Solutions

Cyber Security for Schools, Academies and Training Providers

Schools hold sensitive data about children, run networks used by thousands of unpredictable users, and cannot afford downtime during term. That combination needs a specific approach.

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STANDARDS
DfE Digital & Technology Standards
DATA
Pupil Records & Safeguarding Information
CONSTRAINT
Change Windows Outside Term Time
BASELINE
Cyber Essentials
In short

What cyber security standards apply to UK schools?

The Department for Education publishes digital and technology standards covering cyber security for schools and colleges, including MFA, network segmentation, filtering and backups. Pupil data is personal data under UK GDPR, and safeguarding duties add requirements around filtering and monitoring.

A network unlike any other

A school network carries staff administration, pupil devices, safeguarding systems, catering and door entry, and often a guest network for parents — frequently on infrastructure funded years apart. The user population includes hundreds of curious teenagers with time on their hands, which is a genuinely distinct threat model.

Segmentation is therefore the foundational control. Pupil devices should not be able to reach the management information system, the safeguarding records or the finance workstation, and a compromise in one zone should not become a compromise everywhere.

  • Separate networks for pupils, staff, administration, guests and building systems
  • Administrative and MIS systems isolated from general access
  • Filtering and monitoring appropriate to safeguarding duties
  • Device management for school-owned laptops and tablets

Ransomware and the academic calendar

The education sector has been repeatedly targeted by ransomware, often timed for the start of term or an examination period when disruption is most costly and pressure to pay is highest. Recovery capability matters more here than almost anywhere, because a school cannot simply pause.

We plan backups and recovery around the calendar: offline or immutable copies, restore testing during holidays, and a documented recovery order that puts safeguarding and attendance systems back first.

  • Offline or immutable backup copies of MIS and safeguarding data
  • Restore testing scheduled during school holidays
  • Documented recovery priority order agreed with senior leadership
  • Incident plan that accounts for parent, governor and DfE communication
What you receive

Included in every engagement

Fixed scope, agreed in writing before we start. If the scope changes, we stop and re-quote rather than invoicing the difference.

01
Gap review against the DfE cyber security standards for schools and colleges
02
Network segmentation separating pupil, staff, admin and guest traffic
03
MIS and safeguarding system access review
04
Backup design and tested restore, planned around term dates
05
Staff and governor awareness training
06
Cyber Essentials certification support
Frequently asked questions

Education Security — your questions answered

What are the DfE cyber security standards for schools?
A set of digital and technology standards covering areas such as multi-factor authentication, network segmentation, filtering and monitoring, backups and account management. They are expectations for schools and colleges rather than a certification, and we assess against them directly.
Do schools need Cyber Essentials?
It is not universally mandated but is strongly encouraged, is frequently required by trusts and funding arrangements, and is the clearest way to evidence the technical baseline the DfE standards describe.
Can you work during school holidays?
Yes, and for most infrastructure work we prefer it. Assessment work can run during term with minimal disruption; changes to networks and servers are scheduled for holidays.
Who is responsible for pupil data in a multi-academy trust?
The trust is generally the data controller, with responsibilities discharged across individual schools. That makes consistent controls and a single incident process across the trust important, which we factor into any trust-wide engagement.

Question not answered here? Call +44 7424 967568 or email support@cipherknights.com.

Related

You might also need

Compliance
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification scheme, delivered by IASME on behalf of the NCSC, that verifies an organisation has five fundamental technical controls in place: boundary firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control and malware protection. Certification is renewed annually.
 Services
Network Security
Network segmentation divides one flat network into separate zones — staff devices, servers, guest Wi-Fi, payment or operational equipment — so traffic between them is controlled. It matters because on a flat network, one infected laptop can reach every server, printer and file share in the building.
 Services
Ransomware Protection
Almost always through one of three routes: a phished credential used to log into email or remote access, an internet-facing service left unpatched, or a compromised supplier connection. Attacks rarely start with a clever exploit — they start with a login that should not have worked.
 Compliance
UK GDPR Compliance
Know what personal data you hold and why, have a lawful basis for each use, publish an accurate privacy notice, keep a record of processing activities, be able to answer subject access requests within one month, secure the data appropriately, and be able to report a breach to the ICO within 72 hours.

Ready to talk about education security?

Book a free, no-obligation consultation with our Leicester team, or call us and we will point you in the right direction whether or not you become a client.

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