Month: November 2021

If you are an IT Support, Service, or Solution Provider to schools, we would like to invite you to a virtual round table on Tuesday 14^th December 5.00pm – 6.30pm.

This roundtable is designed to bring suppliers together to discuss the challenges of working in and around schools and the security and privacy issues that impact the education sector, with input from the DfE and the Police.

This is also a chance for you to learn more about national projects, advise us of any concerns you may have and to discuss how we can work with you to ensure children are kept safe in a digital world.

This virtual round table is designed to be supportive, informative, and collaborative. We want to hear your views.

Draft Agenda:

• Derbyshire’s work with the DfE and National Cyber Security Centre
• Updates on the government view of security in schools and future frameworks/legislative changes
• Your experiences in schools, any concerns you may have and removing any barriers you feel are affecting your provision
• An update from our regional Cyber Protect Officer, around the current threats and security landscape
• How vendors and suppliers can meet data protection requirements
• How suppliers can work with the police to improve their own provision and security to schools

Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.

Education Data Hub, as part of Derbyshire County Council, are committed to working with all IT suppliers and support staff, in order to get the best quality services for schools.

Cyber on a Shoestring  – THE Cyber Event of the Year

On December 7^th, Derbyshire County Council’s Education Data Hub service will be hosting what promises to be one of the largest educational, cyber security, and online safety events of the year – ‘Cyber on a Shoestring’.

Working with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department for Education, Police Cyber Resilience Centres and industry leads such as IASME, SWGfL, and the U.K. Safer Internet Centre, we will be showing schools, colleges, academies, and nurseries that effective online safety and cyber security need not cost the earth…

“It’s not the money you spend… it’s the actions you take”

This last year has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of cyber-attacks within local authorities, public and the private sector.  Hackers don’t discriminate as to who they target and schools and nurseries are seen as particularly vulnerable, leading to the loss, theft or wrongful sharing of sensitive data.

Digital safeguarding is one of the largest concerns facing schools and nurseries right now, all the more so, when we consider the rise in remote and virtual working following the Covid 19 pandemic.

Cyber on a Shoestring is free of charge and promises to help you access free resources to safeguard and protect your setting.

Places are limited – please click here to book your place via Eventbrite.

Please see our finalised agenda below – I think you’ll agree we have some amazing speakers for the day.

In the past the ICO have been known to issue reprimands, which are legal warnings, to schools for wrongly disclosing the personal data of children.

With Christmas round the corner it’s important to keep up to date on data protection law as those festive photo opportunities could lead to safeguarding concerns.

A blog by Andrew Laing, ICO Head of Data Protection Complaints, outlines two examples of this.

READ FULL ARTICLE

There is a very concerning rise in the number of cyber attacks against schools.  These can take the form of phishing emails, malware and downloads from bogus websites, and ransomware attacks.

The Government are urging schools to take action to protect themselves against these kind of attacks.

Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme that will help you to protect your school against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks.  Most cyber attacks are made up of repeated stages that lead to a more targeted attack. These untargeted attacks exploit basic weaknesses that can be found in many schools, such as poorly configured devices, software that hasn’t been updated, and unsupported computer systems.

Becoming Cyber Essentials certified will help schools defend themselves against this type of attack. The process of putting in place the five core controls will eliminate the common security gaps that up to 80% of cyber attacks rely on. Successful certification includes free cyber liability insurance.

Sometimes, schools are unsure about where to start to prepare for Cyber Essentials, and this is where we can help you.  Please visit our Cyber Essentials page to discover downloadable free resources for schools, and contact us at [email protected] if you would like more information about how we can support you on your journey to Cyber Essentials Certification.  We can take the majority of the work away from you.

On the 1^st September, new content was added to the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance provided by the Department for Education (DfE).  The new section (p33, paragraphs 123 – 135) covers online safety, remote learning, filters and monitoring, information security, cyber-crime, reviewing online safety provision, and information and support:

“It is essential that children are safeguarded from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material. An effective whole school and college approach to online safety empowers a school or college to protect and educate pupils, students, and staff in their use of technology and establishes mechanisms to identify, intervene in, and escalate any concerns where appropriate.”

We have developed training to support your understanding of digital safeguarding and meet with KCSIE requirements. Webinar prices are £45 per delegate and will be delivered via Teams.  Alternatively, please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to book a whole-school training session for just £199.

For more information about our November webinars, and to book tickets via Eventbrite, please click on the links below:

Cyber Awareness Training (suitable for all staff)

Cyber Incident Response and Disaster Recovery Planning

Safeguarding in a Digital World

Getting the most out of your IT Supplier