Data Protection Guidelines

The guidelines were developed by primary and post-primary management bodies with the assistance of the Department of Education and Skills and reviewed by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to:

Raise awareness generally about the importance for schools of data protection and particularly, the fundamental principles/rules underpinning the Data Protection Acts, 1988 and 2003

Provide an overview of key issues relating to data protection particularly relevant in a school context and assist schools in ensuring compliance with their obligations as ‘data controllers’ under data protection legislation

Provide useful guidance and templates on key issues of concern to schools e.g. retention of records etc.

Assist schools in how to conduct an audit of their collection, retention, updating, storage and accessing of personal data. A compliance checklist is provided to assist schools in undertaking a data protection audit. Click here to access the compliance checklist.

A compliance checklist is provided so that each school/ETB can prepare a relevant, meaningful, and up-to-date Data Protection Policy, supported by robust procedures which are regularly reviewed in line with best practice and good governance. A “To Do List” is also available to ensure that each school/ETB is aware of what needs to be done in their organisation. Click here to download the “To do list”.