Schools & MATs

DfE Digital Standards guidance for Wi-Fi networks, highlighting new Wi-Fi 7 and Wi

Wireless Network Standards for Schools & Colleges: What's New?

The DfE Wireless Networks is part of the DfE Digital Standards guidance and has recently been updated to include references to Wi-Fi7. You must check with this standard before you plan any Wi-Fi upgrades!

What's New?

There is a now clear guidance that specifies that any new wireless solution or upgrade must, at a minimum, meet the Wi-Fi 8 standard.

What is Wi-Fi 7?

Wi-Fi 7 provides significantly higher throughput and lower latency. In a classroom where 30 students might si

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Redaction guide for PEX panels, illustrating how schools manage sensitive information for permanent exclusion

Navigating the Redaction Divide: SAR or PEX?

Schools are increasingly required to manage sensitive information in ways that balance transparency, fairness, and data protection. One area that frequently creates confusion is the difference between redaction undertaken for a Subject Access Request (SAR) and redaction applied when preparing documentation for a Permanent Exclusion (PEX) Review Panel. The Redaction Guide for PEX Panels has been introduced to address this issue and provide clear, practical guidance for staff.

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  1. What type of request have you received? SAR? Educational Record? Or FOI?
  2. Leavers' Memorabilia
  3. Sharing photos on World Book Day: Privacy considerations
  4. The DSL’s Guide to Filtering and Monitoring
  5. The Danger of the 'Data Dump': Why more information isn't always better!
  6. Cyber Alert: Surrey and Sussex Schools Targeted by Phishing and Ransomware Attacks
  7. Parents and students covertly recording conversations
  8. New DfE AI Standards
  9. Is your IT Support Provider Compliant?
  10. The Government Cyber Action Plan
  11. School Cyber Attack: Higham Lane School Hit by Major Cyber Attack: Campus Remains Closed
  12. What does the technology in schools survey tell us?
  13. IT Support Standards for Schools and Colleges Guidance (DfE Digital Standards)
  14. Sharing information to safeguard children and young people in the education sector in the UK
  15. October 31. On the road to improving cyber resilience
  16. October 30. Cyber Support
  17. October 29. Admin Controls & Accounts
  18. October 28. Phishing: Don't Take the Bait!
  19. October 27. Passwords
  20. October 26. Physical Security of Digital Assets
  21. October 25. Server Security: Protecting Your Digital Core
  22. October 24. Backups: Your Recovery Safety Net
  23. October 23. Filtering and Monitoring
  24. October 22. Hardware: Printers
  25. October 21. Hardware: Asset Management
  26. October 20. Hardware: Safe disposal
  27. October 19. Anti-virus/anti-malware
  28. October 18. Regular Updates: Patching Against Threats
  29. October 17. Access Control: Managing User Privileges
  30. October 16. Access Control: Securing Your Digital Gateways (Wi-Fi & Networks)
  31. October 15. Access Control: Securing Your Home Office (Working From Home)
  32. October 14. Access Control : (Multi-factor authentication)
  33. We've teamed up on a podcast with the Small Business Cyber Security Guy
  34. October 13. Cyber Security Awareness
  35. October 12. Training: Empowering your human firewall
  36. October 11. Policies and Procedures: Cyber Blueprint
  37. October 10. Understanding Your Cyber Posture
  38. Time's Ticking: Windows 10 support ends in October 2025!
  39. October 9. A Guide for Education Providers
  40. October 8. How Can Your Organisation Prevent Ransomware Attacks?
  41. October 7: Under Attack: The Reality of Ransomware
  42. October 6: Cyber Action Plan and A Roadmap to Resilience
  43. October 5: Cyber Responsibilities - We're All in This Together
  44. October 4: When a Cyber Attack Hits
  45. October 3: Data Security, the Core of Protection
  46. October 2: Privacy Protection & Safeguarding Personal Data
  47. October 1: Welcome to Cyber Security Awareness Month!
