Data protection within schools is becoming increasingly important as technology continues to develop and evolve.
With nearly 7% of the estimated 65,000 attempted daily UK cyber attacks being successful, schools must be aware of how to protect the data of their students and staff, as well as how to provide a secure platform for learning in the digital age.
In this post, we’ll look at the importance of cyber security for education, how often a school should review its digital safety, and more.
Keep reading this guide to find out more.
What is Data Protection in Schools?
Data protection in schools is the process of ensuring that all data collected from students, staff, and other stakeholders are protected from unauthorised access or malicious attacks.
This includes implementing cybersecurity measures to prevent cyberattacks such as phishing, ransomware, and malware. It also involves creating processes to ensure that data stored in school systems follow data protection laws, such as the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR.
When creating a data protection plan for schools, it is essential that administrators review the safety measures regularly. Schools should not only consider how to protect data, but also how often should schools review digital safety.
Why is Data Protection Important in Schools?
Data protection within schools is important for a few reasons:
- To protect the data of students and teachers from being accessed by unauthorised persons.
- To maintain the security of school networks, as well as any connected devices and applications.
- To reduce cyber threats such as phishing, malware, and ransomware.
- To comply with data protection laws, such as the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR.
How Often Should Schools Review Digital Safety?
Given the highly sensitive nature of the data stored in school systems, schools should be reviewing their digital safety protocols on a highly regular basis.
Ensuring that every device has a firewall and antivirus protection installed, correctly configured, and running on the latest updates is an essential first step to keeping the personal and sensitive data of your school’s students and staff safe.
It’s recommended by the Department for Education (DfE) to conduct digital training updates for staff “at least annually”. The department’s Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2022 also recommends that “all staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training (including online safety) at induction”.
Reviewing data protection in schools is much more than just looking at and improving digital safety. Schools should also review their data protection policies to ensure that they remain in compliance with data protection laws, such as GDPR.
The frequency of digital safety reviews for schools will depend on the type of school and the security measures that are in place. Schools must take into account their particular cyber-risk assessment when creating a digital safety review schedule to ensure maximum protection for staff and students.
Do Schools Need a Data Protection Officer?
With digital safety protocols changing all the time, it’s essential that schools review their security measures on a regular basis. That’s why having a data protection officer (DPO), or better yet a Data Protection as a Service (DPaaS) provider, can be a great asset to any school.
A DPO is responsible for overseeing data protection within the school and making sure that data security protocols are being followed correctly. Additionally, they can provide guidance on how often should schools review digital safety as well as how to keep up to date with the latest data protection laws and regulations.
Although having a data protection officer for schools can be beneficial, DPaaS providers can offer schools much more value for money.
DPaaS providers, like Trust Hogen, bring a wealth of experience in data protection and will often advise how schools should review their digital safety protocols every year. They can offer tailored advice to ensure that data security measures are up to date, as well as providing access to the latest tools and resources that can help with data protection best practices.
In addition to this, they can help to create a data protection policy, which will outline how the school will handle any data breaches that occur and how to respond in the event of an incident.
Keep Your Data Secure With Trust Hogen
Thank you for reading our post about data protection within schools and how often schools should review digital safety.
As a DPaaS provider, Trust Hogen will be able to provide you with the necessary guidance and support to ensure that data protection measures in your school remain up to date.
To learn more about keeping your school’s personal data safe and secure, contact us today.