As the amount of technology being used by schools and trusts proliferates, so too does the risk of schools becoming a target for cybercriminals.

A clear indication of this threat was seen in 2021 when the UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre issued a warning that it was witnessing a rise in ransomware attacks - whereby devices and data are made inaccessible until a fee is paid.

Since then, numerous incidents have shown that these threats are indeed real, from a multi-academy trust (MAT) reporting it was hit by a ”sophisticated” attack last September to 14 schools having data stolen, including child passport scans, special educational needs information and staff pay and contract details.

Insights on cybersecurity threats to schools

So, how can schools and MATs stay safe while embracing technology systems that are vital for the modern era? To find out, we asked three senior leaders in large MATs to take part in a Tes Big Debate panel discussion to hear their insights on this area:

• James Browning, chief operating officer of Academies Enterprise Trust
• Ash Mudaliar, director of IT at Creative Education Trust
• Lauren Thorpe, chief transformation officer at United Learning
   

The panel is chaired by Tes senior editor Dan Worth, and discusses everything from the importance of staff training - and how this is managed at scale - to staying aware of new and emerging threats, creating a culture where cybersecurity is high on the agenda and what the emergence of artificial intelligence may mean for this important area of school and trust operations.

You can watch the roundtable discussion below. If the video is not visible, you can access it here.