October Newsletter from ESP

Dear Subscribers

Happy October, it’s almost half term, not sure how that happened so quickly!

This month, I’m delving into the critical importance of cyber security in schools after seeing a recent statistic that at least 60% of UK schools have been victim to some form of cyber attack.

Then I look at how timetabling is becoming more complex with the increase in different forms of working week within schools including flexi-working, job shares and a 9-day fortnight.  PLUS, we have three superb new jobs we are hiring for.

Warm regards

William Townsend

Managing Director

ESP Recruitment

Cyber Attacks on Schools

Cyber attacks on schools are increasing. The Government’s 2024 Cyber Securities Breaches Survey published in April, found that the number of attacks on secondary schools was almost on a par with those identified at medium and large corporations, at 71% and 70% and 74% respectively. These are attacks identified by the organisation and don’t include attacks that may have gone unnoticed. Phishing attacks and impersonation in emails are particularly common.

School staff involved in the survey interviews sighted a lack of budget as making investment in cyber security limited. This can result in a reactionary method of response rather than being able to plan and have a clear strategy to try and prevent attacks.

Information from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) shows that the number of cyber incidents reported in the education sector were up 55% between 2022 and 2023. Some schools have had to cancel lessons during cyber attacks as all systems have to be taken offline.

Impact for School IT Director Roles

In terms of the IT Director Role, up-to-date training and knowledge in cyber security is key. The area is becoming more and more a central part of the job. The UK Safer Internet Centre sights that more than 80% of secondary schools and 75% of primaries have now established cybersecurity policies to help deal with breaches and communicate knowledge on what to do in the event of one.

IT Directors are often now tasked with safeguarding data, implementing secure networks and ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued specific guidance for schools to help with knowledge and information. They emphasise the need for robust security measures and making it clear that cybersecurity needs to be a priority for IT leaders in schools.

Research sources and further reading

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) | Cyber Security for Schools

UK Safer Internet Centre June 2024 | New Cyber security data reveals the impact of attacks on schools

BBC News May 2024 | Pupils miss classes as school cyber attacks rise

Gov.uk April 2024  | Cyber Security breaches survey 2024

Timetabling and the Growth of Flexible Working

Bridget Phillipson, the new Education Secretary, is embarking on a drive to recruit 6,500 more teachers into our schools. One of the reasons sighted by teachers leaving the profession is the necessity to be on the school site daily and a lack of flexible working. It’s more difficult to roll out flexible working in schools but some schools are trialling or bringing in creative alternatives including job shares, part-time positions, using free periods for home based working and, the 9-day working fortnight being trialled by some of the UK’s largest MATs. The rise of flexible working patterns and increasing demands for them by younger staff presents key challenges for timetabling.

Timetabling Issues

1. Staff Availability: flexi working can lead to irregular staff availability. This can make it harder to ensure consistent teaching cover. It’s key to avoid gaps in the timetable, especially in core subjects like Maths and English.
2. Student Learning: flexibility can throw up issues in maintaining continuity for students if teachers are on staggered or part-time schedules.
3. Classrooms: schools may face increased demand for classrooms at peak times, creating bottlenecks in room availability.
4. Collaboration: finding common time slots for meetings or planning is more difficult with staggered work patterns. Key meetings may take place within ‘core hours’.
5. Compliance with regulations: schools need to balance staff workloads with contractual obligations which can be harder to track with people on different work patterns.

Timetabling Solutions

1. Customisable Scheduling: advanced timetabling software can accommodate flexible working patterns by automating the process of assigning classes based on staff availability.
2. Room Allocation: automatic room allocation can be scheduled based on staff on-site and student numbers.
3. Job-Sharing: flexible timetabling can facilitate job-sharing arrangements where part-time staff cover a single timetable.
4. Blocks: creating timetable blocks can create ‘core teaching hours’ where staff are required on-site, leaving flexible hours outside of these core sessions where staff can be at home.
5. Collaboration: within multi-academy trusts, timetabling can be used to make the best use of staff across the whole trust and many have centralised core operations such as finance, IT and marketing.

Advances in timetabling software can offer many solutions to support flexible working. Talk to us for more information on our Timetable Consultancy Service.

For more information

National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) | June 2019 | Part-time Teaching and Flexible Working in Secondary Schools

TES June 2024 | How smarter timetabling can increase teacher retention

Gov.uk April 2024 | Flexible Working in Schools

Latest Jobs

Here are our latest roles, please be in touch to apply.

Part time on site ICT Technician

Arbor MIS Consultant

Learning Technologist Apprenticeship at Eltham College.

Get in touch if you are interested in this excellent role.

+44 (0)20 8559 2077

info@esp-recruit.co.uk