compliance Archives - GDPR Sentry

Data Protection in Education: Bringing the Principles to Life in Everyday Practice

Tanya Taylor — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:47:10 +0000

If you’ve worked in education for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced the moment. You’re halfway through a busy day. A colleague asks for some pupil information, a parent requests access to records, an email lands containing sensitive details, and somewhere in the background sits that annual data protection training that you vaguely remember […]

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Consent: The Most Misunderstood Concept in Data Protection?

Tanya Taylor — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:02:24 +0000

When conversations turn to data protection in schools and colleges, one word tends to appear more than any other: consent. For many educators, consent can feel like the default answer to any question involving personal data. Yet one of the most surprising aspects of data protection law is that consent is often not the most […]

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When Your Year 8 Pupil Becomes a Data Point: Navigating AI, EdTech and Social Media in Schools

Tanya Taylor — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:42:57 +0000

Not so long ago, a teacher’s biggest technology concern was whether the interactive whiteboard would cooperate before Period 1. Today, we’re juggling AI-powered learning platforms, educational apps, social media, personalised learning algorithms, digital portfolios, and enough login credentials to make a cybersecurity expert break into a cold sweat. It’s exciting. It’s innovative. It’s transformative. It’s […]

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When the Police Come Knocking: Handling Requests for Information in Schools

Tanya Taylor — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 12:54:10 +0000

Picture the scene: you’re juggling emails, safeguarding logs, and the eternal mystery of the staffroom milk, when someone appears at reception. It’s not Ofsted. It’s not a parent. It’s a police officer with a calm but direct request: “We’d like to see the CCTV from Tuesday afternoon. Also, we need some information about one of […]

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Sharing is Caring… But Only With the Right Paperwork

Tanya Taylor — Wed, 13 May 2026 10:26:31 +0000

Walk into any staffroom and you’ll find no shortage of conversations about pupils, lesson planning, or whether the photocopier is plotting against humanity. But lately, one topic has been surfacing with a frequency that rivals debates over whose turn it is to make tea: data sharing. A teacher might quietly lean over and ask, “Can […]

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Safeguarding vs. Privacy: Finding the Balance

Tanya Taylor — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:46:48 +0000

If you’ve ever hesitated before hitting “send” on an email about a student concern, you’re not alone. For educators, the tension between safeguarding responsibilities and privacy rights, especially under GDPR, is a daily challenge. We want to protect our pupils, but we also need to protect their personal data. So how do we walk that […]

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“Lock It, Mask It, Stash It… and Then Some” – Everyday Data Protection Habits

Tanya Taylor — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:00:21 +0000

Let’s be honest: GDPR isn’t the most thrilling part of your job. It’s not going to earn you a gold star or a round of applause in the staffroom. But it will keep your school safe, your students protected, and your inbox free from the dreaded “URGENT: Possible Data Breach” email. So if you’re an […]

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Dear Educators, Meet the UK’s Cyber Bill

Tanya Taylor — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:06:17 +0000

Educators often hear the terms information management and information security tossed around like interchangeable buzzwords. Spoiler alert: they’re not the same. Information management is about how data is handled, stored, and shared responsibly; information security is about keeping that data safe from prying eyes and malicious actors. But here’s the kicker – you can’t have […]

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Is It in Your Interest? Understanding Legitimate Interests in the Age of Data Reform

Tanya Taylor — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 09:29:52 +0000

Following on from our post around lawful basis in September, let’s dive in with a deeper look at legitimate interests. You’re sitting at your desk, reviewing your school’s privacy notice, and there it is again: “We process personal data where necessary for our legitimate interests.” It’s a phrase you’ve seen in countless templates, DPIAs, […]

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DPIAs: The Devil is in the Details

Tanya Taylor — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:24:08 +0000

Let me start with a little story. Picture this: a well-meaning school rolls out a shiny new classroom app. It promises real-time behaviour tracking, AI-generated performance reports, and parental push notifications. Everything’s going swimmingly until a parent complains. Loudly. They’re uncomfortable with how much data the app’s collecting on their child. A few emails later, […]

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