Cyber security threats aren’t a distant risk for UK schools—they're an everyday reality. From phishing scams to full-scale ransomware attacks, the education sector has become a prime target for cyber criminals.
Recent data from the UK Government's 2025 Cyber Security Breaches Survey paints a stark picture:
- 60% of secondary schools and 44% of primary schools experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year.
- In further and higher education, the numbers rise to a staggering 85% and 91% respectively.
These figures highlight a clear trend—education institutions are being targeted more frequently than the average UK business.
The Financial Fallout
When a cyber-attack strikes, the costs can be astronomical. Ransomware incidents alone have cost UK schools up to £3 million per event, with ransom demands ranging from £50,000 to over £5 million. But the expenses don't stop there.
Additional financial impacts include:
- Downtime costing an estimated £440,000 per day
- Emergency IT support and system rebuilds
- Legal and compliance costs
- Reputational damage
While the average UK business might face breach costs around £3,000, schools often suffer exponentially more due to the scale and sensitivity of their data.
Disruption to Education
Beyond the financial hit, the disruption to students and staff is significant. On average, recovery takes anywhere from a few days to several months:
- Learning loss can span 3 days to 3 weeks
- Full system restoration can take 2 to 9 months
The Hidden Costs
It's not just about the money or the lost time. The secondary effects of an attack include:
- Loss of parent and community trust
- Strained staff morale
- Higher insurance premiums
- Long-term vulnerability to future attacks
Keeping your school secure
Preparation and prevention are key to keeping ahead of cyber criminals – you need a strong, sustainable strategy to protect your school or MAT.
- Run regular cyber security training for all staff – most cyber incidents are due to human error rather than technical or system weaknesses. Make sure your team understand cyber security risks and how to avoid them.
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies – MFA is an excellent way to safeguard your systems, it means a user must enter more than just a password, for example a code sent to their phone or email. To keep your passwords safe, use a password manager across your school or MAT.
- Secure your laptops and devices – malware and viruses can enter a school’s system when devices aren’t properly secured. With staff and students increasingly working from laptops or tablets, it’s vital that your school systems are protected by the highest level of antivirus software, with regular checks to make sure it’s updated.
- Move to a cloud-based solution – when you move to a cloud-based solution like SIMS Connected, you benefit from the data centre security of your hosted solution. It’s important to make sure your supplier isn’t just relying on Azure or Google Cloud security. For example, SIMS Connected is protected to the highest level by our security programme, which is ISO 27001 accredited and Cyber Essentials Plus certified. When you move to the cloud, you also ensure you will have regular, reliable data backups in the event of a loss as well as ongoing upgrades to software to keep your system secure.
- Choose a supplier with strong cyber security credentials – not all suppliers offer the same level of cyber protection so it’s important to do your research:
- Check that your supplier is ISO 27001 certified by a UKAS accredited certification body, and holds a Cyber Essentials Plus certification. If they are handling financial data they should also have PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)
- Make sure they have robust cloud security in place and aren’t just relying on Azure or Google Cloud
- Take a look at the National Cyber Security Council (NCSC) website, which has some great guidance for schools
- Review your supplier’s security ranking from an independent security analyst like Black Kite which will show you how they rank against other suppliers
Conclusion
Cyber threats are a growing problem for UK schools, and the consequences of inaction are severe. From millions in costs to months of disruption, schools must act now. By investing in better protection through cloud-based solutions and robust policies, institutions can safeguard their data, their staff, and their students.