TL;DR
Higham Lane School in Nuneaton closed for two days after a cyber incident disabled phones, email and core IT systems. The school is working with a Department for Education Cyber Incident Response Team and its trust’s IT experts while parents and pupils are advised to avoid school systems.
What happened
Higham Lane School in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, closed on Monday and Tuesday after a cyber incident disrupted its IT environment, cutting access to phones, email, servers and its management system. The headteacher said the closure followed advice from external specialists as investigations continued. A Cyber Incident Response Team from the Department for Education and IT staff from the Central England Academy Trust have been engaged to investigate and assist recovery. School leaders instructed staff and pupils to avoid using school platforms, including Google Classroom and SharePoint, while access remains locked; those already logged in were told not to worry. The school redirected students to independent revision sites such as BBC Bitesize and Oak National Academy and said it has reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office in line with data protection requirements. A risk assessment addressing safeguarding and wellbeing was carried out, and reopening is planned for Wednesday, January 7, subject to recovery work.
Why it matters
- Disruption affected core communication and management systems, interrupting normal school operations and learning.
- The incident underscores how reliant modern schools are on digital systems and the impact when they fail or are attacked.
- Reporting to the ICO indicates potential regulatory and data-protection implications that require investigation.
- Engagement of national and trust-level responders shows the scale of expertise schools may need to recover from cyber incidents.
- Exam-year students (Years 11 and 13) faced lost classroom time during a key revision period.
Key facts
- School affected: Higham Lane School, Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
- Services knocked out included phones, email, servers and the school management system.
- The school remained closed on Monday and Tuesday while recovery and investigation took place.
- A Cyber Incident Response Team from the Department for Education was brought in to assist.
- IT experts from the Central England Academy Trust are supporting the investigation and recovery.
- Staff and pupils were told to avoid school systems such as Google Classroom and SharePoint until further notice.
- Students were directed to external revision resources like BBC Bitesize and Oak National Academy, which are not connected to the school network.
- The school reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office in line with Data Protection Act / GDPR timelines.
- A safeguarding and wellbeing risk assessment was completed; reopening targeted for Wednesday, January 7, dependent on recovery.
What to watch next
- Whether investigations confirm if any student or staff data were accessed or exfiltrated — not confirmed in the source.
- The timeline and success of technical recovery efforts and the school’s ability to fully restore systems by the planned reopening.
- Any regulatory follow-up or enforcement action stemming from the ICO notification — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Cyber incident response team: A specialist group assembled to investigate, contain and remediate the effects of a cyberattack or security breach.
- Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): The UK regulator responsible for upholding information rights and enforcing data protection laws such as the Data Protection Act and GDPR.
- Multi Academy Trust (MAT): An organisation that runs a group of state-funded schools, providing shared governance and centralised services including IT.
- Google Classroom: A cloud-based platform used by schools to distribute and manage class materials and assignments.
Reader FAQ
Was student or staff personal data accessed?
Not confirmed in the source.
Who is investigating the incident?
A Department for Education Cyber Incident Response Team and IT experts from the Central England Academy Trust are assisting.
When will the school reopen?
The school aimed to reopen on Wednesday, January 7, subject to recovery work.
Were parents informed about the disruption?
Yes — the headteacher published messages to parents outlining the disruption and response steps.
CYBER-CRIME Students bag extended Christmas break after cyber hit on school IT Phones, email, and core systems knocked out at Higham Lane in Nuneaton Carly Page Tue 6 Jan 2026 // 10:55 UTC Students…
Sources
- Students bag extended Christmas break after cyber hit on school IT
- As schools power down for the holidays, hackers power up
- The Register: Enterprise Technology News and Analysis
- Cyber-attack crashes Aurora College's return to school for …
Related posts
- SCiZE’s Classic Warez Filelists: 1997 Scene Releases and Indexes
- UK invests £210M in Government Cyber Action Plan to strengthen Whitehall
- Understanding Trump’s ‘Retro’ Coup: Three Keys to Venezuela’s Raid