Schools & MATs

AI-manipulated images of smiling children, symbolizing the urgent online safety risks for schools

Guardians of Privacy: Social Media, Privacy, Children and the AI Threat

This article combines guidance from the Guardians of Privacy series, produced by Data Protection Education in collaboration with Litus Digital, with urgent new advice issued in May 2026 following confirmed blackmail attempts against UK schools using AI-manipulated images of children. Key sources include the UK Safer Internet Centre (8 May 2026) and the Internet Watch Foundation.

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Department for Education's Cyber Security Hub graphic, showing digital protection for schools against cyber threats.

What School Leaders Need to Know About the DfE's New Cyber Security Hub

Cyber attacks on schools are no longer a distant threat. The Department for Education (DfE) has just launched a dedicated Cyber Security Hub to help schools navigate this growing danger, and as a school leader, it's worth understanding exactly what it offers and why it matters.  If you were at our conference in February you were lucky enough to see a preview of the tool!

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Modern visitor management system for schools, balancing safeguarding, data protection, and DfE

Visitor Management: A Guide for Schools

Navigating the entry requirements for educational settings can sometimes be confusing for both the school and the visitor.  To ensure a smooth, secure, and legally compliant process, it is essential to balance safeguarding requirements with data protection principles and DfE guidance.

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DfE Digital Standards guidance for Wi-Fi networks, highlighting new Wi-Fi 7 and Wi

Wireless Network Standards for Schools & Colleges: What's New?

The DfE Wireless Networks is part of the DfE Digital Standards guidance and has recently been updated to include references to Wi-Fi7. You must check with this standard before you plan any Wi-Fi upgrades!

What's New?

There is a now clear guidance that specifies that any new wireless solution or upgrade must, at a minimum, meet the Wi-Fi 8 standard.

What is Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7 provides significantly higher throughput and lower latency. In a classroom where 30 students might si

