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'Data risk' at England's schools
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English school workers have been warned that their lax use of pupil information could lead to security risks and data loss. Sensitive information stored on computers and laptops are being downloaded to computer discs and other peripheral equipment and taken outside the school grounds on a regular basis, according to one new report. The study by RM School Management Solutions, which covered some 933 primary schools in England, found that 49 per cent of staff back up personal data to CDs, memory sticks and tape, and are "exposing them to theft" by taking them home at night. RM claims as many as two million children could be affected by this "lax" data security, with details on discs including names, addresses, contact details of parents and even attendance records. But RM general manager Paul Grubb explained that many staff did not know they were risking pupils' data. "Schools may be acting with the best intentions to preserve children's records and ensure information is kept up to date, but they risk breaching data protection guidelines by taking such risks with pupil data," he said. "Unfortunately the Data Protection Act isn't clear enough on this issue and so schools are interpreting it and making their own decisions." Azzurri is delivering flexible networks that give organisations agility and value for money.  |
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