Register at front of class

[stephensavage1986]

Hi all,

 

MIS GDPR question - what's your take on the register being taken on the plasma/whiteboard at the front of class. For me it's a no but I am receiving some pushback from school leadership/IT management. I'd appreciate opinions either way.

 

Thanks

[localzuk]

I would personally go with "no" on this. Mainly because of the extra notes that can be seen from register screens. Eg. in SIMS, you can see other data - SEN status, PP status and message notes. That MUST not be broadcast.

[panosthegreat]

I would personally go with "no" on this. Mainly because of the extra notes that can be seen from register screens. Eg. in SIMS, you can see other data - SEN status, PP status and message notes. That MUST not be broadcast.

 

Agreed. Some of the newer systems (I've been looking at Bromcom but haven't moved yet) have a 'Projector' mode on their registers that will take out all the personal details like SEN etc... so they'd be fine to display

[thimon]

Just remind staff about WINDOWS + P, to change projecting mode from duplicate to extended when taking registers. Then swap back when they're done, either minimising or closing the MIS system.

[DrBeaker]

Hi all,

 

MIS GDPR question - what's your take on the register being taken on the plasma/whiteboard at the front of class. For me it's a no but I am receiving some pushback from school leadership/IT management. I'd appreciate opinions either way.

 

Thanks

 

So we have a bit of context, what is your role within the school?

 

I've always said it's a GDPR issue - we have it with TVs that have no freeze function.

[bobsmith]

Fundamentally it's fine.

 

If you get silly over GDPR then you're really not understanding it.

 

The caveat as mentioned by the posters above is that while the basic register is fine - what about the extra fields you are showing? FSM - not fine, medical - not fine, quick notes - not fine etc.

[Primus]

Fundamentally it's fine.

 

If you get silly over GDPR then you're really not understanding it.

 

The caveat as mentioned by the posters above is that while the basic register is fine - what about the extra fields you are showing? FSM - not fine, medical - not fine, quick notes - not fine etc.

 

It's not really fine at all - what if a student has a pre-populated code for absence such as T - this gives the game away on them being a traveller or even M giving the game away they're out for medical reasons.

[DrBeaker]

This is why in some classrooms I've setup dual-screens.

 

Connected via hardware not software so it just works.

 

1x Screen - Teacher Screen (Only the teacher can see anything put on here)

1x Screen - Classroom Screen (Anything shown on here, is shown on the board/projector/TV)

 

So in that case, all they have to do is move the mouse/window/application between the 2x screens and anything shown on the classroom screen is either by mistake or intentionally shown. Puts the onus on the teacher.

 

I've tried the Windows Key + P business and staff just don't understand or forget how to do it. I'm not going to fight them on something so stupid, so I'll put in solutions that work such as the above.

[stephensavage1986]

Just remind staff about WINDOWS + P, to change projecting mode from duplicate to extended when taking registers. Then swap back when they're done, either minimising or closing the MIS system.

 

Thanks for your response. We have staff laptops which tend to be on a desk somewhere around the classroom so they are separate to the plasma at the front of the classroom so unfortunately output options isn't an option for us and nor is freeze My feeling is that the register should be taken on the staff laptop so only the member of staff taking it has access to it.

 

Thanks

 

Steve

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Agreed. Some of the newer systems (I've been looking at Bromcom but haven't moved yet) have a 'Projector' mode on their registers that will take out all the personal details like SEN etc... so they'd be fine to display

 

Hi, interesting point, I will contact our MIS (Arbor) to ask the question.

 

Thanks

 

Steve

[DrBeaker]

Thanks for your response. We have staff laptops which tend to be on a desk somewhere around the classroom so they are separate to the plasma at the front of the classroom so unfortunately output options isn't an option for us and nor is freeze My feeling is that the register should be taken on the staff laptop so only the member of staff taking it has access to it.

 

Thanks

 

Steve

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

 

 

Hi, interesting point, I will contact our MIS (Arbor) to ask the question.

 

Thanks

 

Steve

 

 

That's another reason why I only install SIMs onto teacher stations in classrooms, the teacher station in IT suites and admin machines that are in areas students shouldn't be going into.

 

There's only so much we can do in IT - I've lost count of the times I've walked past a classroom and the PC is unlocked with SIMs open.

[stephensavage1986]

So we have a bit of context, what is your role within the school?

 

I've always said it's a GDPR issue - we have it with TVs that have no freeze function.

 

Hi,

 

I'm the IT Engineer in school. The interesting thing about us is that we are a special needs school and the teachers often use the register as a means of engaging the students at the start of a lesson. In Arbor the pupils faces come up and the pupils names and faces come up when taking the register..... We have the same problem with the Plasmas with built in PC at the front of class.

