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Data Protection Guidance
for Schools
Data Protection Guidance:
Toolkit for Schools
Schools in the UK handle large volumes of sensitive information about students, parents, and staff. Ensuring compliance with the GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act is essential to protect this data and avoid costly breaches.
Our GDPR services for schools are designed to help educational institutions strengthen data security, meet legal requirements, and build trust with their communities.
Partnering with CDS ensures that your school has the right policies, training, frameworks and systems in place. This not only helps you meet your legal obligations but also promotes ethical and responsible data practices that benefit the entire school community.
By implementing GDPR and UK DPA compliance practices, schools can:
Safeguard personal data against breaches and unauthorised access
Protect students’ and staff members’ rights through transparent data handling
Establish clear policies for data retention and secure information sharing
Demonstrate accountability to parents, governors, and regulators
Improve overall data management processes across the organisation
Understanding Data Protection Compliance
Within a school, there are all sorts of job roles that utilise personal data for a variety of reasons. Some staff will be responsible for ensuring they simply use it responsibly, others will be making significant decisions about what data is used, how it is processed and stored and who it is shared with and how. As such, it is likely that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to staff training will not work.
Top Tip
Link data protection to safeguarding children (and child protection) when trying to get people engaged. In this way, all staff see that data protection matters in the 12 context of pupil welfare. However, the rights of individuals are also key and start people thinking about gaps in current practice
GDPR Action Plan
The GDPR action plan holds paramount benefits for schools. It establishes a robust framework to safeguard sensitive data, showcasing the institution’s dedication to data security and regulatory adherence. The plan delineates meticulous procedures for collecting, processing, and storing personal information, thereby curbing the potential for breaches and legal repercussions.
Through systematic risk assessments, vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated, heightening the overall effectiveness of data management and reducing operational disruptions. Equally vital, the action plan fosters a culture of data consciousness among staff, students, and stakeholders, promoting vigilant handling of information.
By bolstering compliance with GDPR requirements, the action plan not only fortifies data protection but also cultivates trust, ensuring the school’s reputation remains untarnished while consistently upholding the integrity of data practices.
Top Tip
Make sure the people who will be using the information are consulted on the practical implications. Consider the potential future uses of the information collected, even if it is not immediately necessary.
Information Asset Register
Data Protection Officers assist organisations to monitor internal compliance. They inform and advise senior leadership and the pastoral team on your data protection obligations. By providing advice regarding Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) they also act as a contact point for data subjects and the supervisory authority the ICO.
The DPO must be independent, adequately resourced and report to the highest management level.
Our DPO team are qualified and experienced in data protection implementation in schools.
Top Tip
We provide a FREE no obligation quotation specific to your individual needs. Get in touch now — available 9am to 5pm.
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is crucial in schools to assess cybersecurity defenses. It identifies vulnerabilities in networks, systems, and applications, preventing potential breaches. By proactively uncovering weaknesses, schools can bolster their security measures, protect sensitive data, and ensure a safe digital learning environment for students and staff.
Our penetration tests will provide your school with:
- A ranked list of identified vulnerabilities in priority order (point in time analysis)
- The likelihood and probability of the exploitation of your current vulnerabilities
- A series of actions or mitigating steps to resolve or reduce the vulnerability
Internal Penetration Test – This type of tests is designed to simulate attacks to internal systems and networks as if performed by a malicious insider or an external attacker who has already successfully penetrated the perimeter defences.
External Penetration Test – Our testers will mimic the behaviour of a hacker. We aim is to identify and exploit vulnerabilities found in the external facing systems and services, such as email servers and remote access terminals.
Web Application Penetration Test – These tests are aimed at individual web applications to assess the security level and posture of the web application itself.
Vulnerability scanning – Great for regular and systematic testing. Low-cost high frequency testing to inspect the potential points of exploit on a computer network to identify areas of concern. A vulnerability scan detects and classifies weaknesses in a network and predicts the effectiveness of countermeasures that we put in place to prevent a malicious attack.
downloads
We have created a downloadable documentation which may be used as an informal guide. This means that while Compliance Direct Solutions Ltd are confident the document is factually correct and adds value in achieving its aims of supporting schools to better manage data protection, please don’t use it to make a business decision without prior consultation. We will maintain it as a ‘living document’ which can be updated continually to accommodate relevant changes within the UK Data Protection Act 2018 & GDPR.
With this document CDS advise that you:
- Implement annual external consultant led impartial data protection audits
- Have a single point of contact (Data Protection Officer)
- Keep & maintain an audit trail of all data protection compliance measures & safeguards.
- Always check this page for the latest version of the document.