Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using the SproutDesk platform ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). These Terms apply to all users of the Service, including school administrators, teachers, and any other authorised users. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you may not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

SproutDesk is a cloud-based early childhood development (ECD) assessment and management platform designed for South African nursery and pre-primary schools. The Service enables schools to manage learner records, record developmental assessments, generate progress reports, and communicate with parents. SproutDesk assists with onboarding and initial setup for all new schools.

3. Subscription and Payment

Access to SproutDesk is provided on a subscription basis. Current pricing is:

• Monthly: R1,500 per month
• Annual: R15,000 per year (save R3,000)

A 14-day free trial is available to new schools. No payment details are required during the trial period. Subscriptions are billed in advance and are non-refundable once a billing period has commenced. Pricing is subject to change with at least 30 days' written notice to existing subscribers.

Payments are processed securely via PayFast. SproutDesk does not store payment card information.

4. Account Responsibilities

Each school is responsible for maintaining the security of its account credentials and for all activity that occurs under its account. You must notify us immediately at info@sproutdesk.co.za of any unauthorised use of your account. SproutDesk will not be liable for any loss arising from unauthorised account access resulting from your failure to secure your login credentials.

You are responsible for ensuring that all users you add to your school account comply with these Terms.

5. Data Ownership and Privacy

All data entered into SproutDesk by your school — including learner records, assessment results, and family information — remains the property of your school. SproutDesk acts as a data processor on your behalf and will not use your data for any purpose other than providing the Service.

By using SproutDesk, you confirm that you have obtained the necessary consents from parents and guardians to process children's personal information as required by the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Please refer to our Privacy Policy for full details on how we handle personal information.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use SproutDesk to:

• Upload or transmit unlawful, harmful, or offensive content.
• Violate any applicable law or regulation, including POPIA.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Service or another school's data.
• Use the Service for any purpose other than the management and assessment of learners at your school.
• Reverse engineer, copy, or create derivative works based on the Service.

7. Intellectual Property

The SproutDesk platform, including all software, design, content, and branding, is the intellectual property of SproutDesk and is protected by applicable copyright and intellectual property laws. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Service solely for the purposes described in these Terms. No rights are granted beyond those expressly stated here.

8. Service Availability

SproutDesk aims to provide a reliable and continuously available service, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, upgrades, or circumstances beyond our control. We will endeavour to give advance notice of planned maintenance where possible.

9. Suspension and Termination

SproutDesk reserves the right to suspend or terminate access to the Service if:

• A subscription payment is overdue by more than 14 days.
• A school is found to be in breach of these Terms.
• Use of the Service is found to be harmful, unlawful, or in violation of POPIA.

Upon termination, you may request an export of your school's data within 30 days. After this period, data may be permanently deleted. You may cancel your subscription at any time by contacting us at info@sproutdesk.co.za.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SproutDesk shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service. Our total liability to you for any claim shall not exceed the total subscription fees paid by you in the 12 months preceding the claim.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the South African courts.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to school administrators via email with at least 14 days' notice before taking effect. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

13. Contact

For any questions regarding these Terms, please contact:

SproutDesk
Email: info@sproutdesk.co.za