On 9th October 2023, the UK government introduced a new update for school and college security: Business Continuity Management.
In this article, we will explore how this will impact your school or college, with a particular focus on the critical aspect of testing security plans, and how AI Schools can help you meet government requirements:
What is Business Continuity Management?
The government has introduced Business Continuity Plans as an essential part of your school or college’s security policy.
Business Continuity Plans should set out how your school or college will recover in the event of any security related incident.
What does this mean for schools and colleges?
It is vital to have a Business Continuity Plan in place for your school or college. The new legislation encourages schools to seek help from outside organisations when testing plans.
Our highly knowledgeable and experienced team at AI Schools will ensure you fully comply with implementing and testing Business Continuity Plans, in line with government requirements. This will instil confidence in security, for the school community, parents and stakeholders.
Essential Business Continuity Plans requirements
1) Incident response
Business Continuity Plans should detail what will happen if an incident occurs and describe how you would react to it.
2) Defining roles and responsibilities
The plan should define individual roles and responsibilities, explain how to respond to an incident and provide details of what steps will be taken in order to be able to get back to business as usual.
3) Addressing emotional impact
It's crucial to acknowledge the emotional toll that security incidents can take on students, staff and parents.
In line with this, Business Continuity Plans should explain what will be done to handle the emotional impact of such an event and include information about professional and specialist help available.
Those leading the recovery will not only be facing and dealing with their own personal challenges but will also be dealing with the impact on staff, students and parents.
Following government requirements on Testing Security Plans
The government has expressed the importance of testing security plans. Detailing:
“You should regularly test policies and handling plans. Practice drills will identify where improvements can be made and enable you to assess what the wider residual effects of an incident are likely to be.
You should consider involving outside agencies in helping evaluate practice drills.”
How AI Schools can support your school or college
As trusted experts, with decades of experience, AI Schools can support your school in meeting the latest government requirements.
Whether it's introducing, updating, or maintaining a Business Continuity Plan, or testing your security plans, our highly-qualified team can help.
At AI Schools, we offer comprehensive services including risk assessments, on-site or remote training sessions, and valuable advice and support. We're committed to empowering schools and colleges, putting robust security measures in place to safeguard your communities.
To implement or test your Business Continuity plan, contact our dedicated team on 01983 564 917 or email enquiries@aischools.co.uk