Black and grey background with white visitor badge with black text: Visitor and Data Protection Education logo on the badge.  How to verify it white text. Visitors in blue text on an orange background.

How to verify visitors the right way

✅🔍 We visit a lot of schools and have a lot of conversations about documentation we are asked to provide as new and returning visitors to organisations. Sometimes we don't agree with what the organisation is asking for, so we thought we'd give some clarification about regulatory requirements.

Read more …

blue text a quick guide to: AI in black text. Blue robot dog. Data Protection education logo

Short Guide to AI Video

🎥🤖  Some of the organisations we are talking to are a little confused about AI, whether they should use it and if their staff already are using it or not.  We've put together a short video explaining the different types of AI, the risks and how you should start documenting your use.

Read more …

Safer Internet Day official art work, coloured orange and blue text: Safer Internet Day, Cyber Security, Data Protection. Data Protection Education logo

Safer Internet Day, Cyber Security & Data Protection

🛡️🔒We couldn't get through today without mentioning it's Safer Internet Day today (11th February).  And while we don't need a special day to talk about being safe online, cyber security and data protection, we welcome any chance to highlight how important they all are.

Read more …

New ICO data protection fees

New Data Protection Fees

Using a statutory instrument on Jan 27th 2025, the Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has increased the data protection fees to be paid by data controllers.
Tier 1 (micro organisations) from £40 to £52; Tier 2 (small and medium organisations) from £60 to £78; Tier 3 (large organisations) from £2,900 to £3,763. This change will come in from February 27th 2025 and will be charged when your payment is next due.

A reminder for

Read more …

WhatsApp icon on a mobile phone, blue text of Freedom of Information. Data Protection Education logo

WhatsApp and FOI's: ICO Warnings

📲💬 We come across many organisations using WhatsApp as a communication tool with staff regularly and have previously highlighted some of the risks.  The ICO have recently published information about a case where WhatsApp messages had to be included in a Freedom of Information Request.

Read more …

AI generated image of a key hole overlayed by a finger print on a cyber background. Data protection education logo on the bottom right of the image

The role of Passkeys in Cyber Resilience and Cyber Security

🗝️🛡️ In a world where cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, protecting sensitive information and user accounts has never been more critical. Traditional passwords are rapidly being replaced by a more advanced and secure solution: passkeys. This article explores the benefits of passkeys, their role in preventing cyber attacks, and what to do if a system does not yet support them.

Read more …

photo of a robot hand choosing a Data Protection Education candidate from four photos, of two ladies and two men

ICO report on AI tools in recruitment

🤖🤖 The ICO recently published an overview reports about the use of AI tools in recruitment processes.  While it was recognised that it can offer benefits to employers, it recognises their use can also lead to risks for people and their privacy and information rights.

Read more …

Photos of early years children on an orange background. Early Years settings in blue text. Data Protection and Cyber security in white text. Data Protection Education logo and website address: www.dataprotection.education

Early Years Settings and Cyber Security

🧸 🚼 As digital technology continues to increase in our educational settings, Early Years settings are increasingly integrating digital tools into their operations.  While this might enhance efficiency and communication, it also raises concerns and challenges about cyber security and data protection.

Read more …

  1. SLT Digital Lead Profile
  2. Ransomware-Resistant Backups
  3. The role of governors in cyber security and data protection
  4. DfE Digital Standards Webinars 2025
  5. Navigating Privacy at the End of Term , Special Occasions and End of Year
  6. Effectively communicating during a cyber incident
  7. Contracts Register
  8. South East Technological University has experienced a cyber incident
  9. Safeguarding Identity in Microsoft 365: Protecting the UK Education Sector Against Cyber Threats
  10. DfE Digital Standards Autumn Update
  11. The importance of knowing how to access your CCTV footage!
  12. Cyber Attack on a Special School
  13. Stealing children's data
  14. What is dark data? (and why does it matter?)
  15. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 31. On the road to cyber essentials
  16. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 24. Backups
  17. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 30. Support
  18. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 29. Admin controls
  19. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 28. Phishing
  20. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 27. Passwords
  21. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 26. Physical Security
  22. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 25. Server Security
  23. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 23. Filtering and Monitoring
  24. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 22. Hardware: Printers
  25. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 21. Hardware: Asset Control
  26. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 20. Hardware: Safe disposal
  27. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 19. Anti-virus/anti-malware
  28. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 18. Regular Updates
  29. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 17. Access Control (Users)
  30. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 16. Access Control (Wi-Fi/Network access)
  31. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 15. Access Control (working from home/off site)
  32. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 14. Access Control (MFA)
  33. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 13. Awareness
  34. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 12. Training
  35. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 11. Policies and Procedures
  36. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 10. Assess where you are with cyber security
  37. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 9. A guide for education providers
  38. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 8. How can your organisation prevent Ransomware attacks?
  39. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 7. What does a Ransomware attack on a school look like?
  40. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 6. Cyber Action Plan
  41. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 5. Responsibilities
  42. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 4. What to do in a cyber attack
  43. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 3. Data Security
  44. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 2. Privacy Protection
  45. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month: 1. Why is cyber security important?
  46. Ofqual highlights the value of cyber security training in schools
  47. Searching for data when you receive a Subject Access Request
  48. Fylde Coast Academy Trust Cyber Attack This Week
  49. Calling all IT leads in schools and mult academy trusts!
  50. Ransomware cyber attack on a school in Bromley
  51. Join Our Social Media Family!
  52. School hit by Cyber Attack
  53. New Academic Year Kick-Off!
  54. New e-learning for 2024
  55. Cyber Security Best Practice Area
  56. DfE Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges Tracker
  57. New Policies, Documents, Letters and Posters page
  58. Schools and Trusts Best Practice Area
  59. The DPE Retention Schedule
  60. Making the Rounds Update (now includes reporting)
  61. ESFA Cyber Essentials Requirement for Colleges from 2024/2025
  62. ICO Reprimands a School
  63. How does the recent global IT outage affect me?
  64. King's speech introduces new bills in relation to cyber security, smart data and digital information
  65. Navigating Privacy at the End of Term , Special Occasions and End of Year
  66. Out of date technology
  67. Data Retention and the Pupil File
  68. Have you assigned your SLT Digital Lead yet?
  69. What's a Cyber Incident and what should we do?
  70. Getting Started with AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  71. Cyber attack on a school during half term
  72. Free short cyber training for staff
  73. UPDATE: The Upcoming Election and The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
  74. Update to the DfE Digital Cyber Security Standards for Schools and Colleges (May 2024)
  75. The rise of cyber attacks in schools are causing pupils to miss classes
  76. ICO: Learning from the mistakes of others report
  77. Children's mental health data leaked after a cyber attack
  78. Cyber attack on a Trust; the aftermath
  79. School Focus: The Vale Federation | Aylesbury
  80. DfE Dealing with Subject Access Requests (SARs) Guidance
  81. Update to the Guidance on Information Sharing from the DfE
  82. Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 (Education Institutions)
  83. Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 (Businesses and Charities)
  84. FOI Requests generated by Artificial Intelligence
  85. Social Media Best Practice Area
  86. Lettings Best Practice Area
  87. Appropriate filtering and monitoring definitions
  88. MFA Bombing - What is it?
  89. Protecting your Social Media Accounts
  90. Why we recommend using checklists
  91. Product Focus on Checklists : Initial Trust Plan
  92. Product Focus on Checklists : End of Term Checklist
  93. Product Focus on Checklists : Information and Cyber Security
  94. Product Focus on Checklists : Social Media
  95. Cyber Incident Review: The Benefits
  96. Product Focus on Checklists : Lettings
  97. Product Focus on Checklists : Record of Processing
  98. Milk Island: The secret location that allows children to view restricted content on Google Maps
  99. Why Data Should Stay Put: Benefits of Keeping Data in Its Original System
  100. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Retention and Destruction
  101. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Migration
  102. Product Focus on Checklists : Biometrics
  103. Product Focus on Checklists : Supplier Due Diligence
  104. Free Cyber help, advice and training with the Cyber Resilience Centres
  105. The Perils of Paper: The Printing Vulnerability
  106. Product Focus on Checklists : FOI
  107. Product Focus on Checklists : Governors and Data
  108. Product Focus on Checklists : DPIA
  109. Product Focus on Checklists : Site Moves
  110. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Breaches
  111. Product Focus on Checklists : Subject Access Requests
  112. Cyber attack on a University
  113. Product Focus on Checklists : Bring your own device
  114. Product Focus on Checklists : Working out of school/offsite
  115. Cyber Attack on a School
  116. Product Focus on Checklists : Redaction
  117. Major cyber-criminal gang Lockbit brought down by UK Law Enforcement
  118. Why Due Diligence is Important: Fake apps
  119. Product Focus on Checklists : CCTV
  120. Product Focus on Checklists : Clear desk
  121. Product Focus on Checklists : Commitment to compliance
  122. Product Focus on Checklists : Photos and video
  123. Product Focus on Checklists : Passwords
  124. Product Focus on Checklists : Information Classification
  125. Safer Internet Day 2024
  126. Kent Councils Data Breach
  127. Free cyber training for staff
  128. DfE Digital Standards Update
  129. The Mother of all Breaches
  130. ClassCharts Possible Data Breach
  131. Where is your data stored?
  132. IAPP looks at AI privacy risks
  133. If you suspect a financial scam .....
  134. Guardians of Privacy: 16. Social Media Checklist
  135. Guardians of Privacy: 15. Navigating Social Media in Educational Settings Summary
  136. Guardians of Privacy: 14. Social Media and Cyber Bullying
  137. Guardians of Privacy: 13. Social Media, Copyright and Intellectual Property
  138. Guardians of Privacy: 12. Social Media and Going Viral
  139. Guardians of Privacy: 11. Staff Social Media Accounts
  140. Guardians of Privacy: 10. Social Media and Cookies
  141. Guardians of Privacy: 9. Social Media and Morality
  142. New Resources for Schools from the ICO
  143. Guardians of Privacy: 8. Social Media Policies
  144. Guardians of Privacy: 7. Social Media Data Retention
  145. Guardians of Privacy: 6. Posting Safely
  146. Guardians of Privacy: 5. Social Media and Consent
  147. Guardians of Privacy: 4. Social Media Access Control
  148. Guardians of Privacy: 3. Social Media Channels
  149. Guardians of Privacy: 2. Law and Regulations
  150. Guardians of Privacy: 1. Social media, privacy and children
  151. Latest ICO Reprimand. Mr. S. Claus, Chief Executive Officer, North Pole Enterprises
  152. Phishing attacks targeting schools - alert from City of London Police
  153. The Data Protection And Digital Information Bill (DPADI)
  154. The ICO reprimands a Multi Academy Trust
  155. KCSIE: Filtering, Monitoring and Privacy
  156. Guidance for the use of school email and applying email retention in schools
  157. CISA and UK NCSC Announce Joint Guidelines for Secure AI System Development
  158. Data Protection Tips for Early Years Settings
  159. Children's Privacy around the world is a puzzle
  160. Trust Initial Plan Checklist Update
  161. Update on Advisory for Rhysida Ransomware
  162. Records Management Best Practice Update
  163. Governors and Data Best Practice Area Update
  164. The Crime in a Cyber Attack and a Data Breach
  165. What do I need to redact?
  166. NCSC Annual Review is published for 2023
