Cyber Security for Schools & MATs — UK Education Sector
UK schools hold deeply sensitive data — safeguarding records, SEN files, family circumstances, attendance patterns — making them a top ransomware target (the NCSC rate education the most attacked UK sector by frequency). We deliver DfE Standards-aligned managed SOC, schools-DPST evidence, and safeguarding-evidence packs that protect students, families, and headteachers.
1 in 3
of UK secondary schools experienced a cyber incident last year
#1 sector
NCSC rates education the highest-attacked UK sector by frequency (and highest single cost)
24/7
Gridisys managed SOC for UK MATs — per-school pricing
10 standards
in DfE's Cyber Security Standards for Schools & Trusts — mandatory for compliance
Cybersecurity Consulting + 24/7 SOC Monitoring
Every Gridisys engagement is built on two pillars — strategic consulting to design the right controls, and managed SOC monitoring to keep them effective.
Cybersecurity Consulting
UK consulting engagements: risk assessment, security architecture, conditional access design, compliance (Cyber Essentials, UK GDPR, FCA PS21/3, NIS2), incident-response planning. Board-ready documentation, no jargon, no surprise invoices.
- Risk assessment + security architecture review
- Conditional access + Entra ID hardening design
- Cyber Essentials / UK GDPR / FCA / NIS2 compliance support
- Incident response planning + tabletop exercises
- Vendor + supply-chain security assessment
- Board / DPO reporting + evidence pack
Managed SOC Monitoring · 24/7
AI-augmented Security Operations Centre — continuous monitoring across Microsoft 365 / Entra ID, Defender, on-prem, and cloud. UK-based analysts, sub-hour triage on critical alerts. No long contract required.
- 24/7 SIEM monitoring — Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Defender, Azure, on-prem logs
- BEC + mailbox-compromise + OAuth grant abuse detection
- Suspicious sign-in + conditional access drift alerting
- Ransomware + lateral-movement detection from EDR + Defender
- Sub-hour triage on critical alerts, monthly ops report
- Optional + integrated with consulting engagements
Most engagements start with consulting (1-2 weeks), then SOC monitoring (ongoing ) keeps the controls effective.
Pricing tailored to your needs
Every engagement is scoped to your environment and requirements. Book a free consultation for a tailored quote — no obligation.
What we cover
Practical, board-ready consulting — no jargon, no surprise invoices.
Managed SOC for M365 / Entra (A3 / A5)
24/7 monitoring of staff and SLT mailboxes, conditional access policy drift, malicious Inbox rules, OAuth grant abuse on Google Workspace or M365 — the patterns that precede ransomware deployment and safeguarding data exfiltration.
DfE Cyber Security Standards evidence pack
DfE published 10 mandatory Cyber Security Standards (digital and IT) for schools and trusts in 2022 — increasingly referenced in Ofsted inspections. We scaffold evidence directly against standards 1-10.
Schools Data Security & Protection Toolkit (DSPT)
Complete or refresh your annual schools DSPT submission to 'Approach to Met' status, document the digital controls (MFA, access, backups, training, incident response), and prepare the supporting evidence file.
Safeguarding records protection
Safeguarding records are special category data requiring additional controls — explicit access lists, restricted-IPM mailbox or RMS files, audit trails, and incident-response escalation to DSL. We design the protection stack and staff training.
Multi-academy trust centralised controls
For MATs with multiple schools, centralised identity (Entra ID for all schools) brings operational scale — and concentration risk. We design conditional access baselines applied across the trust, centralised audit, and per-school admin delegation.
Ransomware resilience & school-day continuity
Schools' ability to teach stops if MIS (SIMS, Bromcom, Arbor, Integris) goes offline. We design backup architecture for MIS recovery in 4-6 hours, full network rebuild playbook for 48 hours, and quarterly restore drills.
How we work
Scoping (Week 1)
Confirm MAT size, schools count, MIS vendor, current M365 / Google Workspace posture, safeguarding records arrangement, DfE Standard current compliance status.
Deploy (Week 1-2)
Connect M365 / Entra (and/or Google Workspace) to Gridisys SOC. Configure conditional access: MFA for all staff sign-ins, geo-restrictions by workshop days out, alert rules for new OAuth apps hitting safeguarding mailboxes.
DfE Standards evidence build (Week 2-3)
Document all 10 DfE Cyber Security Standards — technology, policies, training, incident response, business continuity, backup, identity, MDM, encryption. DSPT submission refreshed alongside.
Operate (ongoing)
24/7 monitoring + monthly SLT reporting + incident response on-call + annual DfE Standard review + quarterly restore drill verification.
Sectors we protect
Cybersecurity for schools that protects students
Free 30-minute consultation for heads, MAT CIOs and DSLs. We assess DfE Standards gaps, DSPT submission status, and safeguarding-record protection reality.
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