Meeting the DfE Core Standards in Schools: A Practical Seminar for Network Managers, IT Directors and Business Managers
Join DMSystem and partners on Wednesday 24 June 2026 at Alliance Manchester Business School for a half-day seminar focused on what the DfE’s six core digital and technology standards mean in practice, and how to evidence them before the 2030 deadline.
It is 2026, and the pace of change in school IT shows no sign of slowing. Expectations around resilience, safeguarding and cyber security keep rising, while budgets and staffing capacity remain stubbornly tight. With the Department for Education’s 2030 deadline edging closer, the same conversation is happening in IT offices and Business Manager meetings across the country: what actually needs to be in place, how do we evidence it, and what is the most practical way to deliver it without disrupting teaching?
This free, half-day seminar at Alliance Manchester Business School is built around that exact question. It is hosted by DMSystems with senso.cloud, Boxphish and Vivi, and it is aimed squarely at the people doing the work: Network Managers, IT Directors, Heads of IT and the School Business Managers who sponsor and sign off the plans.
Why the Six Core Standards Matter Now
The Academy Trust Handbook 2025, effective from 1 September 2025, raised the stakes. Where the DfE Digital and Technology Standards were once described as recommended, trusts are now expected to understand and actively work towards meeting the six core standards by 2030. They cover broadband internet, wireless networks, network switching, cyber security, filtering and monitoring, and digital leadership and governance. For technical leaders, this is the operating spec for the next four years.
The compliance gap is significant. Recent sector research suggests that while around 72% of school IT leads are aware of the standards, only 16% report meeting them. That delta is where governors, SLT and safeguarding leads will be looking first when next year’s reviews roll around. The right window to map current provision against each standard is now: end of academic year planning is when next year’s capital and revenue conversations get shaped, and the summer install windows are not far behind.
What the Seminar Covers
The day is designed to be practical, not promotional. Across the morning, with lunch included, you will leave with a clear view of what each of the six core standards looks like, the most common compliance gaps, and how to close them. The sessions include:
- An overview of the DfE six core digital and technology standards, with a clear, practical guide to how each one can be met.
- Digital safeguarding with senso.cloud, directly supporting the DfE requirement for appropriate filtering and monitoring, and helping schools turn “we have the tools” into something that actually works day to day.
- Security awareness and phishing resilience with Boxphish, supporting the DfE Cyber Security Core Standard through short staff training modules and clear reporting that stands up in a governor pack.
- A dedicated Martyn’s Law workshop delivered by Vivi, covering evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and site-wide communication ahead of the April 2027 compliance deadline.
It is the kind of agenda that gives technical leads the documentation strategy they need, and gives Business Managers the evidence-led narrative they need for board reports and governor meetings.
Why You Should Be in the Room
If you run the network, you already know the standards inside out. What this seminar adds is the practical detail: how peer schools are actually evidencing compliance, where the SLT and governor conversations are landing, and how the tooling from senso.cloud, Boxphish and Vivi plugs the most stubborn gaps. Expect peer conversations with other Network Managers and IT Directors, vendor sessions that go deeper than a sales pitch, and a working checklist you can take straight back to your next SLT meeting.
If you sponsor IT spend, the seminar gives you a defensible compliance narrative tied to capital and revenue planning. End of academic year is when next year’s budgets get shaped, and the conversations sparked here tend to flow straight into Q3 capital decisions, condition allocation spend planning, and procurement framework choices.
And whichever side of the table you sit on, there is the matter of Martyn’s Law. By April 2027, schools and colleges must demonstrate strengthened safety procedures. The Vivi workshop alone is worth the trip for any IT lead or Business Manager whose name will end up on the duty holder list.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday 24 June 2026
Time: 09:30 to 14:00
Venue: Alliance Manchester Business School, Booth Street West, Manchester, M15 6PB
Cost: Free to attend, lunch included
For: Network Managers, IT Directors, Heads of IT and School Business Managers
Reserve Your Free Seat
Seats are limited and going quickly. Register for the seminar here and bring the questions your governors, SLT and parents are already asking.