Bringing together Data Protection Ambassadors from across the Trust, colleagues took part in a day of learning and collaboration, focusing on safeguarding data in education.

The event featured a keynote address from two representatives from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), who set the tone for the day with insights into the ever-changing landscape of data protection in schools.

In the afternoon, colleagues took part in a hands-on workshop led by the Education Data Hub, tackling real-world challenges such as Subject Access Requests (SARs), redaction techniques and practical compliance strategies.

Tammy Pszksy, Head of Data Protection at Co-op Academies Trust, said: “The conference went really well. It’s the first time we’ve held an event like this, so I wasn’t sure how much interest there would be. But attendance was extremely positive, we had representation from almost all of our academies, not just from Data Ambassadors, but also headteachers and colleagues who simply had an interest in learning more.

“Feedback has been fantastic. Even ambassadors who have been working in data protection for years said they learned something new. 

“Data protection isn’t a black-and-white issue, so it was brilliant to hear colleagues exploring those grey areas, debating their approaches, and building networks across the Trust.”

“Thank you for organising today,” said Paul Faulkner, Data Protection Ambassador at Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent. “The Education Data Hub were excellent and challenged my methods of redacting SARs, so it was really useful.”