Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 23 February 2024 (HL6145), what progress they have made on the education sector certification scheme, and what is its current status.

The department launched the ‘Data protection in schools’ project, formerly known as the education privacy assurance scheme (EPAS), in autumn 2022. The department’s primary focus is to educate schools and enable them to understand their data protection responsibilities, with the view to improving children’s safety and privacy.

The department is currently awaiting the outcome of an Information Commissioner’s Office audit into educational technology providers, and a subsequent code of practice, before determining whether any additional measures, including certification, should be implemented.