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  1. Volunteer Acceptable Use Policy & Agreement
  2. Handling Subject Access Requests (SARs) - at the end of term
  3. Holiday Cheer or Cyber Fear? : Essential Pre-holiday Checks
  4. How should schools manage paper archives?
  5. Navigating the Redaction Divide: SAR or PEX?
  6. What type of request have you received? SAR? Educational Record? Or FOI?
  7. Leavers' Memorabilia
  8. Sharing photos on World Book Day: Privacy considerations
  9. The DSL’s Guide to Filtering and Monitoring
  10. The Danger of the 'Data Dump': Why more information isn't always better!
  11. Cyber Alert: Surrey and Sussex Schools Targeted by Phishing and Ransomware Attacks
  12. Parents and students covertly recording conversations
  13. New DfE AI Standards
  14. Is your IT Support Provider Compliant?
  15. The Government Cyber Action Plan
  16. School Cyber Attack: Higham Lane School Hit by Major Cyber Attack: Campus Remains Closed
  17. What does the technology in schools survey tell us?
  18. IT Support Standards for Schools and Colleges Guidance (DfE Digital Standards)
  19. Sharing information to safeguard children and young people in the education sector in the UK
  20. October 31. On the road to improving cyber resilience
  21. October 30. Cyber Support
  22. October 29. Admin Controls & Accounts
  23. October 28. Phishing: Don't Take the Bait!
  24. October 27. Passwords
  25. October 26. Physical Security of Digital Assets
  26. October 25. Server Security: Protecting Your Digital Core
  27. October 24. Backups: Your Recovery Safety Net
  28. October 23. Filtering and Monitoring
  29. October 22. Hardware: Printers
  30. October 21. Hardware: Asset Management
  31. October 20. Hardware: Safe disposal
  32. October 19. Anti-virus/anti-malware
  33. October 18. Regular Updates: Patching Against Threats
  34. October 17. Access Control: Managing User Privileges
  35. October 16. Access Control: Securing Your Digital Gateways (Wi-Fi & Networks)
  36. October 15. Access Control: Securing Your Home Office (Working From Home)
  37. October 14. Access Control : (Multi-factor authentication)
  38. We've teamed up on a podcast with the Small Business Cyber Security Guy
  39. October 13. Cyber Security Awareness
  40. October 12. Training: Empowering your human firewall
  41. October 11. Policies and Procedures: Cyber Blueprint
  42. October 10. Understanding Your Cyber Posture
  43. Time's Ticking: Windows 10 support ends in October 2025!
  44. October 9. A Guide for Education Providers
  45. October 8. How Can Your Organisation Prevent Ransomware Attacks?
  46. October 7: Under Attack: The Reality of Ransomware
  47. October 6: Cyber Action Plan and A Roadmap to Resilience
  48. October 5: Cyber Responsibilities - We're All in This Together
  49. October 4: When a Cyber Attack Hits
  50. October 3: Data Security, the Core of Protection
  51. October 2: Privacy Protection & Safeguarding Personal Data
  52. October 1: Welcome to Cyber Security Awareness Month!
  53. Nursery Cyber attack
  54. Fraud awareness from the DfE
  55. The Classroom's Dark Side: Cyber crime from the Classroom
  56. Data Breach: School sends out names and contact details in a spreadsheet.
  57. KCSIE 2025: Data Protection, AI, and Cyber Security
  58. The Online SCR Data Breach: What You Need to Know
  59. Back to School Basics for Data Protection and Cyber Security Compliance
  60. The Latest Cyber Threat: The "Murky Panda"
  61. Building a Secure School: Using the ICO Accountability Framework to Meet DfE Digital Standards
  62. Why Physical and Data Security Must Go Hand-In-Hand
  63. Digital Safeguarding: DfE announces statutory DfE Digital Standards
  64. The Data Protection Lead/Champion Role
  65. Changes to the Academy Trust Handbook 2025
  66. School closes for two days after cyber incident
  67. Social Media Day 2025
  68. How Ofsted looks at AI during inspection and regulation
  69. Data Breaches 2025 Report Highlights
  70. Not everyone needs access: The Key to Protecting Sensitive Data
  71. School cyber attack: Outwood Academy, Middlesbrough
  72. Alert: Schools receiving Microsoft File Sharing Phishing Emails
  73. School cyber attack: Framlingham College, Suffolk
  74. West Lothian Schools in Cyber Attack
  75. A Wake-Up Call for Cyber Vigilance - Danger in the Threat Landscape for Everyone
  76. New Governor Resources
  77. Are teachers using AI? 83% say its a time-saver
  78. DfE Digital Standards - narrowing the digital divide
  79. Arbor AI - On By Default
  80. DfE Guidance: Choosing a new MIS
  81. Short Guide to AI Video
  82. Safer Internet Day, Cyber Security & Data Protection
  83. The Cyber Resilience Championship
  84. The Multiple Dimensions of Supplier Due Diligence
  85. School shares sensitive pupil information as part of an FOI response
  86. Blacon High School Cyber Attack
  87. WhatsApp and FOI's: ICO Warnings
  88. New AI Guidance from the DfE
  89. What the proposed Government legislative proposal around cyber crime means
  90. DfE update to record keeping and management
  91. Update to data sharing for school immunisation programmes
  92. SLT Digital Lead Profile
  93. The role of governors in cyber security and data protection
  94. Navigating Privacy at the End of Term , Special Occasions and End of Year
  95. South East Technological University has experienced a cyber incident
  96. Safeguarding Identity in Microsoft 365: Protecting the UK Education Sector Against Cyber Threats
  97. Cyber Attack on a Special School
  98. Stealing children's data
