When the Department for Education released its ‘Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges’ guides, a lot of schools felt the same quiet panic: how on earth are we supposed to do all that?
At Black Swan Cyber Security Solutions, we get it. The guidance is sound – it’s about building safe, reliable and well-governed technology across education. But some of the expectations are a little optimistic when your IT team is only in the building for two hours every other week during term-time!
That’s where we step in.
Helping schools achieve the standards (without breaking the budget)
We work with schools and academies across Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, providing the cyber security side of the DfE’s “digital and technology standards”. Our job is to make compliance practical – turning a long list of government requirements into something schools can actually achieve.
The DfE’s six core areas are:
Broadband internet
Cyber security
Digital leadership and governance
Filtering and monitoring
Network switching
Wireless networks
While your on-site IT technician handles day-to-day maintenance, we help with the compliance backbone that keeps everything safe and auditable.
Cyber security – handled
The cyber security standard is where Black Swan shines. We provide the tools, monitoring and guidance that schools need to meet, and evidence, compliance.
Heimdal protects every device with next-generation antivirus, ransomware protection and automated patch management.
Action1 keeps Windows and third-party applications up-to-date.
Huntress adds round-the-clock threat monitoring and rapid incident response for endpoints and M365.
Axcient keeps your backups secure, immutable, and ready to restore at a moment’s notice.
Connectwise Cloud Backup keeps your M365 backups secure.
CyberSmart helps schools work towards and maintain Cyber Essentials certification – a key benchmark recognised by the DfE.
Check Point Harmony keeps your inboxes free from phishing emails and malware
Together, they cover everything from malware and phishing to data recovery and insurance readiness.
Governance, strategy and reviews
We also help schools and trusts meet the DfE’s digital leadership expectations.
That means:
Supporting SLTs to align IT and cyber with the school development plan
Supplying compliance reports that governors actually understand
Conducting annual reviews that tick the “IT support reviewed yearly” box without a mountain of paperwork
Filtering, monitoring and safeguarding
Working alongside DSLs, we make sure filtering and monitoring systems remain up to date, tested and documented – something Ofsted and the DfE both pay close attention to.
Realistic expectations
Not every school has the luxury of full-time IT staff. Many of our partner schools rely on us for the cyber side of their compliance, while local technicians handle on-site jobs like printer issues, device builds and classroom troubleshooting.
It’s a hybrid model that works:
Local support keeps your tech running day-to-day.
Black Swan manages the security, monitoring and compliance in the background.
This approach means your school can still meet the DfE’s standards – without needing to triple your IT budget.
Training and awareness
Even the best systems fall short if staff aren’t confident. We provide cyber awareness training through partners like Usecure, Huntress and CyberSmart, helping teachers and support staff spot phishing attempts and understand the basics of data protection. We also provide regular threat briefings on the latest attacks. It’s a quick win that reduces real-world risk and supports the DfE’s call for regular training.
Compliance with context
The DfE’s IT Support Standards raise the bar for the whole sector. We fully support that ambition, but we also recognise the day-to-day realities of school life. Our job is to close that gap: helping schools meet high standards in a way that fits their time, staffing and budget.
If you’d like to know how Black Swan Cyber Security Solutions can help your school meet the new DfE standards without the overwhelm, get in touch for a friendly chat.
