Community Guidelines

1. Welcome to Our Community

At Ratings for Schools, we’re building a space that empowers parents, schools, and local communities through information, connection, and collaboration.

Our Community Guidelines reflect our “CORE” values — to create a respectful, inclusive, and meaningful environment. By participating on our platform, you agree to follow these principles.

2. Our Vision

We aim to change how families explore and engage with schools — supporting informed decisions while strengthening the bond between communities and educational institutions across South Africa.

3. Our Guiding Principles

We believe that strong communities are built on:

• Fairness
• Collaboration
• Respect
• Empowerment

These values guide how we interact, share information, and grow together.

4. Celebrating Every School, Business & Brand

We embrace diversity. Every school, event, or business listed on Ratings for Schools is unique and valuable. There’s no competition — only collaboration.

Our platform is open to listings of all sizes and types, and we’re committed to uplifting every voice, fostering inclusivity and a richer community culture.

5. Keeping Our Community Safe

We are deeply committed to maintaining a safe and respectful space. We actively monitor the platform and may remove content or deactivate accounts where necessary.

The following are strictly prohibited:

• Promotion of hate groups, terrorism, political extremism, or organised crime
• Pornographic or sexually explicit services and content
• Listings that involve legal or illegal drugs (excluding licensed pharmacies)
• Content harmful to children or restricted by regulatory authorities
• Gambling content or establishments
• Threats to public safety or unlawful activity

Serious violations may be reported to law enforcement or other relevant authorities.

6. Protecting Identity and Personal Information

We prioritise your privacy and expect all users to act with integrity:

Use your real identity when creating an account

Do not impersonate another individual, school, or business

Do not share or misuse others’ personal information

We never sell or share your personal data without your permission (see our Privacy Policy)

7. Respecting Intellectual Property

You own your content — and we respect that.

• You retain full ownership when you upload content (e.g., images, descriptions, reviews).
• You grant us permission to display it on the platform and use it in marketing unless you opt out.
• We will always respect your content and brand guidelines
• Please ensure you only upload content you have the rights to use (no copyright or trademark violations)

8. Authentic and Valuable Interactions

We promote a purpose-driven, local engagement culture — not spam or sensationalism.

We may remove or flag content that:

• Appears to be spam, clickbait, or misleading
• Is low-value or irrelevant to the audience
• Has an inappropriate design or doesn’t align with our platform values

Paid promotions, exclusive offers, and sponsored content are welcome — but must be pre-approved to ensure alignment with our community standards.

Additionally, please avoid sending unsolicited messages to other users or listing owners.

9. Fairness and Equal Opportunity

We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to be seen and heard.

• All listings appear randomly within search and explore results (unless paid listing or promotions apply)
• Every school, business, and brand have equal access to our paid listing or promotion features.

This ensures a level playing field for everyone — from small community schools to larger institutions.

10. Respecting Others in the community

Kindness and respect are not optional — they are essential.

We will remove or moderate:

• Comments or reviews containing hate speech, profanity, or personal attacks
• Content that promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, orientation, or disability
• Threats, harassment, or targeted abuse of any kind
• Reviews that discourage others from engaging with a listing in a disrespectful or defamatory way

Constructive criticism is welcome, but it must be expressed respectfully and factually.

11. Help Keep Our Community Strong

If you see something that violates these guidelines, please report it.

To report a comment, listing, or user:

• Select “Report” on the listing page and provide a brief reason

Every report is reviewed carefully and confidentially by our moderation team. Your feedback helps us maintain the quality and integrity of our platform.

12. Final Word

These Community Guidelines are here to make Ratings for Schools a space where:

• Parents feel empowered to make informed choices
• Schools can share what makes them special
• Everyone contributes to a safer, more supportive environment

Thank you for being part of our community.