Frequently Asked Questions

Starlight doesn't judge lessons subjectively or evaluate teachers personally. It reviews transcripts using clear, research-informed indicators of effective teaching — such as questioning techniques, student participation, and vocabulary use. Unlike human observers, it applies these criteria consistently and without unconscious bias or interpretation shaped by relationships, preferences, or politics. Many teachers find this refreshing and reassuring. Starlight's feedback is developmental, not evaluative, and teachers remain in full control of their data and how it's used. We continually improve the model based on feedback to ensure fairness and reliability across different classrooms and contexts.

Starlight analyses the transcript of a recorded lesson using natural language processing to identify key features of classroom dialogue — such as the types of questions asked, who is speaking, how vocabulary is used, and how student ideas are responded to. It uses these patterns to generate personalised coaching feedback, not judgments. Some teachers choose to receive scores; others prefer a narrative report. The AI draws on research into effective teaching, including transcript-based lesson analysis (TBLA), and is designed to surface useful, actionable insights. Teachers can explore a deeper breakdown using the platform's "Deep Dive" feature.

No — Starlight is designed to support teachers, not replace them. It offers a consistent, scalable layer of feedback that complements human coaching by saving time and surfacing patterns that might otherwise be missed. Many schools use it alongside existing mentoring or CPD programmes, allowing coaches and leaders to focus their time where it matters most. It's a tool for professional growth, not performance management — and teachers are always in control of how they use the insights it provides.

Starlight has already been piloted in UK schools with promising results. In the first few weeks, teachers reported that it helped them reflect more deeply on their practice and made them more aware of key aspects like questioning and student talk. Over 400 lessons have been analysed with an average user rating of 4.2 out of 5. Several staff have commented that the feedback prompted real changes to their teaching the very next day. While formal research is still underway, we're seeing strong early indicators of impact — and we're capturing testimonials and usage data as the rollout expands.

Starlight is currently being used by a growing number of schools across the UK, including secondary, primary, and special school settings. It was first piloted at St Augustine's Catholic College, where it's now embedded into the school's coaching and CPD programme. We're also in active discussions with several MATs and teaching hubs, and new schools are joining each month. Our early adopters include schools of all sizes — from those with formal coaching models to those just starting out. In addition, we've recently begun working with a national UK training body and a prominent UK university who are exploring the platform's potential in teacher development and education research.

Starlight is fully GDPR compliant and built with data protection at its core. All audio and transcript data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and stored securely on UK or EU-based servers that meet ISO/IEC 27001 standards. Only the teacher who uploads the lesson has access to their individual reports unless they choose to share them. Schools retain ownership of their data, and teachers can delete their recordings at any time. A full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is available on request for any school or MAT wishing to review our approach in more detail.

Schools own the lesson transcripts generated by Starlight, and teachers can delete their audio recordings at any time. We never sell identifiable data, and all personal data is handled securely and in line with GDPR. We may use anonymised, aggregated data to improve the platform and, in future, to contribute to academic research — for example, in partnership with UK universities. If we ever do this, we'll communicate clearly with schools about how the data is being used. Our priority is to use data responsibly, transparently, and in ways that ultimately support better teaching and learning.

No — Ofsted does not have access to Starlight data unless the school chooses to share it. The platform is designed for teacher development, not accountability. However, our SLT dashboard does collate anonymised, aggregated insights that senior leaders may choose to reference during inspections — for example, to evidence professional development, teaching quality, or whole-school improvement. This is entirely at the school's discretion. Starlight puts control in the hands of teachers and leaders, and its core purpose is to support reflective, developmental practice.

Starlight is designed to save teachers time, not add to their workload. Uploading a lesson takes less than a minute — just drag and drop the audio file. The coaching report arrives within minutes by email, with no login or extra steps required. Teachers can reflect as much or as little as they like, and many find that even a 30-second glance offers useful insight. For those who want to go deeper, optional features like templates and the Deep Dive tool are available — but nothing is mandatory. It's low effort, high value.

Starlight is currently a standalone platform, but it's designed to fit naturally into teachers' existing routines. Once logged in, teachers stay signed in and many keep the platform open as a tab throughout the day. Through our pilots, we've seen that it integrates seamlessly into everyday workflow. The Teacher Toolkit, in particular, saves time by turning lesson transcripts into ready-made resources, prompts, and reflection tools — reducing planning and admin. The small effort of uploading and accessing feedback is far outweighed by the time saved and the insight gained. We're also working on future integrations, including single sign-on, Microsoft Teams, and API access for wider platforms.

