How to use the DfE digital standards in your school plan
The Department for Education's digital standards can help schools in England ask the right IT questions. To use them in a school plan, connect the guidance to a real need, the right colleagues and a practical action.
For Schools, Multi-Academy Trusts · asitplan
Find the relevant official page
Start with the area that matches the question: equipment, connections, security or another part of the school's IT.
The Department for Education, or DfE, explains responsibilities and recommendations in its standards for schools and colleges in England. Check the current wording and its application to your setting.
Avoid treating a short summary as a complete account of the guidance.
Explain the need in school terms
For example, staff may not know where to report an online concern, or classroom equipment may be unreliable. Describe who is affected and what happens.
Ask the relevant colleague and IT how the guidance relates to that situation. The safeguarding lead handles safeguarding questions; the school's data-protection contact advises on information handling.
A teacher or bursar can help explain the need without claiming to have verified every technical setting.
Check what the school already has
Use existing contact lists, policies, equipment records and supplier agreements. Ask whether the arrangement works in practice and when it was last checked.
A printed procedure may still name a departed colleague. An equipment record may omit a recent purchase. These are useful findings that can lead to manageable corrections.
Where technical facts are needed, ask the authorised team or supplier to confirm them.
Put a clear action in the plan
State the job, responsible person, next date and any cost needing approval. For a larger change, ask for suitable options and what each would improve.
Describe how the school will check the result. If a room's setup is changed, a teacher can try the intended lesson task afterwards.
Keep questions that remain unanswered visible. The school plan should help staff take the next step, with the official guidance available to check the basis of the decision.
Sources and further reading
- DfE digital leadership and governance core standard
Leadership, registers, continuity and a needs-led strategy
Source checked 2026-10-10
- DfE cyber security core standard
Cyber risk assessment, responsibilities and safeguards; England schools and colleges
Source checked 2026-10-10
- DfE filtering and monitoring core standard
Review provision and agree safeguarding and technical responsibilities
Source checked 2026-10-10