Should your school get Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed scheme that certifies an organisation has five basic technical controls in place: firewalls, secure configuration, access control, malware protection and security update management.

For schools and trusts, it matters for three reasons. It demonstrably reduces the most common cyber attacks. It's increasingly expected by insurers, funders and some DfE-related arrangements. And it gives leaders and trustees genuine assurance that the basics are covered.

The five controls aren't exotic — they're the things every school should be doing anyway: keeping software patched, using multi-factor authentication, controlling who has admin rights, and running proper malware protection. Certification just verifies them against a clear standard.

There are two levels. Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment verified externally; Cyber Essentials Plus adds a hands-on technical audit. Most schools start with the former and move to Plus if insurers or partners require it.

Is it worth it? For most schools, yes — not for the certificate itself, but because preparing for it forces you to fix the basics. Even if you never certify, working to the Cyber Essentials checklist is one of the highest-value things a school can do for its security.