The 73-page resource aims to assist schools in meeting their data protection obligations when processing the personal data of children.

As part of its engagement with the education sector through its complaint-handling and consultation functions, the DPC identified a number of areas which schools, as a sector, appear to be finding challenging from a data protection compliance perspective.

In 2023, the DPC consulted with a number of organisations in the education sector in order to gain a clearer picture of the specific concerns and challenges faced by schools.

Taking this feedback into account, the DPC commenced work on its toolkit, which covers:

• a detailed guidance piece on different aspects of data protection law in the specific context of schools;
• an FAQ section containing answers to questions commonly received by the DPC from the education sector; and
• an appendix containing three helpful resources for schools, namely:
  • a sample template for Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs);
  • an infographic on what information to include in a Privacy Policy; and
  • a “checklist” for schools on how to respond to a Subject Access Request (SAR).

The DPC hopes this guidance will be of assistance to schools, and is welcoming feedback from data controllers in this sector until 31 January 2025.

Data protection commissioners Des Hogan and Dale Sunderland said: “The DPC acknowledges the challenges faced by schools and is committed to assisting them in achieving compliance with their data protection obligations.

“This toolkit is the first step in helping schools to raise the standards of data protection afforded to children and DPC intends to continue its engagement with the sector in the coming months and years.”