GDPR for Schools

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a critical law that schools and trusts must understand and comply with.

Data protection for schools

GDPR helps protect personal data, ensuring that students, staff, and their families have control over how their information is used.

In simple terms, GDPR is all about respecting privacy and safeguarding sensitive information.

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Why is GDPR for schools important?

GDPR is designed to protect personal data from misuse and ensure that information is stored, handled, and shared responsibly. For schools, this means that every piece of personal data — from students’ names and addresses to staff employment records — must be processed legally, securely, and transparently. With data breaches and privacy violations making headlines, it’s more important than ever that schools manage data responsibly.

Schools need to take GDPR seriously because failing to comply could result in heavy fines or reputational damage. Whether you’re a headteacher, school governor, or part of a multi-academy trust, understanding and implementing GDPR practices will help protect your school and its community.

What schools need to know

By adopting good data protection practices, schools can ensure they’re not only complying with the law but also building trust with their staff, students, and parents. GDPR helps protect privacy, reduce the risk of data breaches, and promotes transparency in how schools handle personal data.

Schools should consider a few aspects to ensure they’re in line with GDPR expectations.

Data protection responsibilities

Schools are responsible for safeguarding the personal data they collect. This includes data from students, staff, and parents. The law sets out clear guidelines on how to process this information securely, how long it should be kept, and when it should be deleted.

Data Protection Officers (DPOs)

Most schools should have a designated Data Protection Officer (DPO). This person helps ensure the school complies with GDPR and offers advice on how to handle data appropriately. If your school doesn’t have a DPO, they should appoint someone with the expertise to manage data protection.

Data handling practices

The types of personal data that schools collect — from attendance records to health information — must only be used for legitimate purposes. It’s essential that schools have policies in place that explain how data is collected, stored, and shared, and ensure that only necessary information is held.

Consent and rights

In many cases, schools need to obtain consent from parents or guardians when processing certain types of data, such as for photography or sharing personal information with third parties. Additionally, students and parents have rights under GDPR, including the right to access data (Subject Access Requests) and to ask for corrections or deletions of data when necessary.

Managing data breaches

Schools must have procedures in place to handle data breaches. If personal data is lost or exposed, the school needs to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours if the breach is serious enough.

Data retention

Schools must keep records of personal data only as long as necessary. A data retention policy can help identify what information needs to be kept and for how long, ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of storing outdated or unnecessary data.

Find out more about data protection for schools

To find more information and resources to help you understand GDPR and data protection in general from a school perspective, visit gov.uk/guidance/data-protection-in-schools

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