Schools in England have been tasked by the government to work towards meeting six core digital standards by 2030. Since 2022 schools have been expected to take action to bring their digital technology up to date and ensure cyber security is a strong as it can be.
There are six core standards schools are expected to improve to demonstrate they have the right technology and digital infrastructure in place covering:
- Broadband internet
- Wireless networks
- Network switching
- Digital leadership and governance
- Filtering and monitoring
- Cyber security
Broadband internet: steps for schools to take
The Department of Education (DfE)has outlined that schools and colleges should use a full fibre connection into the school as this will provide the capacity and speed needed for effective use of online learning tools.
It is recommended that schools meet this standard once existing contract terms have ended or as soon as full fibre is available. If new contracts or extensions do not offer full fibre connection there must be a pathway to this as soon as they become available.
Wireless networks: Ensuring the highest standards
As the guidance from the DfE states schools and colleges will have a high number of users accessing the network at the same time. Therefore, adopting the highest wi-fi standards will ensure that the speed and management of data transferred around the wireless network is resilient, efficient and secure.
IT teams should ensure that when they upgrade this should be to the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard. It is also recommended that schools review the network interface speeds of the access points when considering the solution. These will typically be 2.5Gbps or 5Gbps, with some devices supporting 1Gbps or 10 Gbps.
Network Switching: Ensuring fast and reliable connections
With schools and colleges having many users installing proper network switches and switching infrastructure is essential for reliability, security and resilience.
To meet the standard required the DfE schools should ensure that their IT support team or supplier ensures switches provide a minimum of 1Gbps connectivity to the user device. Schools should also make sure that higher-speed (multi-gigabit) ports support devices and infrastructure equipment that needs high bandwidth, such as servers, media devices and wireless access points. Additionally, switches that provide power to devices such as CCTV and access control must comply with power requirements outlined by the device manufacturer.
Effective digital leadership and governance is required
The DfE recommends that a member of the school’s leadership team is responsible for digital technology. Additionally, to ensure that digital systems are managed properly, the DfE states that schools should maintain a contracts register, asset register and information asset register so that they can understand what digital data, equipment and systems they have and managed them effectively. This should also help schools and colleges to keep track of buying and licencing of equipment.
Filtering and monitoring to keep children safe
This standard aims to ensure that schools and colleges have the right filtering and monitoring systems in place to keep their students safe online. This can be proactively, making sure the wrong content does not get through as well as physically checking what students have on their screens when in the classroom.
Cyber security: stopping attacks on school IT systems
As the DfE notes cyber-attacks have significant operational and financial impacts on schools and colleges. They could lead to safeguarding problems and loss of privacy if personal data has been compromised. Additionally, there could be a reputational or financial loss.
Gaining the benefits of Cloud Solutions
The DfE recognises that cloud solutions can support schools to provide effective digital technology and also allows them to reduce onsite equipment and energy costs, and the need for support and licensing.
By providing automated updates and security upgrades it also means schools are more resilient to cyber-attacks. The DfE also notes that cloud software allows users to work more flexibly and collaboratively.
How we can help schools to meet the digital standards
We have been working with schools for over 20 years providing the latest surveillance camera and access control technology. We have gained expertise in that time in networking and can now help schools to get their IT infrastructure right.
Additionally, we can also offer schools Avigilon Alta cloud security systems from Motorola Solutions that can be unified into a single video management and access control platform.
If your school needs help to meet these digital standards, or want to know more about the how the latest cloud-connected security and monitoring solutions could help you, please get in touch.