  99. Ofqual highlights the value of cyber security training in schools
  100. Fylde Coast Academy Trust Cyber Attack This Week
  101. Calling all IT leads in schools and mult academy trusts!
  102. Ransomware cyber attack on a school in Bromley
  103. School hit by Cyber Attack
  104. DfE Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges Tracker
  105. Schools and Trusts Best Practice Area
  106. ESFA Cyber Essentials Requirement for Colleges from 2024/2025
  107. ICO Reprimands a School
  108. Out of date technology
  109. Data Retention and the Pupil File
  110. Have you assigned your SLT Digital Lead yet?
  111. What's a Cyber Incident and what should we do?
  112. Getting Started with AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  113. Cyber attack on a school during half term
  114. The rise of cyber attacks in schools are causing pupils to miss classes
  115. Cyber attack on a Trust; the aftermath
  116. School Focus: The Vale Federation | Aylesbury
  117. DfE Dealing with Subject Access Requests (SARs) Guidance
  118. Update to the Guidance on Information Sharing from the DfE
  119. Product Focus on Checklists : Initial Trust Plan
  120. Product Focus on Checklists : End of Term Checklist
  121. Product Focus on Checklists : Social Media
  122. Product Focus on Checklists : Lettings
  123. Milk Island: The secret location that allows children to view restricted content on Google Maps
  124. Free Cyber help, advice and training with the Cyber Resilience Centres
  125. The Perils of Paper: The Printing Vulnerability
  126. Product Focus on Checklists : Governors and Data
  127. Product Focus on Checklists : Site Moves
  128. Cyber attack on a University
  129. Product Focus on Checklists : Bring your own device
  130. Product Focus on Checklists : Working out of school/offsite
  131. Cyber Attack on a School
  132. Major cyber-criminal gang Lockbit brought down by UK Law Enforcement
  133. Product Focus on Checklists : Photos and video
  134. Safer Internet Day 2024
  135. Kent Councils Data Breach
  136. Free cyber training for staff
  137. DfE Digital Standards Update
  138. ClassCharts Possible Data Breach
  139. School Focus: St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School | Brighton
  140. Guardians of Privacy: 16. Social Media Checklist
  141. Guardians of Privacy: 15. Navigating Social Media in Educational Settings Summary
  142. Guardians of Privacy: 14. Social Media and Cyber Bullying
  143. Guardians of Privacy: 13. Social Media, Copyright and Intellectual Property
  144. Guardians of Privacy: 12. Social Media and Going Viral
  145. Guardians of Privacy: 11. Staff Social Media Accounts
  146. Guardians of Privacy: 10. Social Media and Cookies
  147. Guardians of Privacy: 9. Social Media and Morality
  148. New Resources for Schools from the ICO
  149. Guardians of Privacy: 8. Social Media Policies
  150. Guardians of Privacy: 7. Social Media Data Retention
  151. Guardians of Privacy: 6. Posting Safely
  152. Guardians of Privacy: 5. Social Media and Consent
  153. Guardians of Privacy: 4. Social Media Access Control
  154. Guardians of Privacy: 3. Social Media Channels
  155. Guardians of Privacy: 2. Law and Regulations
  156. Phishing attacks targeting schools - alert from City of London Police
  157. The ICO reprimands a Multi Academy Trust
  158. Guidance for the use of school email and applying email retention in schools
  159. Data Protection Tips for Early Years Settings
  160. Trust Initial Plan Checklist Update
  161. Update on Advisory for Rhysida Ransomware
  162. Trust Initial Plan for Data Protection Compliance (for Multi Academy Trusts)
  163. Google for Education Resources: Helping IT Admins meet DfE digital and technology standards
  164. Lettings Best Practice and Guidance
  165. The UK Online Safety Bill becomes an Act (Law)
  166. Considerations when migrating to a new MIS
  167. The importance of software updates (PaperCut vulnerability and Rhysida ransomware)
  168. Public bodies and sensitive data
  169. ICO: 10 Step guide to sharing information to safeguard children
  170. Email and Security: ICO recent guidance
  171. Social Media Policy
  172. Data Protection and Cyber Security (Inset Day) Training Ideas
  173. Changes to Microsoft Free Licensing for Schools
  174. What to do in the event of a Cyber Attack
  175. How KCSIE is linked to Cyber Strategy
  176. VICE SOCIETY - Ransomware attacks on schools
  177. Using Tags if you are a group of organisations in the DPE Knowledge Bank
  178. Cyber Insurance in the Public Sector
  179. Cyber Attack: Leytonstone School
  180. The ICO Reprimands a school
  181. Cyber Attack: Dorchester School
  182. Knowledge Bank Role Types: Admin, Staff and Trustee
  183. Cyber Attack: Wiltshire School
  184. Types of Cyber Attacks: The Insider Threat
  185. Why your data is profitable to cyber criminals
  186. Striking Data Breach
  187. January Cyber update - How Can Schools Help Prevent Cyber Attacks?
  188. FOI: Vaccination Justifications
  189. The Education sector now at highest risk of cyber attacks
  190. Schools Blocked from Using Facial Recognition Systems
  191. The Children's Code
  192. Cyber Attacks
  193. Protocol for Setting Up and Delivery of Online Teaching and Learning
  194. Class Dojo International Data Sharing
  195. Secure file transfer of files using Royal Mail
  196. Emergency contacts and consent
  197. Best Practice for Managing Photos and Video
  198. Headteacher fined for breach of data protection legislation

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