  167. Learning from Data Breaches
  168. Windows 11 security ineffective against attacks on old devices
  169. Trust Initial Plan for Data Protection Compliance (for Multi Academy Trusts)
  170. International Counter Ransomware Initiative 2023 Joint Statement
  171. Google for Education Resources: Helping IT Admins meet DfE digital and technology standards
  172. Resistant Cloud Backups
  173. Top Ten Cyber Security Misconfigurations
  174. Lettings Best Practice and Guidance
  175. ICO Reprimand: company suffered a ransomware attack
  176. The UK Online Safety Bill becomes an Act (Law)
  177. Considerations when migrating to a new MIS
  178. The importance of software updates (PaperCut vulnerability and Rhysida ransomware)
  179. Public bodies and sensitive data
  180. Adding offline bulk training using the Certificates function
  181. Ransomware, extortion and the cyber crime ecosystem
  182. Get a DPE Badge for your website!
  183. ICO: 10 Step guide to sharing information to safeguard children
  184. Schools under Cyber Attack: September 2023
  185. Cyber Resource: The Cyber Resilience Centre Group
  186. Email and Security: ICO recent guidance
  187. Help after a Cyber Attack/Incident
  188. Social Media Policy
  189. Data Protection and Cyber Security (Inset Day) Training Ideas
  190. Changes to Microsoft Free Licensing for Schools
  191. What to do in the event of a Cyber Attack
  192. Cyber Crime: AI Generated Phishing Attacks
  193. Handling Freedom of Information Requests the right way
  194. Cyber Attack: Exam Boards
  195. VICE SOCIETY - Ransomware attacks on schools
  196. Using Tags if you are a group of organisations in the DPE Knowledge Bank
  197. Where's Harry the Hacker?
  198. Be Cyber Aware: USB Sticks
  199. Cyber Insurance in the Public Sector
  200. Types of Cyber Attacks: DDos Attack (Microsoft DDoS Attack in June)
  201. Cyber Attack: Manchester University
  202. Cyber Attack: Leytonstone School
  203. The ICO Reprimands a school
  204. Be Cyber Aware: Firewalls
  205. Subject Access Requests (SARs)
  206. Be Cyber Aware: Cyber attacks and transparency. A no blame culture
  207. Cyber Attack: Dorchester School
  208. Knowledge Bank Role Types: Admin, Staff and Trustee
  209. Types of Cyber Attacks: Password Attacks
  210. Be Cyber Aware: Why regular software updates are important
  211. Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023
  212. Cyber Attack: Wiltshire School
  213. Keeping your IT systems safe and secure
  214. Types of Cyber Attacks: DDoS Attacks
  215. Types of Cyber Attacks: Phishing
  216. Types of Cyber Attacks: The Insider Threat
  217. Why your data is profitable to cyber criminals
  218. Using WhatsApp in Schools
  219. The Changes to Data Protection in the UK
  220. Knowledge Bank Updates
  221. Types of malware and how they are linked to data protection
  222. Striking Data Breach
  223. Windows Server 2012 & 2012 R2 Retirement
  224. How to contact us for support, subject access requests, data breaches and FOI's
  225. YouTube breached child protection laws
  226. How a school fought back after a cyberattack
  227. Types of Cyber Attacks - Credential Stuffing
  228. January Cyber update - How Can Schools Help Prevent Cyber Attacks?
  229. End of Windows 8.1 Support
  230. Assigning courses to staff using to-dos
  231. How the Record of Processing Can Help You
  232. Information Security Basics: What are VPN's?
  233. What does a Data Protection Officer Do?
  234. Are you ready for a Data Breach?
  235. Blog: Best Practice on the Retention of Child Protection Information
  236. Carrying out Supplier Due Diligence
  237. Email and retention periods
  238. How Long Should You Keep Personal Data For?
  239. The Education sector now at highest risk of cyber attacks
  240. How to Assess your Data Security
  241. Schools Blocked from Using Facial Recognition Systems
  242. Sharing this year’s Nativity play online
  243. The Children's Code
  244. Recording vaccination of staff
  245. B&H FoI: Racist/religious incidents/bullying
  246. Cyber Attacks
  247. Protocol for Setting Up and Delivery of Online Teaching and Learning
  248. Class Dojo International Data Sharing
  249. Model Publication Scheme: Amendments, Improvements and Updates
  250. Child friendly privacy notices
  251. Transparency
  252. Parents and students covertly recording conversations
  253. SAR? ER? FOI?
  254. Secure file transfer of files using Royal Mail
  255. Emergency contacts and consent
  256. Key elements of a successful DPIA
  257. FOI Publication Schemes
  258. SHARE: Avoid disinformation online
  259. Best Practice for Managing Photos and Video
  260. New Drip Feeds: Recognise and Respond to Subject Access Request
  261. When to contact the Data Protection Officer?
  262. National child measurement programme
  263. Make sure DPE is your registered DPO with the ICO
  264. Compliance Manager released
  265. Headteacher fined for breach of data protection legislation
  266. Emails – good practice and minimising the risk of a data breach

Search