IT news, guidance and practical resources for schools and businesses
Follow important developments affecting education and business technology, and access detailed guides, templates and tools to help turn requirements, risks and technical evidence into practical action.
Practical guides and tools
DfE Digital Standards Updated: What Schools Should Review
A current-status briefing explaining the June 2026 update to the DfE Digital and Technology Standards, and what evidence may need reassessing.
Cyber Security and Resilience Bill: What Schools and IT Providers Should Watch
A briefing explaining the proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, sector relevance, and questions to ask technology suppliers.
Building a Defensible Three-Year School IT Budget
Moving from reactive break-fix cycles to a stable, multi-year IT capital forecast. A practical guide to modelling asset depreciation, support lifecycles, and future capital requirements.
How to Conduct a Complete School IT Audit
A practical, end-to-end method for auditing a school's technology estate, separating technical facts from management judgements, and prioritising remediation.
DfE Digital and Technology Standards: An Evidence-Led Implementation Guide
Moving beyond tick-box compliance for DfE standards. A practical approach to mapping evidence, prioritising gaps, and planning sustainable improvements.
The Independent IT Review: How to Audit the Organisation That Supports You
A constructive framework for reviewing your Managed Service Provider's performance, separating operational metrics from strategic assurance.
Standardising IT Across a MAT Without Ignoring School Context
Centralisation is crucial for MAT efficiency, but imposing identical IT on every school can fail. How to build a central baseline that respects local educational needs.
How to Model Technical Debt Without Inventing False Precision
Technical debt is rarely one large obvious problem. Learn how to convert technical evidence into a costed, prioritised decision model for school leaders.
The True Cost of Inaccurate IT Asset Data in Schools
Ghost assets, missing warranties, and inflated budgets. Why spreadsheets fail as IT asset registers and how dynamic syncing solves the reconciliation nightmare.
What Should Governors Actually Receive in an IT Report?
Moving from operational ticket metrics to strategic board-level assurance. A guide to designing an IT report that empowers governors to govern, not manage.
Building an AI Governance Approach Without Resorting to Blanket Bans
Blanket bans on Generative AI do not work. How schools can establish a practical governance framework that manages risk while embracing innovation.
Turning an IT Audit into an Achievable Improvement Plan
An audit report is only the diagnosis. Learn how to translate technical findings into a sequenced, funded, and managed remediation project.
Preparing for Your Annual Filtering and Monitoring Review
The DfE's KCSIE guidance mandates annual filtering and monitoring reviews. How to gather the technical evidence to prove your systems are effective.
Asset Age is Not the Same as Replacement Priority
Why replacing laptops just because they hit 'five years old' is a wasteful strategy. How to prioritize IT replacements based on user impact and security risk.
A Practical IT Due Diligence Framework for Schools Joining a MAT
Acquiring a school means acquiring its technical debt. How MATs can conduct thorough IT due diligence before the transfer is finalized.
Testing Backup Recovery: Gathering the Evidence That Actually Matters
A green 'backup successful' email is not proof of resilience. How schools can implement rigorous restore testing to survive a ransomware attack.
Privileged Access: Who Can Make Irreversible Changes to Your Network?
Global Admin accounts hold the keys to the kingdom. Why schools must strictly audit and restrict privileged access to prevent catastrophic data loss.
Cyber Essentials: Readiness Without Treating it as a Certificate
Earning a Cyber Essentials badge means nothing if the controls are turned off the next day. How to build continuous compliance rather than passing a static test.
Building a Practical Software and SaaS Register (That Actually Gets Used)
Schools use hundreds of undocumented web apps. How to discover Shadow IT, build a usable software register, and regain control of data privacy.
Comparing Schools Fairly: Standardising IT Metrics Across a MAT
You can't manage what you can't measure consistently. How MATs can establish objective IT metrics to compare performance and prioritize funding across academies.
Central Visibility Without Central Bottlenecks: A MAT IT Model
How MATs can achieve total oversight of their IT estate without stripping autonomy from local schools or creating a massive central bureaucracy.
Repair, Retain, Replace, or Repurpose? A Hardware Decision Framework
Stop throwing away functional hardware and stop repairing obsolete devices. A practical framework for making cost-effective IT lifecycle decisions.
Running a Cyber Tabletop Exercise: A Practical Guide for Schools
You cannot learn how to respond to a cyberattack during a cyberattack. How to run a realistic, stress-tested tabletop exercise with your leadership team.
Discovering Shadow AI Constructively (Without Punishing Staff)
Staff are using unapproved AI tools to manage their workload. How to audit this 'Shadow AI' usage constructively to improve security without alienating teachers.
Acceptable Use Policies That Actually Work (And Protect the School)
Most AUPs are copy-pasted legal jargon that staff never read. How to write an AUP that is enforceable during an HR dispute or cyber incident.
Supplier Technology Due Diligence: Vetting the Vendors
Your security is only as strong as your weakest supplier. A framework for auditing the cyber security and data privacy posture of third-party vendors.
Cyber Essentials 2026: Preparation for the New Questionnaire
NCSC has released the draft changes for the 2026 Cyber Essentials questionnaire. Here is what school IT teams need to prepare.