Cyber security is a leadership and governance responsibility, not a technical one.

That doesn’t mean governors need to understand firewalls or configure networks, but it does mean the board needs to be asking the right questions, receiving the right assurance, and ensuring the school has the right controls in place.

This guide has been written for governors and trustees of schools and academy trusts. 

You don’t need a technical background to read it; it has been created to help you understand your responsibilities around cyber security, know what good looks like, and make sure the right conversations are happening at board level.

On 4th June, schools across the UK are taking part in something new.

AI Awareness Day is a national campaign with one simple ask: commit to running just one activity. That’s all, just one conversation, one lesson, one assembly, whatever works for your school.

The idea is to create a shared moment where students, teachers and parents can engage with AI honestly and critically, rather than just using it without really thinking about it.

We’ve been doing something similar with Safer Internet Day for years, so when AI Awareness Day landed on our radar, supporting it was a pretty easy decision. AI is already in every school, on students’ phones, in lesson planning tools, and in the resources teachers are using every day. The question isn’t whether to engage with it. It’s whether young people have the knowledge to use it well.

That’s what this pack is for.

We’ve pulled together a collection of activities, discussion starters, games and guidance, things that are ready to use, age-appropriate, and won’t require a full afternoon of prep. There’s something here for classroom teachers, pastoral leads and parents too.

So dig in, share it with your staff, and let’s help students get to grips with AI the right way.

Cybercrime isn’t a distant threat for UK schools. It’s happening now, right across the sector, and the numbers are hard to ignore.

In the past 12 months, 60% of secondary schools and 44% of primary schools identified a cyber security breach or attack. Both figures are higher than the 50% reported by UK businesses overall, which means schools are being targeted more than the average commercial organisation, despite having fewer resources to defend themselves.

In 2025, we were selected by the Department for Education as 1 of 6 pilot partners for the DfE Cyber Security Standard programme. That means we’ve been working directly alongside the government to help define what good cyber security looks like for schools and auditing schools against that standard in the field.

This report shares what we found. Not to scare, but because the data is striking enough that school leaders need to see it. 

The schools in this report aren’t unique, they’re representative of your peer schools, and if you’re a Headteacher or Business Manager reading this, there’s a reasonable chance your school could look similar.

New for 2026: Supporting this year’s theme, Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI, we’ve also included AI safety resources to help schools navigate the challenges of artificial intelligence in education, from understanding AI-generated content to teaching students how to use AI tools responsibly.

No need to trawl the web for hours, we’ve done the legwork!

So, whether you’re a teacher, a parent or a student, this guide is for you. Dive in, share it with your network, and let’s begin the journey towards a safer, smarter, and more empowering online experience for all.

The average cost of a breach is now in the millions, but for many schools, the true cost is far greater: days of closure, lost teaching time, compromised student data, and reputational damage that can take years to repair.

That’s why we’ve created this Cyber Security Guide for Schools to support you with essential, actionable guidance that will help you meet updated DfE requirements, protect your learning community, and ensure your cyber-defence is fit for 2025 and beyond.

Most school leaders think they know where they stand digitally. But recent DfE research revealed some surprising gaps:

• Only 16% of schools meet all current digital standards
• 53% of school leaders blame Wi-Fi connectivity as a major barrier
• 96% struggle with budget constraints limiting technology adoption

Here’s the thing: the schools that are thriving aren’t necessarily those with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones with strategic approaches to digital transformation.

That’s why we’ve created the Future-Ready Digital Assessment for Schools.

This quick assessment takes just 3-5 minutes and will evaluate your school’s digital maturity across the DfE’s six core standards.

But the window is short, and proper planning is essential.

This planner, developed from our 20 years of experience supporting schools nationwide, walks you through the critical considerations, timelines, and checklist items to ensure your summer IT projects deliver maximum impact.

And because we know that the subject of Cybersecurity can be a bit of a minefield, we’ve created the Dataspire Cybersecurity Cheatsheet with a few hints and tips to help you along the way.

Dataspire is here to help any school that falls victim to cyber-attacks but because “prevention is better than cure”, we want to ensure you have all the information at your disposal to proactively shield yourself and build your school’s cyber-defence.

That’s why we’ve created this Cyber-Security Guide to steer you in the right direction, backed by guidance from the DfE and the National Cyber Security Centre.