Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of visiting Woodgate Primary School, one of my subscription clients, in order to undertake an information governance health check. These health checks are something that I carry out on a regular basis, in order to assess how robust a school's GDPR compliance level is.
I have to say that this is definitely one of the most impressive schools that I have assessed to date. I was very impressed with the paperwork that has been compiled by Steph Duddy, the office manager. The consent forms in particular are a perfect example of how these can be made clear, concise and easy to complete. I asked Steph if she would be willing to share her work as examples of good practice and she was happy to do so for, which I give my thanks.
I also walked the site in order to check whether there was anything on display that could give cause for concern. Again, I was really pleased to find that there was nothing around the school which displayed unnecessary or inappropriate personal data. I undertake here these walks quite regularly and there are usually at least one or two things I pick up so it really was a first not to identify any risks!
The main point I want to make is that GDPR compliance relies on the efforts of all staff members, including the senior leadership team and governing body. It is clear from talking to Deb Colley, the head teacher, and Neil Malin, the business manager, and Steph herself that it is a case of everyone playing their part.
I don't often write about individuals or individual schools but I felt this was a good opportunity both to congratulate a school on good work and to show others that the task of GDPR compliance is not as onerous as they may think. It does require a significant amount of work but it is achievable and worthwhile!