Cyberattack Forces UK High School to Close After Holiday Break
Higham Lane School in Nuneaton, central England, has temporarily closed its doors following a cyberattack that crippled its IT infrastructure. The incident, which struck over the Christmas holidays, has left the school’s 1,500 students unable to attend classes until at least Wednesday, with the reopening date still uncertain.
In an email to parents, Headteacher Michael Gannon confirmed the attack disabled critical digital services, including telephones, emails, servers, and the school’s management system. Students have been instructed not to attempt logging into any school platforms until further notice.
The Central England Academy Trust, which oversees Higham Lane and five other local schools, acknowledged the incident as a "cyber security event" affecting parts of the school’s IT systems. The trust has activated incident response protocols, engaged independent cybersecurity experts, and notified authorities, including the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
While the nature of the attack remains unconfirmed, the education sector has faced a surge in ransomware incidents, with over 80 reported to the ICO in 2024 alone. Recent attacks on schools—such as those targeting Charles Darwin School, Wymondham College, and Tanbridge House School—have resulted in closures and threats of data leaks unless ransoms were paid.
It is unclear whether data was exfiltrated in the Higham Lane incident. The trust stated it would provide an update to families the following day but declined to speculate further, citing an ongoing investigation. The school has emphasized its commitment to restoring systems securely and swiftly.
Source: https://therecord.media/cyberattack-british-high-school-closes
Central England Academy Trust cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/ceatacademy
"id": "CEA1767632695",
"linkid": "ceatacademy",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "1/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '1,500 students and staff',
'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'Nuneaton, central England',
'name': 'Higham Lane School',
'size': '1,500 students',
'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Students advised not to log into any school systems '
'until further notice',
'description': 'A cyberattack has taken down the school IT system at Higham '
'Lane School in Nuneaton, leaving staff without access to '
'digital services including telephones, emails, servers, and '
'the school’s management system. The school remains closed '
'following the Christmas holidays, with students unable to '
'attend classes until at least Wednesday.',
'impact': {'downtime': 'At least until Wednesday (post-Christmas holidays)',
'operational_impact': 'School closure, inability to conduct '
'classes',
'systems_affected': 'IT system, telephones, emails, servers, '
'school’s management system'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'references': [{'source': 'Central England Academy Trust spokesperson'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Information '
'Commissioner’s Office '
'(ICO)'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Email to parents and carers, updates '
'promised',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
'recovery_measures': 'Working to restore systems safely and '
'quickly',
'third_party_assistance': 'Independent cybersecurity '
'specialists'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Update to families promised tomorrow',
'title': 'Cyberattack Forces Higham Lane School to Remain Closed',
'type': 'Cyberattack'}