  48. Nursery Cyber attack
  49. Fraud awareness from the DfE
  50. The Classroom's Dark Side: Cyber crime from the Classroom
  51. Data Breach: School sends out names and contact details in a spreadsheet.
  52. KCSIE 2025: Data Protection, AI, and Cyber Security
  53. The Online SCR Data Breach: What You Need to Know
  54. Back to School Basics for Data Protection and Cyber Security Compliance
  55. The Latest Cyber Threat: The "Murky Panda"
  56. Building a Secure School: Using the ICO Accountability Framework to Meet DfE Digital Standards
  57. Why Physical and Data Security Must Go Hand-In-Hand
  58. Digital Safeguarding: DfE announces statutory DfE Digital Standards
  59. The Data Protection Lead/Champion Role
  60. Changes to the Academy Trust Handbook 2025
  61. School closes for two days after cyber incident
  62. Social Media Day 2025
  63. How Ofsted looks at AI during inspection and regulation
  64. Data Breaches 2025 Report Highlights
  65. Not everyone needs access: The Key to Protecting Sensitive Data
  66. School cyber attack: Outwood Academy, Middlesbrough
  67. Alert: Schools receiving Microsoft File Sharing Phishing Emails
  68. School cyber attack: Framlingham College, Suffolk
  69. West Lothian Schools in Cyber Attack
  70. A Wake-Up Call for Cyber Vigilance - Danger in the Threat Landscape for Everyone
  71. New Governor Resources
  72. Are teachers using AI? 83% say its a time-saver
  73. DfE Digital Standards - narrowing the digital divide
  74. Arbor AI - On By Default
  75. DfE Guidance: Choosing a new MIS
  76. Short Guide to AI Video
  77. Safer Internet Day, Cyber Security & Data Protection
  78. The Cyber Resilience Championship
  79. The Multiple Dimensions of Supplier Due Diligence
  80. School shares sensitive pupil information as part of an FOI response
  81. Blacon High School Cyber Attack
  82. WhatsApp and FOI's: ICO Warnings
  83. New AI Guidance from the DfE
  84. What the proposed Government legislative proposal around cyber crime means
  85. DfE update to record keeping and management
  86. Update to data sharing for school immunisation programmes
  87. SLT Digital Lead Profile
  88. The role of governors in cyber security and data protection
  89. Navigating Privacy at the End of Term , Special Occasions and End of Year
  90. South East Technological University has experienced a cyber incident
  91. Safeguarding Identity in Microsoft 365: Protecting the UK Education Sector Against Cyber Threats
  92. Cyber Attack on a Special School
  93. Stealing children's data
  94. Ofqual highlights the value of cyber security training in schools
  95. Fylde Coast Academy Trust Cyber Attack This Week
  96. Calling all IT leads in schools and mult academy trusts!
  97. Ransomware cyber attack on a school in Bromley
  98. School hit by Cyber Attack
  99. DfE Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges Tracker
  100. Schools and Trusts Best Practice Area
  101. ESFA Cyber Essentials Requirement for Colleges from 2024/2025
  102. ICO Reprimands a School
  103. Out of date technology
  104. Data Retention and the Pupil File
  105. Have you assigned your SLT Digital Lead yet?
  106. What's a Cyber Incident and what should we do?
  107. Getting Started with AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  108. Cyber attack on a school during half term
  109. The rise of cyber attacks in schools are causing pupils to miss classes
  110. Cyber attack on a Trust; the aftermath
  111. School Focus: The Vale Federation | Aylesbury
  112. DfE Dealing with Subject Access Requests (SARs) Guidance
  113. Update to the Guidance on Information Sharing from the DfE
  114. Product Focus on Checklists : Initial Trust Plan
  115. Product Focus on Checklists : End of Term Checklist
  116. Product Focus on Checklists : Social Media
  117. Product Focus on Checklists : Lettings
  118. Milk Island: The secret location that allows children to view restricted content on Google Maps
  119. Free Cyber help, advice and training with the Cyber Resilience Centres
  120. The Perils of Paper: The Printing Vulnerability
