School in data breach over new pupils' details

An academy trust has reported itself to the Information Commissioner's Office following a data breach at one of its schools.

A parent who had applied for a place at East Park Primary School in Hull said they were sent a spreadsheet that contained the personal details of other children, including reasons why they should be admitted in September.

The parent told the BBC they had been sent the spreadsheet on 4 June and it included details such as a potential Special Education Needs requirement and the relationship status of some parents.

Horizon Academy Trust, which runs the school, said a "full internal investigation was under way to establish how this happened".

Following the initial data leak sent by the school's admin team, the parent said they received a follow-up message, which read "delete this email immediately and do not open the spreadsheet".

The message urged people to delete the email from their devices and to "not share any of the information with anyone else".

A spokesperson for the academy trust said: "The data breach that affected incoming pupils at East Park Primary School was immediately reported to the Information Commissioner's Office by our data protection officer.

"All affected families are being contacted by the school directly to provide support.

"We take data protection incredibly seriously."

The email was intended to contain a letter inviting new starters in September to a welcome meeting with an admission form attached.

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