Covid Testing For Primary School Staff

School Covid Testing
We were contacted by a number of schools regarding a new privacy notice for primary school staff and the new Covid testing programme. We have since gained access to the latest DfE document folder which contains the template for this privacy notice and have updated it for you with our details as DPO.

The document is linked below and simply needs the school details added as well as a contact at the school. The document is also available in the Global Documents section of our data protection portal. There is also the link to the latest DfE guidance and the new Google folder for Primary Schools Document Sharing:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) asymptomatic testing in schools and colleges – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Primary Schools Document Sharing Platform – Google Drive

Privacy Notice – Covid-19 Testing of Staff in Primary Schools

Malware on Laptops for Schools
A story circulated on social media regarding malware pre-loaded on some of the laptops procured for schools through the DfE. The story has since been covered by a number of news outlets as well:

Online learning: Malware ‘found on DfE laptops’ | Tes (ampproject.org)

Laptops given to British schoolkids came preloaded with malware and talked to Russia when booted | The Register

The issue seems to be limited to laptops from a brand called GEO – the laptops called Geobook 1Es – but this is yet to be fully confirmed. The malware itself is called Gamarue – an old remote access worm from the 2010s. Advice from one of the articles simply states:

“If you are worried about your child’s laptop, contact their school for help. If the GeoBook has antivirus software, manually update that (if you can) to the latest version and run a full system scan. That should remove any trace of Gamarue.” The Register

If you are concerned about any of the laptops that you have issued as a school, speak to your IT Support to get the latest advice.