Pupil assignments hit by Dorchester school cyber attack

Thomas Hardye School's systems were attacked on Sunday

A school that had its computer systems encrypted in a cyber attack last month has been unable to recover its data.

Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester said its screens and systems were locked after being targeted on 21 May.

It said the worst-case scenario would be a complete loss of data, including some students' BTEC and A-level assignments.

Head teacher Nick Rutherford warned the incident may also have resulted in a data breach.

The attack, which also disabled email and payment systems, was accompanied by a ransom demand, payable on the dark web, which the school has refused to pay.

It said it was working with exam boards to support affected A-level and BTEC students.

In a message to parents and carers, Mr Rutherford said: "We hold a large volume of data on staff, students and parents and are aware of the seriousness of any such data breach. We are following guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office and we will continue to keep you updated."