It looks like schools and colleges across England are getting better at training staff to handle cyber threats — but they’re still struggling to bounce back quickly when attacks happen.
Fresh figures from Ofqual show that more teachers than ever are receiving cyber security training. In fact, 72% of teachers had some form of training last year, up from 61% the year before. That’s a solid jump.
But here’s the worrying part: when schools do get hit, they’re recovering more slowly. Last year, 63% of schools were able to get back up and running straight after an incident. This year, that dropped to 55%. For the schools involved, that means longer downtime, lost coursework, and disrupted lessons.
Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s Executive Director of General Qualifications, said:
“Cyber attacks can have a devastating impact on students’ academic work.
Schools and colleges experiencing cyber security incidents reported losing entire classes’ coursework and facing weeks of disruption to teaching and learning”.
While slightly fewer schools reported incidents this year (29%, down from 34%), the attacks that did happen hit harder. Around 10% of schools said the damage was “critical,” which is up from 6% the year before.
The key takeaway? Backups matter. Ms Swann stressed that keeping reliable, up-to-date backups can make all the difference. With them, schools can recover faster, avoid paying ransoms, and keep lessons running. Without them, both students and teachers are left picking up the pieces.
Ms Swann added:
“Protection from malware and regular data backups are the most effective defence against these threats. Schools that maintain current, accessible backups can restore systems more quickly and avoid ransomware demands.
As schools become increasingly digital, robust cyber security measures protect both educational continuity and students’ academic futures”.
For practical tips designed for schools on how to defend against cyber attacks, visit the National Cyber Security Centre small business guide to cyber security. Photo by Kai Stachowiak, Wikimedia commons.