Where your data lives
govern.school runs in UK data centres. Your evidence, documents, and meeting records do not leave the UK in normal operation. Our hosting provider name and region details are available on request, included in the DPA we sign with every trust.
Encryption
All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256). Database backups are encrypted with separate keys. Document content is stored in encrypted object storage; signed URLs are scoped to authenticated sessions and expire on use.
Access controls
- Role-based access. Every user’s view is scoped by their membership, trustees see the trust, local governors see their LGB, clerks see what they clerk. Permissions can’t be widened from within the app.
- Audit logs. Sensitive actions (publish, approve, delete, export) are logged with the user, IP, and timestamp.
- Sessions. Idle sessions expire after 12 hours. You can revoke any session from your profile.
- MFA. Trust admins can require MFA for all members. SAML SSO is available on the Trust and Federation plans.
GDPR
govern.school is built and operated in compliance with the UK GDPR. We act as a data processor for the trust’s personal data, and a data controller for our customer (account) data. Highlights:
- Lawful basis: contract (provision of service) + legitimate interest (service security and improvement).
- Data Processing Agreement available, pre-signed, ready to countersign.
- Sub-processor list maintained and published; we notify customers in advance of changes.
- Right to erasure honoured within 30 days of a confirmed request.
- Data exports available at any time, in JSON and CSV.
Compliance alignment
govern.school is designed against the standards your trust is already held to. It is not a substitute for your DfE handbook or KCSIE training, it makes evidencing alignment with them practical.
- KCSIE, safeguarding policies are versioned, reviewable, and dated. The portal’s parent-facing display meets the “publication on the school website” expectation for academies.
- DfE Academy Trust Handbook, trust governance structures (members, trustees, LGBs) map directly to the data model.
- NGA Code of Conduct, governor declarations and registers of interest are first-class objects.
- Ofsted readiness, evidence of challenge is logged per agenda item with attribution and leadership response. Attendance registers export by academic year.
AI privacy
The AI assistant uses retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) over your evidence. Your documents, minutes, and decisions are not used to train external models. We use external LLM providers under contractual data-processing terms that prohibit training on customer content. Queries and responses are stored only inside your trust’s scope, for audit and chat history.
You can disable AI features for your trust at any time from settings.
Sub-processors
We use a small number of sub-processors, each named in the DPA and published on this page when launch infrastructure is finalised. The list typically includes: hosting (UK), object storage (UK), email delivery, and the LLM provider for AI features. We do not use general-purpose analytics or advertising platforms.
Penetration testing & certification
Independent penetration testing is conducted before launch and annually thereafter. SOC 2 Type I is in progress; ISO 27001 alignment is in progress. We will publish dated reports as they land, we won’t pretend to have them sooner.
Reporting a security issue
Email [email protected]. We aim to acknowledge within one business day and triage within three. Responsible disclosure is appreciated, coordinated public disclosure within 90 days of a fix landing is our default.
Contact
For security questionnaires, DPA requests, or anything else procurement-related, email [email protected].