Schools and colleges are among the most targeted organisations in the UK — ransomware doesn't wait for term to end

Why education institutions are so heavily targeted

Schools, colleges, and MATs hold a combination that attackers find extremely attractive: large volumes of sensitive personal data, frequently under-resourced IT teams, open networks supporting hundreds or thousands of users, and significant pressure to restore services quickly during term time. Ransomware that shuts down a school's MIS, remote learning platform, or communication systems creates immediate, visible pressure to pay.

Cyber Essentials certification is recommended by the NCSC and required by ESFA for many grant-funding streams. For MATs, it is increasingly expected as a supply chain baseline by local authorities and DfE. Getting certified closes many of the gaps attackers exploit, and we handle the full process from initial readiness assessment through to certification.

What we do for education institutions

• Cyber Essentials certification — ESFA and many grant-funding bodies require or recommend it; required for MAT supply chain compliance in many local authorities
• Ransomware readiness assessment — identify the gaps attackers use to move through underfunded and open school networks
• Student and staff data audit — understand your GDPR obligations around the special category and safeguarding data you hold
• Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) — stop attackers spoofing your domain to phish staff, parents, and students
• MIS and cloud platform access controls — MFA, admin access review, and audit logging across your management information systems and Microsoft 365 environment
• Incident response planning — clear steps aligned to DfE and local authority reporting requirements if systems are compromised

Start with your domain

Check your domain's email security configuration in under 30 seconds. Our free passive scan reads your public DNS records — no sign-up, no scanning your network.

UK-registered cybersecurity specialists  ·  No vendor affiliation  ·  Priced for education budgets