Data security is a major topic for educational institutions such as schools, academies and MATs. With the increasing use of technology in classrooms and the storage of sensitive student information, schools must prioritise data security to protect their students and staff from potential threats. Schools store a vast amount of sensitive information, including student records, grades, health records and financial data. Any breach or unauthorised access to this data can have severe consequences, including identity theft and privacy violations. 

In this blog, we’re sharing 5 key resources for better understanding data security in schools. Data collection, storage, usage and management is essential to the running of a school, but can be complex and difficult in practice. At Novatia, we understand the role of data in the education sector and how important it is to not only have a clear grasp of the main principles, but also how to utilise it and build effective data strategies. To assist educators, whether senior leaders or teachers, we’ve compiled the resources we believe can provide a comprehensive understanding of education data security.

 

1. Data Protection In Schools Toolkit

The Department For Education has shared this toolkit that covers the policies and processes schools and trusts need to protect personal data, as well as how to respond effectively to a data breach. The information is up-to-date and continues to be updated when required. It is aimed at school staff, governors and trustees, helping them to gain a better understanding of complicated data laws and regulations, how to comply, which data should be kept and managed, and how to develop their own data policies. The toolkit can be found here.

As well as this, the DfE have recently published ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023’. This 178 page document provides a comprehensive overview of risks to children safety, covering all aspects of safeguarding, rather than data specifically. With that being said, the publication does discuss how student data should be stored and managed in relation to safeguarding, ensuring schools keep within compliance of the likes of UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. It is available to download for free here.

 

2. A Blueprint For Education Data

The Digital Futures Commission is an independent initiative dedicated to keeping children's rights and interests safe within the digital environment. It was established in 2020 by 5Rights Foundation, a global children's rights organisation. The Commission brings together a diverse group of experts from academia, civil society, government, and the technology industry to work on a range of issues related to children's rights in the digital age. 

Their publication ‘A Blueprint For Education Data’ is a 32 page document that outlines the processing of children’s data by EdTech in UK schools, including best practices. It first explores the basic principles of data in education, priorities of education data governance and details the existing frameworks, before going into detail on data accessibility, compliance and the role of the government and other bodies. This blueprint goes into detail and explores some complex matters in education data, and it acts as a nice follow-on piece from the previous resources. Download the resource for free here.

 

3. Novatia Note 23 - Data Audit & Reviews (MAT Focus)

At Novatia, we have published numerous resources aimed at schools, academies and MATs to give their senior leaders and decision-makers the necessary information on a range of IT or EdTech topics. Novatia Note 23 focuses on our data audit service, highlighting the main steps of the process and why they’re so important. 

Data audits serve multiple purposes including ensuring compliance with data protection laws, evaluating data handling procedures from collection to disposal, pinpointing security vulnerabilities and establishing accountability for data management. They’re highly important for not only protecting data, but getting the most use out of it. Novatia Note 23 breaks down what a data audit is, when to carry out a data audit, the four phases we use when executing an audit, how the results are presented and what comes next. It can be downloaded here. 

 

4. Cyber Security Toolkit (Senior Leader Focus)

Created and published by the National Cyber Security Centre, the Board Toolkit exists to provide senior leaders and board members within the education sector an overview of cyber security and the crucial role it plays in protecting data. The toolkit emphasises the importance of board involvement in cyber security, offering benefits such as informed investment prioritisation, enhanced trust with stakeholders, regulatory data compliance efficiency, and identification of critical business areas for data protection. The full toolkit is available to download from here.

 

5. ICO School Resource Pack (Student Focus)

A different type of resource, the Information Commissioner's Office has created a classroom pack designed to help educators teach young students about data security. The primary school pack teaches students about their own data and the importance of protecting it, including worksheets for them to complete and slide decks for teachers to use and present. As well as senior teams and staff having the necessary data knowledge, it's important that students are given the opportunity to learn about its importance as well, especially in a day and age where digital will play a big part in their lives. The full pack for primary schools can be downloaded here.

 

Discover More

Online courses and training programmes may involve greater investment in both time and money, but can offer highly valuable information delivered first hand from industry experts. They can be an excellent choice for helping to educate school staff on data security, offering programmes that are often flexible and designed to be delivered around core teaching hours.

Another useful way to discover more on data security is to join professional associations and networks dedicated to data security in the education sector, such as DfE and NCSC, that can provide schools with access to a wealth of expertise via conferences, webinars, newsletters and workshops where school administrators and IT professionals can learn from industry leaders and share experiences. 

 

Conclusion

Data security in schools is of utmost importance in today's technology-driven world. By understanding the basics and leveraging key resources, schools can enhance their knowledge and implement effective data security measures. For schools that require additional support and expertise, we can help. Our data security services offer a comprehensive range of areas, including risk assessments, security audits, incident response planning, and ongoing monitoring. 

We specialise in education IT, offering a range of services including data audits and strategies. We can tailor our services to meet the unique needs and challenges faced by individual schools and MATs, where findings from these audits can help you to develop a targeted action plan to strengthen your data security measures. Chris Clarke, Director of IT & Data at The Kemnal Academies Trust, had this to say about our data audit:

“The comprehensive data audit has given us clear oversight of the dataflows across all our schools and led to the development of a coherent data strategy that will drive forward the decisions we make as an integrated Trust. Working collaboratively with Novatia has supported our Trust strategy at every step, giving a Shared Voice for stakeholders from every level of the organisation.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about our work or how we can help you, contact us here and a member of our team will be in touch. 

 
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