General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

TThe law has changed and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) came into effect on 25th May 2018. It has brought higher standards for handling data and greater expectations for improved transparency, enhanced data security and increased accountability for processing personal data. Schools have a legal duty to comply with the GDPR.

Following Brexit, Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is retained EU law and known as UK GDPR. The UK GDPR sits alongside an amended version of the Data Protection Act 2018 that relate to general personal data processing, powers of the Information Commissioner and sanctions and enforcement. The GDPR as it continues to apply in the EU is known as EU GDPR.

UK GDPR replaced the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA 1998) and set to strengthen and unify all data held within an organisation. For schools, UK GDPR brings a responsibility to inform parents and stakeholders about how they are using pupils’ data and who it is being used by.

What does UK GDPR mean for schools?

A great deal of the processing of personal data undertaken by schools will fall under a specific legal basis, ‘in the public interest’. As it is in the public interest to operate schools successfully, it will mean that specific consent will not be needed in the majority of cases in schools.

UK GDPR ensures data is protected and gives individuals more control over their data, however this means schools will have accountability for the data:

Under UK GDPR, consent must be explicitly given to anything that isn’t within the normal business of the school, especially if it involves a third party managing the data. Parents (or the pupil themselves depending on their age) must express consent for their child’s data to be used outside of the normal business of the school.

Schools must have a Data Protection Officer and be able to prove that they are UK GDPR compliant (details below).
Schools must ensure that their third party suppliers who may process any of their data is UK GDPR compliant and must have legally binding contracts with any company that processes any personal data. These contracts must cover what data is being processed, who it is being processed by, who has access to it and how it is protected.
It is compulsory that all data breaches which are likely to have a detrimental effect on the data subject are reported to the ICO within 72 hours.

Please see below further information and policies relating to UK GDPR within school.

Data Protection Officer

The Data Protection Officer is responsible for overseeing data protection within the School. Should you have any questions, concerns or queries please contact them on the following information: -

Data Protection Officer: Judicium Consulting Limited
Address: 5^th Floor, 98 Theobalds Road, London, WC1X 8WB
Email: dataservices@judicium.com
Web: www.judiciumeducation.co.uk
Telephone: 0345 548 7000 (Option 1, then 1)