 

Thanks

 

Stephen

[stephensavage1986]

Yeah, we use Arbor so it's accessible from any machine. I guess I'm looking for arguments to feed back to 'get my way' ...... the right way

[bobsmith]

It's not really fine at all - what if a student has a pre-populated code for absence such as T - this gives the game away on them being a traveller or even M giving the game away they're out for medical reasons.

 

OK, I'll rephrase - a list of the students in the class is not a GDPR issue or a data breach etc. Seating plans can be put on screen - just don't put anything up that you wouldn't want to be seen by other people. MintClass has a safe mode for when you want to project the seating plan on screen and an unsafe mode for when it's just the teacher that can see it.

 

An un-populated register would therefore be fine, as would a register with just L, / and N showing - these are the only codes we give our staff access to.

 

Yes - agreed a T code would tell the kids something personal that shouldn't be shared willy-nilly (that I would presume they would know anyway but the point stands).

 

If you're talking about good practice that's a whole other ballgame - but invoking GDPR everytime there's something digital involved will just weaken the argument when there really is a GDPR issue you want to win the fight on.

 

Finally - you should have a data protection officer and they carry the can - bring it up with them.

[Primus]

OK, I'll rephrase - a list of the students in the class is not a GDPR issue or a data breach etc. Seating plans can be put on screen - just don't put anything up that you wouldn't want to be seen by other people. MintClass has a safe mode for when you want to project the seating plan on screen and an unsafe mode for when it's just the teacher that can see it.

 

An un-populated register would therefore be fine, as would a register with just L, / and N showing - these are the only codes we give our staff access to.

 

Yes - agreed a T code would tell the kids something personal that shouldn't be shared willy-nilly (that I would presume they would know anyway but the point stands).

 

If you're talking about good practice that's a whole other ballgame - but invoking GDPR everytime there's something digital involved will just weaken the argument when there really is a GDPR issue you want to win the fight on.

 

Finally - you should have a data protection officer and they carry the can - bring it up with them.

 

So the basic register isn't fine?

[jmak]

A lot of GDPR issues should be driven by policy and procedure, however I can see issues for this scenario. I don't know Arbor, but in SIMS I don't believe there's a way to show the register without showing codes and potentially notes.

 

Even if you only give teachers access to / and N for the current day, you have a potential issue with pre-populated codes and in the afternoon, anything that the office has updated from the morning. If the teacher let their pointer hover over the mark, the note would also be displayed.

 

Edit: this is one for the DPO. You should tell them your opinion and why, but it's their call/problem. If you take it on, you will make yourself seen to be a blocker. If you feel really strongly, you can escalate all the way to chair of governors, but it's not your decision or responsibility. I wouldn't hold out much hope of changing minds unless you can come up with a better alternative...

Edited January 30, 2020 by jmak

[DrBeaker]

Hi,

 

I'm the IT Engineer in school. The interesting thing about us is that we are a special needs school and the teachers often use the register as a means of engaging the students at the start of a lesson. In Arbor the pupils faces come up and the pupils names and faces come up when taking the register..... We have the same problem with the Plasmas with built in PC at the front of class.

 

Thanks

 

Stephen

 

No problem, it just gives us some context - as sometimes want teachers WANT to do versus what they actually NEED to do are 2x very different things. It puts us at odds with each other sometimes when they give them what they NEED instead of what they WANT.

 

E.g. I've got a teacher who has perfectly 'adequate' (as in it's loud enough, works, but not the best) sound in their classroom, but complains the sound isn't loud enough and keeps pushing for a better sound system - when it's the same identical setup in multiple other classrooms, with no complaints. But why does that teacher expect a better and more expensive system when their needs have been met - so yes teacher WANT versus teacher NEEDS is a big pain in the bum.

[PotNoodleTech]

Fundamentally it's fine.

 

Is it though? Attendance data is personal information. For what possible reason does any other pupil actually need access to view other pupils attendance data? You also run the risk of having pupils tagged with something confidential if the teacher hovers over for too long.

[PyROm]

We originally took the view it was fine to show registers, however the school signed up for counties DPO/GDPR service and when they came round we were told it is not ok to show registers on the board in case it reveals pre-populated absence information or any other student information such as SEN and PP. Also we were told we had to run all displays in extended mode rather then duplicate mode to prevent anything such as emails appearing on the whiteboard by accident. Their view was that every child has a camera in their pocket (phone) and it only takes them a second to photograph the board and share it on facebook/instagram etc.