Question
Parents across Bracknell Forest will welcome the strengthened guidance on mobile phones in schools and the fact that the Government are having a look at edtech. I agree with the Minister that we need to make sure that the guidance is implemented in an intentional way, guided by pedagogy. May I ask him to touch on data concerns? One of my concerns about AI being utilised in the classroom without clear guidance is that we need to make sure that the data is kept safe and secure. It should not be the case that foreign tech companies are profiting from sensitive data from our young people.
Answer
I thank my hon. Friend for flagging this issue. The edtech certification process that is out for consultation today asks questions about this, and the intention is for the design of the scheme to go beyond classroom edtech and apply to edtech that may enable the smooth running of a school. That includes complex technical questions about things such as data privacy and collection.
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The question asked how the Government will keep pupils' data safe when held by education technology providers. The reply points to the edtech certification scheme, which is currently out for consultation and covers data privacy, but it does not say what the Government's position is or how that data is actually protected. The answer is therefore largely hedged, and a member of the public would probably need to ask again for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Government's position on keeping pupils' data safe and secure when AI and edtech tools are used in classrooms, including how data held by technology providers is protected. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply points to the edtech certification scheme, now out for consultation, as covering data privacy and collection, which is relevant policy activity. However, it never states the Government's position on keeping pupils' data safe or describes how data held by technology providers is actually protected; it only says the consultation asks questions about it. |