School secretary - Head saying no to forwarded emails - what now?

[Queenie8]

I'm school secretary, Head has told myself and admin assistant to print off/write down messages. No paper trail, no accountability. Printing messages compromises GDPR and confidentiality. I have challenged this and been told that this is what they want. I'm very uncomfortable with this. And have voiced this. What do I do now? I've contacted the union (NEU) but not received any response yet.

I am very concerned. The Head is controlling, moves goal posts often, changes procedures at will. Screams, shouts, stamps feet, often, over the most mundane things. Advice greatfully received.

How does that compromise GDPR? Printing off emails is silly but I don’t understand how it compromises that? Do you mean she could then say you didn’t tell her anything and hadn’t forward her things? If that’s the case I’d just create my own log of ‘email received from …’ ‘email printed off/given to Head on date’ and that be that. I wouldn’t let it stress me.

Apply for a new job. They sound awful and your skill set is much in demand.

It isn’t a GDPR breach as long as the information is kept secure.

Seems like you have a really old school Headteacher….
As a Head myself I like everything on emails as you have a paper trail and its easy to access by the use of a keyboard….. not potentially trailing through filing cabinets of paper.

There are two worries, that once printed off and given to the Head, the information is either left sitting on a desk, and the potential for anyone to read, or the Head loses/misplaces the information and then will deny ever receiving it. If I forward the email there is proof that I have done so, giving me accountability. By printing it I don't have proof or accountability. The Head has previously blamed others rather than take responsibility.

Write it down and put it on their desk, then take a photo of it and attach it to an email explaining what you put, where you put it, and what time.
Rinse & repeat.

It sounds untenable in the long run but it's not really a GDPR issue.

Head might e concerned in the rise of SARs since Nigel's Coutts fiasco

Keep a spreadsheet or print twice and keep a duplicate folder with a date separator so you can say it was passed to them on whichever date. If they say it wasn't you can say "I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree" etc.

The other thing you can do is just carry on forwarding the emails and ignore the request, or forward as well as print and pass on. I'd be very very interested to see if you could actually be sacked for this or face disciplinary.

The smile and nod and do what you want anyway because you can't fire me method. Lots of people in my school seem to have invented this 😆

I don't fully see the issue with printing emails, but working for a boss who screams and shouts isn't okay.

There's plenty of demand for school admin staff, so I'd keep your eye out for another role.