A MEMBER of staff at Gable Hall secondary school in Corringham has been left 'devastated' by an administrative error that resulted in a significant data breach.

An email was sent to 'all parents' rather than 'all staff' by mistake.

It contained information including a document with the names of students that have been involved in rule breaches. It included their full names, age, ethnicity, whether they're on free school meals, if they're considered 'disadvantaged', if they have an EHCP or SEN plan and what they did and their punishment.

The error was noticed almost immediately and a further message sent out asking recipients to delete the email.

That was followed by a message from the school which read: "Apologies to you and your family for any distress caused by the information breach.

"We were aware of the mistake immediately and took action and advice as to whether the email could be recalled. Unfortunately, this was not the case and so we communicated to request parents delete the email.

"The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) was contacted immediately to seek advice and guidance as to the next steps required. They are now reviewing the situation.

"The member of staff responsible made a genuine mistake by sending to "All parents" instead of "All staff". This was a complete accident, and the member of staff is devastated by the situation and its effects on you all.

"We will now investigate their actions and look to take appropriate action to ensure such an incident is not repeated.

"Unfortunately, there is no way to undo what has been done but there are lessons to be learnt which we will undertake."