Starlight is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly — most teachers are up and running within minutes. We provide a short onboarding video, quick-start guide, and optional live demos or staff briefings to support rollout. In our pilot schools, staff typically felt confident using the platform after just one lesson. For those who want to explore further, we offer ongoing tips, templates, and support. It's low-barrier, high-impact — and built to be usable from day one.

Yes — our team provides responsive support for any technical issues. Users can contact us directly through the platform or by email, and we aim to respond promptly during the working week. For schools or trusts with larger rollouts, we can also provide a named support contact. While the platform is designed to be robust and easy to use, we're on hand to help if anything goes wrong — and we're constantly improving the system based on user feedback.

Starlight is offered as an annual subscription, but we provide a Launch Pad Partner Programme — a fully-supported, no-cost trial for a term (typically 5–6 weeks) for 5 users in your school. This allows senior leaders to see the platform in action before committing. We recommend selecting experienced teachers or coaching leads who are well-respected in the school community and open to innovation. In our most successful rollouts, these early adopters help embed the system effectively by supporting wider staff once the full subscription begins. During the Launch Pad Partner Programme, we work closely with your pilot group to ensure they're confident using the platform and ready to lead the way — because Starlight delivers the greatest value when it's used by all staff, not just a few.

If a school decides to stop using Starlight, all audio recordings are deleted. Teachers can also delete their recordings at any time. As stated in our data agreement, schools retain ownership of their lesson transcripts. We retain anonymised transcripts to continue improving the platform and, potentially, to support research and analysis in the future — but never in a way that identifies schools, teachers, or students. We are fully GDPR compliant and committed to using data responsibly, transparently, and always in ways that support better teaching and learning.

Starlight is designed to feel supportive, not judgmental — and that's exactly how teachers in our pilot schools have responded. Because the feedback is private, focused on professional growth, and based on what's actually said in the lesson (not body language or performance), most teachers find it empowering rather than critical. Many have described it as "a mirror" or "a coach that helps me think" — and several made changes to their teaching the very next day. We've had no backlash, and uptake has grown steadily through word of mouth, especially once early adopters see the value for themselves.

Yes — Starlight offers flexible ways to align with your school or trust's priorities. While the default report is based on well-established markers of effective teaching, schools can create custom reflection templates, tag specific elements, or highlight areas they want teachers to focus on — such as questioning, oracy, or metacognition. We're also developing tools to allow deeper customisation at the leadership level, and we work closely with partner schools to ensure Starlight supports their existing frameworks rather than replacing them.

Starlight is first and foremost a tool for teachers — designed to support professional growth, not performance management. Teachers have full control over what they choose to share. While some schools use the platform to support peer reviews, coaching, CPD tracking, or even appraisals, this only works well in a culture of trust. That's why we work closely with schools to help create an environment where teachers feel confident, supported, and empowered to use the feedback in ways that suit them. When teachers feel ownership over their development, wider use across the school becomes both meaningful and sustainable.

Yes — we've seen Starlight work effectively across all subjects. In fact, some of our earliest and most enthusiastic feedback came from drama and arts teachers, who found the insights especially powerful. Because spoken interaction is a key feature of most lessons — whether it's explanation, questioning, or student responses — the platform can offer value in both academic and practical subjects. Interestingly, many teachers begin to narrate their thinking more intentionally once they start recording, which not only improves the quality of feedback but also supports student metacognition and clarity. It becomes a virtuous cycle.

Feedback is typically available within 2–3 minutes of uploading a recording. Once the audio is processed, the teacher receives a notification and can access their personalised report immediately. There's no waiting for scheduled observations or written notes — insights are fast, actionable, and ready when the teacher is. It's one of the reasons many describe Starlight as a real-time coaching tool.

Starlight is built specifically for teachers, by educators, with a focus on real classroom dialogue. Unlike generic AI tools or one-size-fits-all CPD platforms, it gives fast, personalised feedback based on actual lesson talk — not checklists, surveys, or assumptions. As a smaller, specialist company, we see our size as a strength: we listen closely to our partner schools, respond quickly to their needs, and evolve the platform in real time based on their feedback. While bigger players may eventually explore this space, we're already here — trusted by schools, grounded in research, and growing through meaningful collaboration.