Schools making strides in cyber security as recovery times improve

Schools and colleges across England are getting better at bouncing back from cyber security incidents, new data from Ofqual reveals, though gaps remain in how schools prepare for attacks.

Ofqual is encouraging schools to build on this progress by putting more robust measures in place so staff know what to do if systems are attacked. The call comes as part of Cyber Security Awareness Month, following the results of its third annual survey covering the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

The proportion of schools experiencing a cyber incident has fallen to 27%, during 2025 to 2026, down from 29% in 2024 to 2025 and 34% in 2023 to 2024.

When incidents do occur, schools are recovering faster, with 66% able to recover immediately, up from 55%, in the academic year prior. Critical damage from attacks has also fallen, down to 7%.

Amanda Swann, Ofqual's Executive Director of Delivery, said:

It's encouraging to see schools recovering faster, but a cyber breach 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 how their school IT team spots and tackles attacks in progress. Another credited staff training with raising awareness of attacks and preventing harm.

Others weren't so fortunate. One teacher reported losing network and email access entirely, while another described an incident that led to police closing the school, leaving staff and pupils anxious.

Asked for the first time, as part of the survey, who is primarily responsible for cyber security, 46% of responding teachers said their IT team, 40% said all staff, and just 9% pointed to the role played by senior leadership.

Ms Swann added:

Cyber security isn't just an IT problem; it's a leadership responsibility. Regular backups and a clear response plan can make a huge difference when things go wrong.

More than half of the secondary schools surveyed (55%) have already taken action to protect against cyber attacks. Measures include implementing a cyber security policy, carrying out risk assessments, and setting up backup and recovery procedures. Ofqual is urging the remaining schools to take similar steps.

For a copy of the poll email [email protected].

Percentages referring to teachers are based on a sample of 3,775 secondary teachers in England. Where percentages refer to schools, responses were limited to one per school, selecting the most senior teacher. This resulted in a sample representing up to 2,162 schools.

Teacher Tapp ran the poll, on behalf of Ofqual, on 13 July 2026.