Written question WQ88301

It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities in Wales to provide education, and to do in a way that promotes the safeguarding and welfare of children and young people.

Through the Hwb Programme, the Welsh Government provides a robust technological offering to support all maintained schools in Wales, including secondary schools. The Welsh Government has invested over £180 million to transform school’s digital landscape, recognising the importance of robust digital infrastructure and services.

All maintained schools now have superfast internet connectivity and future-proofed digital infrastructure and more than 250,000 new devices have been provided for practitioners and learners since 2020. This has been achieved as part of a national EdTech change programme, which was co-constructed with all local authorities to deliver consistent and sustainable education digital standards.

The standards outline consistent principles with regards to digital security ensuring device management and infrastructure is maintained and fit for purpose. They provide guidance on how schools should future proof their digital environment to meet the needs of a more digitally focused curriculum.

To support local authorities and schools, a national EdTech commercial service was established to provide a simple and compliant route to market to purchase innovative technology and services to support teaching and learning which adhere to the education digital standards. The service allows Wales to leverage the benefits of a once for Wales approach, maximising investment and realising national economies of scale.

A key component of the Hwb Programme is the national Hwb platform for all maintained schools in Wales. It is designed to support teaching and learning by providing access to a range of safe and secure digital tools, content and collaborative spaces.

The Hwb platform also provides cloud storage for schools to store and share digital content safe and securely. This includes features such as secure email, web filtering and device management solutions including Microsoft Intune and Google device management. These tools allow schools to effectively manage and secure their devices, ensuring compliance with digital security standards. The provision provided is backed by industry leading cyber security services from Microsoft and Google, ensuring systems are safe to use, defend against malicious attacks and support schools to safeguard their learners.

All maintained schools in Wales also have access to 360safe Cymru, a bespoke bilingual self-review tool that supports schools to review and enhance their policies, provision and practices around their safe use of technology in education. The tool highlights the importance of digital security and includes guidance and support on infrastructure and data security and complements the support provided through Keeping safe online.