Version 1.1 · Published 2 October 2026

Information for schools, parents and carers

BMSAQ: information for schools, parents and carers

BMSAQ is an academic quiz competition operated by Ben Patrick-James Mooney, sole trader, at 3 Desert Road, Newry, BT34 2JB, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Contact info@bmsaq.com for participation, privacy, support or concerns. School and verified homeschool adults organise participation; pupils cannot register as organisers.

For online participation BMSAQ generates the competition IDs; the school allocates them to pupils and can keep its own name-to-ID mapping. They are not the school’s persistent pupil identifiers. BMSAQ records the answers, timing/submission state, scores and resulting certificates. Names are not compulsory for that online process. If paper answer sheets are emailed to BMSAQ, those scans can contain names, IDs and answers. BMSAQ uploads scans to ZipGrade to mark/capture paper submissions and uses its own protected results system and local results files. ZipGrade does not run the current Challenge or post-Challenge pupil login. Please use competition IDs and omit unnecessary names where the paper format and accurate matching allow it. The school's retained name-to-ID key still means the records are personal data.

BMSAQ controls competition administration, marking and official records. The school controls selection, its own internal educational uses and its pupil-ID mapping, and must explain those uses to families. No blanket school consent is assumed for all BMSAQ activities. Schools must distribute the pupil notice and full privacy link before participation, ensure they have authority and an appropriate basis to share the minimum information, and contact BMSAQ with any concerns.

Optional long-term results accounts are separate from taking the Challenge. They may use only a username and password; they still contain personal information linked to results. Where parental authorisation is required, the school can help send a request to the parent but cannot automatically provide that authorisation instead. A genuinely school-managed account is treated under its documented school route. Marketing is for consenting or otherwise legally eligible adult professional contacts, never pupils.

Ask for access arrangements without sending diagnoses or medical reports. A school may confirm the adjustment required, such as extra time; even that information can be sensitive in context. BMSAQ will use minimum necessary details and must establish the additional legal condition if health information is involved. A pupil is not required to surrender unnecessary medical evidence to participate.

Detailed answers/scans are normally retained for 12 months after final results, minimal official score/certificate records for six years, and optional-account records while active, subject to the five-year inactivity closure policy and justified exceptions. Families can contact BMSAQ directly about their rights. Schools should assist rather than redirect every request back to the family. Ben verifies identity and parental authority proportionately and considers the child's interests.

Results are released under the Challenge's published schedule. Ask for human review of a suspected error. We do not promise an educational qualification or an exam-board credential. See the Challenge-specific description and rules for the product actually offered.

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