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Governors’ role in cyber security

Be clear on what you need to know about cyber security, and the questions you can ask your school leaders, so you can be assured your school is as safe as possible from a cyber attack.

Last reviewed on 15 April 2026See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 39500
Contents
  1. You’re responsible for your school’s cyber security
  2. Appoint a digital link governor
  3. Ask your LA or trust for support
  4. Get training for you and your school's staff
  5. School leaders should have precautions in place
  6. Your school should follow the DfE's cyber security standards
  7. Make sure your school leaders develop, review and test a cyber response plan 
  8. Ask your school leaders to organise an audit
  9. Questions to ask your school leaders
  10. Free resources for your school

Our thanks to the following experts for their help with this article: Vickie Cieplak and Edward Trimbee from the West Midlands Regional Cyber Crime Unit, also Karen Mitchell and our internal IT experts at The Key.

Throughout this article, we also refer to:

You’re responsible for your school’s cyber security

It's not just down to your school’s IT department

While your school leaders should work closely with your IT department to put precautions in place, it’s up to you to monitor what your school is doing. Cyber security needs the