Moor Park High School receives £390,000 IBM grant to strengthen cyber-security preparedness

Moor Park High School and Sixth Form in Preston, Lancashire, has received an in-kind £396,113.50 grant from IBM. The grant, to help support cybersecurity preparedness, provides the school with access to IBM’s Service Corps and SkillsBuild programs to help address rising cybersecurity threats faced by educational institutions globally.

As part of the grant, IBM Service Corps will work with Moor Park to implement cybersecurity services, which include incident response plans, ransomware playbooks, and strategic communication plans to manage potential cyber incidents. 

Faculty and students will also benefit from training on IBM’s SkillsBuild platform, which offers free educational resources in AI, cybersecurity, and other key technology fields.

The education sector has increasingly become a target for cyberattacks, largely due to limited security resources and the substantial amounts of personal data held by schools. Cybercriminals often exploit vulnerabilities in educational institutions, with phishing and credential exploitation cited as frequent entry points in IBM’s 2024 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index.

Troy Bettencourt, IBM X-Force Global Partner, stated:

“The education sector requires a very dynamic security posture due to the variability of threat vectors it needs to manage. Every year, new students are enrolling, bringing in new devices that they connect to the network, and inadvertently establishing new behaviors and patterns that need to be monitored and secured.

“Add to that the additional data now moving through the environment that must be protected. In other words, the attack surface and risk posture that school districts need to manage is constantly changing, yet limited security resources remain an inhibitor – which is why the availability of these grants can be a game-changer for schools seeking to boost their cyber resilience.”  

IBM’s support also reflects its commitment to fostering digital skills. According to Vikki Bradney-Spencer, CSR Manager at IBM UKI:

“IBM’s education and volunteering programmes lie at the heart of our mission to create equitable impact. As the global skills gap in cybersecurity and AI continues to widen, we recognise the urgent need for action. Through IBM SkillsBuild, as well as the knowledge and skills of our IBM volunteers, we’re empowering UK students and teachers with training in critical areas like AI and cybersecurity.” 

Moor Park High School was selected for the IBM grant from a competitive pool of applicants. The IBM Service Corps team will assist the school in enhancing its cybersecurity capabilities and preparing students and staff to respond effectively to potential cyber threats.

“Over the past two years, we have made cyber security a major focus. This new partnership between Moor Park and IBM will help us protect our students and staff from unwanted threats, thereby enhancing our educational services,” said George Walker, Teacher of Computer Science and CyberFirst Lead for Moor Park High School and Sixth Form.

“It also enables us to confidently develop innovative digital learning techniques and reassure our entire school community of its preparedness against cyber threats. Cybersecurity is of paramount importance to the school for the protection of sensitive student and staff information from potential cyber threats. With robust security measures, the school safeguards its digital infrastructure.”