A UK primary school received a £10,000 ICO fine after inappropriately sharing pupils' personal data for over three years, affecting 300+ children and families. Under UK GDPR, education providers face fines up to £17.5 million or 4% of annual turnover. When staff gathered records for a parent's access request, they discovered the child's data had been shared with twelve organisations over three years—without proper legal basis or parental knowledge. Sports clubs, tutoring services, external agencies—all receiving sensitive information through informal arrangements nobody documented. The multi-academy trust faced a £50,000 fine. Our GDPR UK Education course covers essential compliance requirements for education professionals.

The course covers children's enhanced protection (age 13 for digital consent, separate consent for promotional photography, best interests as primary consideration), personal data types from standard to special category (SEND information, medical conditions, safeguarding records), and legal bases with state schools relying on public task while independent schools use legitimate interests. Learners explore data retention schedules (pupil files 25 years from birth, SEND records until age 30, safeguarding records until age 25) requiring secure disposal, individual rights management with 30-day response timelines, and data sharing decisions balancing statutory obligations with protection. Interactive content includes comparison tools for state vs independent schools, hotspot data sharing scenarios, and breach response timelines.

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

CPD Certified