e-Safety and Data Protection (DPA 1998) go hand in hand; the increasing trend of 1 to 1 and bring your own device (BYOD) initiatives means that schools need to have an in-depth understanding of the technologies being used in the school, and to assess any risks with a view to mitigation.
BYOD in a school context often refers to the perspective of the student, however we must also remember that many schools allow staff to use their own technology. One of the weakest elements of any BYOD strategy I see is that of the policy which is vital to the correct governance of any initiative.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have recently released a BYOD guide; whilst not specifically aimed at schools it does give a good insight into their expectations if BYOD is something you are already doing, or are thinking of doing. Simplistically speaking if you do allow staff or students to use their own devices you need to ascertain whether there is any processing of personal information, or personal information held on the devices. For example are there any files with student data (e.g. name, date of birth etc). If so, at a minimum those devices should be encrypted.
The ICO guide can be found HERE – it is only 13 pages in size, but it is a good, concise and factual document which should form another element of your e-safety toolkit.