The need for empirical research on the school data protection officer's role

Data protection regulations in educational settings rely to a great extent on the (School) Data Protection Officer. In this paper, we focus the analytical lens on the socio-legal position of the School Data Protection Officer in the UK, showing they are pivotal to ensure schools’ legal compliance. Their role requires a unique combination of skills and knowledge in a complicated landscape of data protection regulations, the pressure of the digital economy, and maintaining high-quality, high-stakes education. Yet their professional experiences and need for empowerment have gone largely unheard in academia and public debate. The social reality of schools may raise certain practical and conceptual tensions for the legal importance of the School Data Protection Officer. We highlight where this raises questions for the effective implementation of digital data protection regulation for children and young people in schools today. Further empirical research is needed to ensure the pivotal role of the School Data Protection Officer is recognised in upcoming data protection policy reviews. We recommend specific questions for future research to consider, to help overcome this gap in knowledge related to the practical safeguarding of children's digital data rights.