A new Ofqual poll has highlighted the importance of cybersecurity in schools after it uncovered the risks associated with poor cyber hygiene.
The prompt comes as a Teacher Tapp survey found that one in three secondary teachers did not have cybersecurity training in the last academic year.
Ofqual’s Executive Director of General Qualifications, Amanda Swann, explained: “Every student’s nightmare is losing coursework that results from many hours of hard work.
“Even more distressing is losing a whole class or year group’s coursework because of weak cyber security on a school or college IT system.
“Cybersecurity in schools is often taken seriously, but this poll highlights that there is more to be done. I would encourage schools and colleges to visit the National Cyber Security Centre’s school resource guide to learn how to defend against cyber-attacks.”
Cyber incidents in schools are on the rise
The poll, which surveyed teachers across England, also found that:
- 34% of schools and colleges in England experienced a cyber incident during the last academic year.
- Most commonly, 23% of schools and colleges in England experienced a cyber security incident due to a phishing attack.
- The North West was hit hardest, with 40% of schools responding that had had a cyber incident, compared with 28% in the east of England.
- 20% could not recover immediately, with 4% taking more than half a term to recover.
- 9% of headteachers said the attack was critically damaging.
- One in three teachers have not had cybersecurity training this year — of the two-thirds who have had training, 66% said it was useful.
How the incidents affected schools and students
Teachers who had experienced cyber incidents in schools were asked how it affected them, their colleagues and students.
One teacher said: “It happened last summer before results days. From then on, all teaching staff were unable to access anything, so they could not prepare for the year.
“Back in school, we could not use the desktops, and there were not enough laptops. This went on for weeks and was utter chaos.”
Another teacher commented: “It caused a dip in belief about the cybersecurity systems in schools and led to difficult conversations with parents.”
For practical tips designed for schools on how to defend against cyber-attacks, visit the National Cyber Security Centre school resources page.
