SchoolDayHub and GDPR
Designed with privacy and data minimisation in mind
Schools have a responsibility to protect the personal information of pupils, parents and staff. Any new digital platform therefore needs to be considered carefully from a data protection and safeguarding perspective.
SchoolDayHub has been designed to keep that responsibility as straightforward as possible.
Unlike a pupil management system or parent portal, SchoolDayHub is primarily used to share general school information. Its purpose is to give families an easy place to find the things they regularly need, without requiring schools to upload unnecessary personal information.
Parents do not need an account
Parents can use SchoolDayHub without creating an individual account or signing in with their personal details.
This means schools do not need to provide SchoolDayHub with parent databases, email lists or other contact information simply to give families access to the platform.
Parents can access their school's hub using the details provided by the school, including a QR code and access password where these are enabled.
This deliberately simple approach reduces the amount of personal data that needs to be collected and stored.
SchoolDayHub is not designed to hold sensitive pupil information
SchoolDayHub is intended for everyday school communication, including:
- Term dates and calendar events
- Lunch menus
- Newsletters
- Important announcements
- Weekly activities such as PE, Forest School and swimming
- School events
- Useful links
- Weather and travel information
- General information for parents
- Pupil records
- Attendance information
- Medical information
- Safeguarding records
- Behaviour records
- Individual academic information
- Special educational needs records
- Confidential correspondence between a school and a parent
Schools remain responsible for deciding what information they publish through their hub. Personal, sensitive or confidential information should continue to be handled through the school's established secure systems and procedures.
Data minimisation
One of the core principles of UK GDPR is that organisations should only collect personal data that is necessary for a particular purpose.
SchoolDayHub has been built around that principle.
If information does not need to be collected for the service to work, our aim is not to ask for it.
For example, a parent does not need to provide their name, email address or their child's details simply to check tomorrow's lunch menu, read a newsletter or see when PE takes place.
This reduces unnecessary data handling for both schools and families.
Schools remain in control of their content
Each school manages the information it chooses to publish within its SchoolDayHub.
This allows schools to use their existing policies and approval processes when deciding what is suitable to share with parents.
SchoolDayHub is designed to work alongside a school's existing data protection, safeguarding and communications policies rather than replacing them.
Private access options
Schools can protect access to their SchoolDayHub using an access password.
This can be shared directly with parents alongside the school's built-in QR code, providing a simple way for families to reach the correct hub without needing individual user accounts.
Schools can change access information when required.
Working alongside existing systems
SchoolDayHub is not intended to replace specialist systems such as Arbor, ClassDojo, Tapestry or other platforms used for pupil records, messaging, safeguarding or learning information.
Instead, it provides a simple home for everyday information that parents regularly need.
Schools can also add links to their existing platforms, making SchoolDayHub a convenient starting point without duplicating the role of those services.
What about advertising?
The standard version of SchoolDayHub is funded through advertising so that it can remain free for schools and parents.
Advertising is managed centrally by Minerva Creative rather than by individual schools.
Any advertising technology used within the platform should be operated in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy requirements. Schools are not required to provide parent or pupil databases to advertisers.
An advert-free version of SchoolDayHub is also available for schools that prefer not to display advertising.
Cookies, analytics and third-party services
Like most modern digital services, SchoolDayHub may rely on carefully selected third-party providers for functions such as hosting, analytics, weather information or other technical services.
Where personal data is processed through these services, appropriate data protection arrangements are considered as part of the operation of the platform.
Information about cookies, analytics and relevant third-party services should also be made available through the SchoolDayHub Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.
Supporting your school's GDPR responsibilities
Introducing any new digital service may form part of a school's own GDPR assessment.
We can provide information about SchoolDayHub's approach to data handling to help headteachers, business managers, trustees, Data Protection Officers and other responsible staff review the platform.
If your school, academy trust or Data Protection Officer has a specific question about how SchoolDayHub handles information, we are happy to discuss it.
Our approach
Our approach to privacy is intentionally simple:
Collect as little personal information as possible, only use information where it is genuinely needed, and give schools control over what they publish.
SchoolDayHub exists to make everyday school communication easier, not to create another database of pupils and parents.
Important information
SchoolDayHub has been designed to support responsible data handling and the principles of UK GDPR. However, every school remains responsible for its own data protection obligations, policies and decisions about the information it chooses to publish.
Schools should seek advice from their Data Protection Officer or other appropriate adviser where necessary.