What is Wonde?
Wonde is a data gateway business that specialises in connecting UK school Management Information Systems (MIS) to third-party applications. Founded in 2014, Wonde is now the most widely used MIS data gateway in the UK, with connections to over 24,000 schools.
Wonde is approved by the Department for Education (DfE) to facilitate school data sharing. This DfE approval means Wonde has demonstrated appropriate data governance, security controls, and data minimisation practices. When a school connects MySchoolUpdate via Wonde, the school's data governance obligations under UK GDPR are satisfied by the Wonde framework — no separate data sharing agreement needs to be negotiated between the school and MySchoolUpdate.
Which MIS systems does Wonde support?
How the connection is set up
School connects Wonde to their MIS
This is a one-time setup within the school's MIS administration interface. The school authorises Wonde as a connector to their MIS data.
School approves MySchoolUpdate in Wonde
Within the Wonde dashboard, the school approves MySchoolUpdate as an application permitted to access data. The school can see exactly what data MySchoolUpdate will access before granting approval.
Wonde syncs data to MySchoolUpdate
Wonde begins syncing approved data fields to MySchoolUpdate. This initial sync imports all current pupils, year groups, class groups, and parent contact details.
Ongoing automated sync
As the MIS changes — new pupils enrolled, parents' contact details updated, classes reorganised — Wonde syncs these changes to MySchoolUpdate automatically. School staff do not need to manually update contact lists.
School uses MySchoolUpdate to communicate
With accurate, live contact data from the MIS, school staff send communications via MySchoolUpdate knowing they are reaching current contact information for every family.
What data does MySchoolUpdate access?
MySchoolUpdate requests only the minimum data necessary for school communication — consistent with the data minimisation principle in UK GDPR Article 5:
- Pupil first name, surname, date of birth (for identity matching)
- Year group and class group assignments
- Parent/guardian names
- Parent/guardian email addresses and mobile phone numbers
- Pupil admission and leaving dates (to keep contact lists current)
MySchoolUpdate does not access: medical records, SEN assessments, behaviour data, exclusion records, free school meal status, safeguarding records, or any sensitive pupil data. The school's DPO can verify the exact data scope in the Wonde consent interface before approving access.
Frequently asked questions
Does our DPO need to approve the Wonde connection?
The DPO should be made aware of the Wonde connection and should review the data scope in the Wonde consent interface. Because Wonde is DfE-approved, the school does not need to conduct a full third-party data processor assessment of Wonde itself — the DfE approval process has done this. However, the school's DPO will typically want to confirm the specific data fields being shared with MySchoolUpdate before final approval.
What happens if we leave MySchoolUpdate?
The school can revoke MySchoolUpdate's access in the Wonde dashboard at any time. Once revoked, Wonde stops syncing data to MySchoolUpdate. MySchoolUpdate's data retention policy then governs deletion of the school's data — typically 30 days after termination, in line with the data processing agreement.
Connect your MIS to MySchoolUpdate
The Wonde connection takes 20–30 minutes to configure and is free for schools. Book a demo to see the full setup process and how your MIS data appears in MySchoolUpdate.
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