Risk of cybersecurity falling through leadership gaps, warns Ofqual

Fewer schools are being hit by cyberattacks, but leaders need to take more responsibility for keeping systems safe, according to Ofqual.

The exams regulator is encouraging schools to put more robust measures in place so staff know what to do if systems are attacked.

Figures from Ofqual’s third annual cybersecurity survey show that schools are now recovering faster from incidents, with two-thirds able to recover immediately in 2025-26, up from 55 per cent the year before.

The proportion of schools and colleges experiencing a cyber incident has fallen to 27 per cent in 2025-26, slightly down from 29 per cent the year before and 34 per cent in 2023-24.

However, the survey also asked teachers who was primarily responsible for cybersecurity at their school, which revealed a “lack of consensus over who was responsible for keeping systems safe”, the regulator said.

Just under half of respondents said their IT team were responsible, 40 per cent said all staff, and only 9 per cent said senior leadership.

Improving cybersecurity in schools

Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s executive director of delivery, said: “Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT problem; it’s a leadership responsibility. Regular back-ups and a clear response plan can make a huge difference when things go wrong.”

She added that it was “encouraging” to see schools recovering faster, “but a cyberbreach can still cause real uncertainty for students if coursework or marks are lost, and staff confidence can be affected long after systems are back online”.

One teacher described in their survey response how their school IT team spots and tackles attacks in progress. Another credited staff training with raising awareness of attacks and preventing harm.

However, another teacher reported losing network and email access entirely, while another described an incident that led to police closing the school.

Earlier this year, 600,000 data points, including the names and email addresses of senior school leaders, were stolen in cyberattack on the Department for Education.

More than half of secondary schools and colleges surveyed (55 per cent) have already taken action to protect against cyberattacks, including implementing a cybersecurity policy, undertaking risk assessments and setting up back-up and recovery procedures.

Ofqual is urging the remaining schools to join them.

More than 2,000 schools and 3,775 secondary teachers were surveyed by Teacher Tapp on behalf of Ofqual in July.