UK education sees rise in cyber breaches as phishing dominates

According to Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026, released by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Home Office on 30 April 2026, the British public education sector has seen a marked rise in cyber breaches over the past year despite stable national threat levels.

The annex shows that the proportion of British primary schools identifying cyber breaches increased by 4% in the 2025/2026 findings compared with August–December 2024, while 73% of UK secondary schools reported breaches, up from 60% in the 2025 report. The survey also found 88% of further education colleges were hit, up by 3%, and higher education institutions rose from 91% to 98%.

The institutions covered amount to 273 primary schools, 222 secondary schools, 33 further education colleges and 49 higher education institutions. Phishing remained the dominant threat, with 38% of businesses and 25% of charities affected, and the share experiencing only phishing attacks rising to 51% from 45%.