School in Billericay closes after 'critical incident' cyber attack
In a letter to parents and carers The Billericay School say they're closed today to deal with the attack
A school in Essex is closed today as it deals with an ongoing critical incident.
The Billericay School say a half term cyber attack means its unsafe to open the school to students today, with years 7, 8, 9 and 12 asked to learn remotely, whilst IT support staff work to resolve the issue.
In a letter posted on the schools website, to parents and carers, Headteacher Patrick Berry says despite their precautionary security and safety measures, the attack means the school IT system has been "compromised" and is inaccessible due to a "complex encryption".
Students who are eligible for a free school meal can still pick up a packed lunch from the school, but due to the lack of ability to safely operate the school, Mr Berry's decided to close the site for students who would be returning to the classroom this morning after their half term break.
Mr Berry goes on to day IT support staff have already made "significant progress" in dealing with restoring systems, with today's school closure enabling them to further resolve them without any students in the area.
Timetabled classes are expected to resume tomorrow.
RAAC work is also taking place at The Billericay School, with Mr Berry confirming he will write to parents and carers once again next week about the work that's taking place on the school site.