School in Dorchester hit by cyber attack

Thomas Hardye School’s IT systems were recently taken down by a cyber ransom attack, according to the Dorset Echo.

In a message to parents, the school has said it will be working with partners, such as the National Cyber Security Centre and the police, to get the systems back up-and-running again as soon as possible.

It is believed the system was hacked into on Sunday May 21 and detected just before school started the following morning, with payments in the canteen and pupil payments for other items being compromised.

The attack, which locks screens and systems, involved a ransom demand payable via the dark web, which the school has said it will not be complying with. In a message to parents, headteacher, Nick Rutherford, said, “We are in liaison with our school data protection officer and this data breach has been reported to the Information Commissioners Office in line with requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR. Every action has been taken to minimise disruption and data loss.

“The school will remain open, with teaching and learning being adapted accordingly. Please be reassured that examinations will continue to run as normal with contingencies in place for those students who have access arrangements.”

Nottingham

as nation’s funniest by Beano comic

The Independent has reported that students from Class Indigo 1 at Greasley Beauvale Primary School in Eastwood, Nottingham, have won Beano’s annual Britain’s Funniest Class competition.

To immortalise their win, each student has been drawn by Dennis the Menace artist Nigel Parkinson, with their winning joke featuring on the magazine’s cover. The winning gag goes, “What happened to the maths teacher’s garden? It grew square roots!” Michelle Bates, headteacher at the school, said her pupils had “an absolute blast” creating the gag and feels “overjoyed” to share it with the nation.

There were many participants in the competition to find the nation’s most humorous pupils, and jokes were whittled down to a shortlist of just 10. Voting was then opened to the public who could select their favourite from the shortlist. The gag earned 51% of total votes and was selected as the winner by humour experts at Beano.

“Each year we can’t wait to see what the next generation of comedians have to say,” Mike Sterling, director of mischief at Beano Studios, quipped, “so a huge congratulations to Greasley Beauvale Primary School for taking home the crown – who doesn’t love a joke about teachers?”

Scottish government to hold summit aimed at tackling pupil violence

As reported by the BBC, the Scottish government is to hold a summit with the aim of tackling student violence in the country’s schools.

The announcement comes just two weeks after three teachers and a pupil were injured after being attacked by a former student at Johnstone High School. Unions have said these physical and verbal attacks are faced regularly by school staff.

Education secretary, Jenny Gilruth said the summit will bring together parents and carers, young people, schools, local authorities, and campaigners to identify the best way to tackle the problem. “Any form of violence in our schools is completely unacceptable,” she said.

“No teacher or pupil should suffer verbal or physical abuse, and parents should be able to send their children to school knowing that they are safe.”