5–13.
Transparent AI Interaction
Students always know they are speaking with an AI assistant. Our interface contains no hidden elements, dark patterns or confusing design choices.
Parental Control by Default
Parents maintain full oversight of their child’s account, with the ability to review past conversations, pause access or delete accounts at any time.
Rapid Response Protocols
If a safety incident occurs, the system takes immediate protective action and generates a full audit trail for transparency and accountability
Safeguarding, Technology and Ofsted Expectations
Walnut Learning is built with safeguarding and online safety at its core.
While Ofsted does not approve or accredit individual education platforms, our approach to technology and digital learning reflects the expectations inspectors place on schools — particularly around the safe, responsible use of ICT and online systems.
In practice, this means:
- Technology is used only where it supports learning, and always in an age-appropriate way
- Strong safeguards are in place to protect children from unsuitable content and interactions
- Clear monitoring and escalation processes support child safety and wellbeing
- Digital tools, including AI-powered features, are designed to be supportive, educational and safe by default
This approach helps parents feel confident in how Walnut Learning uses technology, and supports schools that need to demonstrate safe, responsible use of ICT as part of their wider safeguarding responsibilities.