News

🏴‍☠️ 📢 A school is closed today and tomorrow as the result of a ransomware cyber attack.

📲💬 We come across many organisations using WhatsApp as a communication tool with staff regularly and have previously highlighted some of the risks.  The ICO have recently published information about a case where WhatsApp messages had to be included in a Freedom of Information Request.

📢📢 The DfE has recently published new guidance and resources about using Artificial Intelligence in a school environment.

🛡️🖥️  Today the Government launched a consultation period about introducing legislation to counter ransomware.

🤖🤖 The ICO recently published an overview reports about the use of AI tools in recruitment processes.  While it was recognised that it can offer benefits to employers, it recognises their use can also lead to risks for people and their privacy and information rights.

📂 📄 The DfE issued an update to data sharing and record keeping and management in December.

In December (2024) there was an update to data sharing guidance for school immunisation programmes.

🧸 🚼 As digital technology continues to increase in our educational settings, Early Years settings are increasingly integrating digital tools into their operations.  While this might enhance efficiency and communication, it also raises concerns and challenges about cyber security and data protection.

👩🏽‍🏫👨🏽‍💻 Since we have been talking to schools and multi academy trusts about the SLT digital lead, there have been a lot of questions about who that should be in the organisation. There’s often an assumption that it should automatically be the IT Manager, technician, or Data Protection Lead.  In this article, we explore the profile of an effective SLT Digital Lead and their critical role in shaping digital strategy, integrating technology into teaching and learning, ensuring business continuity, strengthening cybersecurity, and optimising administrative processes.

Governing bodies have a strategic oversight of all of a school or trust's strategies, including cyber security and data protection.

🎄We've updated our end of term and end of year guidance, alongside advice for privacy considerations for special occasions (which also normally occur at the end of term, such as Christmas).

📢 It's important to be prepared for when a cyber incident happens to you.  Part of that preparation should include having a Cyber Incident Response Plan, and part of that plan should include how to communicate, who does the communication and what they should say.

📃 A digital technology contracts register is a lit of all the contracts in your organisation with external suppliers for the supply of digital technology products and services.

⚠️ On Friday 8th November South East Technological University (SETU) experienced a cyber security incident.

We are sharing some of blog posts by school ICT technicians and ICT managers that are giving their advice about keeping your school cyber secure and resilient.

🍂 The DfE have published several updates to the DfE Digital Standards, updating the Filtering and Monitoring Standards, the Digital Leadership & Governance Standards and the Broadband Internet Standards for Schools and Colleges. We give our view on what that means and more details about the updates.

🎦 CCTV systems play a critical role in maintaining safety and security in organisations.  In schools, for example, it might help deter inappropriate behaviour, prevent unauthorised access and damage to property.

📢 A special school in Devon has been the victim of a cyber attack and is being blackmailed by hackers.

In a Malwarebytes blog, author Mark Beare explains how your child's data can be stolen, and even more so if you have given medical  or health data.

🌑🗃️💻 Dark data is data that is unused but still might be stored somewhere in an organisation, usually kept in unstructured and unsecured repositories or storage.

While we are focusing on cyber security and cyber resilience in October, Ofqual is reminding schools and colleges of the importance of cyber security after a poll highlighted the risks associated with poor cyber hygiene.

We are often asked for advice on where to search for information and data when you receive an information request. The ICO has published a checklist with guidance.

Sadly, we are letting you know about another cyber attack on a group of schools in Blackpool in the second week of term.

📢 We would like to announce that Data Protection Education are sponsoring the data protection discussion forum with the Association of Network Managers in Education.

A high school in south London was closed for the first part of this term due to a ransomware attack.  Students were sent home advising parents that the school would be closed for three days while all staff devices were 'cleansed'.

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Another school has been hit by a cyber attack, this time in Canvey Island, Essex, who say the cyber attack happened during the summer holidays.

🛡️✅ Gone are the days when cyber security issues meant accidentally downloading a virus, it has grown to mean so much more, where data and identities are stolen, fraud is committed and businesses can be shut down from a cyber attack.  With that in mind we have created a cyber security best practice area to help guide and support your data protection compliance.

The data protection officer is mentioned many times in the DfE Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges as someone that should either be informed or consulted with.  As part of that consultation process, we would like to announce our new DfE Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges Tracker.

We are launching a new best practice area which has all the policies, documents and posters in one place.  You can find this page in our main best practice area: