Academy trusts: How can academies meet digital and technology standards?

Academies
Academies Trust Handbook
Audit and assurance
Education and academies

As schools become increasingly reliant on technology for teaching, administration, and safeguarding, ensuring digital and technology standards are met is more important than ever. The Department for Education (DfE) have set out clear expectations for academy trusts to follow, helping them maintain secure, efficient, and future-proof digital environments.

Academy Trust Handbook section 1.16 states ‘Trusts should refer to the DfE’s digital and technology standards, which were developed to support trusts in making more informed decisions about technology.’

This blog explores key areas academies should focus on to align with best practices and meet compliance requirements.

Initial 3 steps

Read each of the 11 technology categories and the standards within here.
Review the individual standards and see if your academy trust meets them.
Develop a plan to find out what can be done if you’re not currently meeting the standards.

The role of a digital lead

The DfE recommend all academy trusts assign a senior leadership team member to be responsible for digital technology, known as the digital lead. Assigning a digital lead within your academy trust ensures there is clear oversight of technology management. This role is responsible for ensuring compliance with digital standards, overseeing procurement, and aligning technology investments with long-term strategic goals. Without clear digital leadership, academy trusts risk falling behind in both security and efficiency, potentially exposing students and staff to data protection risks.

The person assigned to this role does not need to be an expert, however they will need to have a certain level of technical knowledge, and most importantly an interest in the technological environment that your organisation operates.

In February 2025, we held a webinar on digital & technology standards, we asked attendees whether their academy trust had a designated digital lead. The results:

Developing a digital technology strategy

A structured digital strategy is essential for ensuring that digital investments align with the academy trust’s educational and operational needs. Academy trusts should assess their current technology landscape, identify gaps, and plan for future improvements. This includes:

Understanding existing IT infrastructure and planning upgrades where necessary
Ensuring technology supports learning outcomes and administrative efficiency
Ensuring that everyone has access to the appropriate training required for various digital compliance
Budgeting effectively for long-term sustainability rather than reactive spending
Aligning digital investments with security and data protection standards

A well-defined strategy prevents unnecessary spending on technology that does not integrate well or provide long-term benefits. When developing your academy trust’s digital strategy, the standards indicate that this should cover a minimum of two years, however you could also consider developing a long-term strategy too. Although the SLT digital lead will be accountable for the strategy, finance teams and other key stakeholders should be aware and support the strategy. The board of trustees should support and challenge any plans and decisions made on the digital technology strategy.

The key steps in a digital transformation strategy are to:

Set objectives – identify inefficiencies and research technology that can help
Budget the changes – tally the costs and compare to the benefit
Get buy-in from everyone – communicate the benefits and be specific about how it will improve the operating environment
Build a roadmap – lay out what you need to do and when
Train your team – Consider other service users if students/parents are also affected
Take feedback and refine
Say goodbye to the old ways – determine an end date for old systems/processes

Keeping registers up to date: asset, information, and contract registers

Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records is crucial for both compliance and operational efficiency. Academy trusts should keep registers relating to hardware and systems up to date.

Asset registers log all physical digital technology, including laptops, tablets, printers and servers. This differs from the accounting fixed asset register.
You can keep a record of your digital technology assets using the DfE asset register template
Information asset registers track the data academy trusts hold on students and staff, ensuring compliance with data protection legislation. This register is owned by the data protection officer.
You can record your information assets using the DfE information asset register template
Contracts registers monitor the supply of digital technology products and services, warranties, and renewal dates to avoid lapses in support or security measures. It can include: services relating to IT support, printing, and management information systems, as well as photocopier leases, licences for software and security monitoring services, such as CCTV.
You can record your contracts using the DfE contracts register template.

Neglecting these registers can lead to security vulnerabilities, financial inefficiencies, and compliance risks.

Key notes from the standards

Although we do not review each standard in detail within this blog, our team have highlighted below some of the more predominant points discussed in our recent webinar on digital & technology standards. Recording of the webinar is available on request.

Cyber security standards

Cyber threats are increasing, making cybersecurity a top priority. Within the cyber category there are 7 standards academy trusts need to meet:

Conduct a cyber risk assessment annually and review every term
Create and implement a cyber awareness plan for students and staff
Secure digital technology and data with anti-malware and a firewall
Control and secure user accounts and access privileges
License digital technology and keep it up to date
Develop and implement a plan to backup your data and review annually
Report cyber attacks

Failing to address cybersecurity leaves academy trusts vulnerable to data breaches, which can have severe financial and reputational consequences.

Laptop, desktop and tablet standards

Having the right devices will help support the digital technology strategy and meet educational needs. The SLT digital lead should work with finance & IT to ensure any decisions on devices fit within the strategy.

Devices should meet or exceed the minimum requirements. DfE guidance provides a detailed list of the requirements (e.g. operating system, warranty length, tablet screen size).

Make sure devices are energy efficient, and they are bought and disposed of sustainably. Finance teams should consider this when acquiring/disposing of devices, alongside IT support & SLT digital lead. A reminder to all academy trusts that WEEE regulations are a legal requirement. When disposing of devices, make sure Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations and data protection requirements are met.

When buying or disposing of assets, keep relevant registers up to date.

Network infrastructure and Wi-Fi standards

Reliable connectivity is essential for modern education. Academy trusts must ensure their network infrastructure is of a good quality standard, including:

Up-to-date network switches and cabling to support high-speed connections.
Secure and centrally managed Wi-Fi networks to prevent unauthorised access.
Compliance with Wi-Fi standards when upgrading or replacing wireless systems.

Whilst some academy trusts have already begun improving their network infrastructure, some perhaps have not, and the ESFA guidance is that you should look at implementing this as soon as you can.

All academy trusts should read each of the 11 technology categories and the standards within published by the DfE.

Support available

For those looking to refine their digital strategies, using available government resources and seeking expert guidance can make a significant difference in maintaining a secure and effective technology infrastructure.

DfE technology plan service: The DfE plan tool requires trusts to answer questions about areas of technology and leadership. You will then get recommendations to support your trust and advice on how your trust can plan and use digital technology. Anyone who has a DfE Sign-in account can use this service.

DfE procurement help: If you need to buy new technology to meet the standards, trusts can get help through the DfE ‘Get help buying for schools’ service.

National Cyber Security Centre: Practical resources to help schools improve their cyber security.

We always recommend that you seek advice from a suitably qualified adviser before taking any action. The information in this article only serves as a guide and no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of this material can be accepted by the authors or the firm.

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