Maidstone: Secondary school hit by cyber attack

St Augustine Academy is part of the six school Woodard Academies Trust chain

A secondary school in Kent has been hit by a criminal cyber attack, with pupil and parental data encrypted.

Jason Feldwick, principal of St Augustine Academy in Maidstone, confirmed there had been "a serious IT breach" on Wednesday.

He told parents and carers the breach resulted in school systems and data being encrypted by an "outside criminal organisation".

He said they will inform authorities and work on a back up solution.

It is not known if so-called "ransomware" was used to demand cash from the school or the trust that the academy is part of.

Mr Feldwick urged parents and carers to be "extra vigilant" if they receive any unusual emails and phone calls.

Councillor Chris Passmore said: "It just goes to show that absolutely no one is safe from cyber attacks and emphasises the need for vigilance against them."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].