Northern Ireland's Education Authority making ‘positive progress’ after cyber attack

By Rebecca Black, Press Association

Northern Ireland’s Education Authority (EA) has said it is “making positive progress” following a cyber attack.

An IT system used by pupils was impacted and the EA apologised for the impact on those who may be preparing for exams over the Easter break.

The C2K school system, provided by Capita, is used as a curriculum support.

We apologise for the unavoidable disruption but would reassure users this essential security measure was taken to maintain the integrity of the system and safety of all users

In a statement on Saturday, an EA spokesperson said it is continuing to engage with Capita to minimise the impact on staff and pupils.

“We are making positive progress towards restoring access to the schools’ C2K system,” they said.

“EA teams, along with the service provider Capita and colleagues in schools, have worked around the clock to rapidly develop and test a safe and secure solution.

“We have started to roll this out in schools, with initial priority given to post primary schools and pupils in exam years.”

EA officials said work will continue over the weekend and Easter period to restore access.

“Details of arrangements will be communicated to pupils by their school as soon as possible,” they said.

“We apologise for the unavoidable disruption but would reassure users this essential security measure was taken to maintain the integrity of the system and safety of all users.

“EA would like to thank schools and partners for their support as we continue to monitor progress over coming days.

“We will continue to keep schools, parents/carers and pupils updated via EA website Education Authority and our social media channels.”