I am a teacher with 20 years experience, based at Arthur Mellows Village College. Over this time I have been a Head of Department and a member of the Senior Leadership Team. I also now assume the role of Data Protection Officer (DPO) due to the skills and attributes I have gained from my various responsibilities; approachability, organisation and confidentiality, to name just a few. The Data Protection Officer role means, even though I am based at one of the Trust’s schools, I have to be fully independent and unbiased. As a Trust we gather, process and store data regularly and it is important to do this within the law. This is where my role comes in. I work with a supportive team across the Trust’s schools who oversee the day to day running of GDPR within their individual schools and call upon me when they need advice or support. I provide training materials with essential information for the Trust schools and check to ensure active compliance. I also build in a cycle of visits to the Trust’s schools across the year and report to the Trust Leadership Team at the end of the year.