DfE Digital Standards Updated: What Schools Should Review

Current status

This article covers the June 2026 update to the published DfE Digital and Technology Standards. Schools, trusts, and their IT providers are advised to review the changes to ensure continued compliance.

At a glance

Cyber Security Standard Updated: Stronger requirements around multi-factor authentication (MFA) and incident response planning.
Web Filtering & Monitoring Clarified: Stricter guidelines on SSL inspection and safeguarding reporting integration.
Action Required: Schools should review their incident response plans and test their backup restoration procedures before the new academic year.

What has changed?

The Department for Education regularly reviews its Digital and Technology Standards to ensure they reflect the evolving threat landscape and modern educational requirements. The June 2026 update places a heavy emphasis on verifiable resilience rather than just policy existence.

1. Cyber Security and Incident Response

Previously, schools were required to have an incident response plan. The updated standard now explicitly states that these plans must be tested annually, and the results documented. Furthermore, MFA is no longer just recommended for administrative accounts; it is now a strict requirement for all staff access to school networks and cloud services.

2. Filtering and Monitoring

Aligning closely with the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance, the standards now require schools to ensure their web filtering solutions can perform deep packet inspection (SSL inspection) on all managed devices, preventing students from bypassing blocks using encrypted proxies or VPNs.

3. Server and Storage Resilience

The guidance around on-premise servers has been tightened. Schools retaining on-premise infrastructure must now demonstrate that their backup solutions are immutable and physically isolated from the primary network to protect against ransomware encryption.

What schools need to do next

Audit your current posture: Review your existing IT setup against the updated standards.
Engage your IT Provider: If you outsource your IT, ask your provider for a compliance report mapped directly to the June 2026 changes.
Update your Incident Response Plan: Ensure your plan includes specific contacts, communication strategies during an outage, and a documented timeline of your last restoration test.

asitplan customers will see these updated standards automatically reflected in their compliance dashboards starting next week.