  121. Product Focus on Checklists : Governors and Data
  122. Product Focus on Checklists : Site Moves
  123. Cyber attack on a University
  124. Product Focus on Checklists : Bring your own device
  125. Product Focus on Checklists : Working out of school/offsite
  126. Cyber Attack on a School
  127. Major cyber-criminal gang Lockbit brought down by UK Law Enforcement
  128. Product Focus on Checklists : Photos and video
  129. Safer Internet Day 2024
  130. Kent Councils Data Breach
  131. Free cyber training for staff
  132. DfE Digital Standards Update
  133. ClassCharts Possible Data Breach
  134. School Focus: St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School | Brighton
  135. Guardians of Privacy: 16. Social Media Checklist
  136. Guardians of Privacy: 15. Navigating Social Media in Educational Settings Summary
  137. Guardians of Privacy: 14. Social Media and Cyber Bullying
  138. Guardians of Privacy: 13. Social Media, Copyright and Intellectual Property
  139. Guardians of Privacy: 12. Social Media and Going Viral
  140. Guardians of Privacy: 11. Staff Social Media Accounts
  141. Guardians of Privacy: 10. Social Media and Cookies
  142. Guardians of Privacy: 9. Social Media and Morality
  143. New Resources for Schools from the ICO
  144. Guardians of Privacy: 8. Social Media Policies
  145. Guardians of Privacy: 7. Social Media Data Retention
  146. Guardians of Privacy: 6. Posting Safely
  147. Guardians of Privacy: 5. Social Media and Consent
  148. Guardians of Privacy: 4. Social Media Access Control
  149. Guardians of Privacy: 3. Social Media Channels
  150. Guardians of Privacy: 2. Law and Regulations
  151. Guardians of Privacy: 1. Social media, privacy and children
  152. Phishing attacks targeting schools - alert from City of London Police
  153. The ICO reprimands a Multi Academy Trust
  154. Guidance for the use of school email and applying email retention in schools
  155. Data Protection Tips for Early Years Settings
  156. Trust Initial Plan Checklist Update
  157. Update on Advisory for Rhysida Ransomware
  158. Trust Initial Plan for Data Protection Compliance (for Multi Academy Trusts)
  159. Google for Education Resources: Helping IT Admins meet DfE digital and technology standards
  160. Lettings Best Practice and Guidance
  161. The UK Online Safety Bill becomes an Act (Law)
  162. Considerations when migrating to a new MIS
  163. The importance of software updates (PaperCut vulnerability and Rhysida ransomware)
  164. Public bodies and sensitive data
  165. ICO: 10 Step guide to sharing information to safeguard children
  166. Email and Security: ICO recent guidance
  167. Social Media Policy
  168. Data Protection and Cyber Security (Inset Day) Training Ideas
  169. Changes to Microsoft Free Licensing for Schools
  170. What to do in the event of a Cyber Attack
  171. How KCSIE is linked to Cyber Strategy
  172. VICE SOCIETY - Ransomware attacks on schools
  173. Using Tags if you are a group of organisations in the DPE Knowledge Bank
  174. Cyber Insurance in the Public Sector
  175. Cyber Attack: Leytonstone School
  176. The ICO Reprimands a school
  177. Cyber Attack: Dorchester School
  178. Knowledge Bank Role Types: Admin, Staff and Trustee
  179. Cyber Attack: Wiltshire School
  180. Types of Cyber Attacks: The Insider Threat
  181. Why your data is profitable to cyber criminals
  182. Striking Data Breach
  183. January Cyber update - How Can Schools Help Prevent Cyber Attacks?
  184. FOI: Vaccination Justifications
  185. The Education sector now at highest risk of cyber attacks
  186. Schools Blocked from Using Facial Recognition Systems
  187. The Children's Code
  188. Cyber Attacks
  189. Protocol for Setting Up and Delivery of Online Teaching and Learning
  190. Class Dojo International Data Sharing
  191. Secure file transfer of files using Royal Mail
  192. Emergency contacts and consent
  193. Best Practice for Managing Photos and Video
  194. Headteacher fined for breach of data protection legislation

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