A Preston high school has been awarded more than £390,000 by a 'tech giant.'

The grant, given to Moor Park High School and Sixth Form by IBM, is aimed at helping schools prepare for and respond to global cyberattacks.

The grant means the school will receive security services from the IBM Service Corps teams.

This includes training for both staff and students in AI and cybersecurity, made possible through improved access to IBM SkillsBuild.

George Walker, teacher of computer science and CyberFirst lead for Moor Park High School and Sixth Form, said: "Over the past two years, we have made cybersecurity a major focus.

"This new partnership between Moor Park and IBM will help us protect our students and staff from unwanted threats, thereby enhancing our educational services.

"It also enables us to confidently develop innovative digital learning techniques and reassure our entire school community of its preparedness against cyber threats."

Cybersecurity is critical to safeguarding confidential student and staff information from potential attacks.

With solid security measures in place, the school aims to protect its digital infrastructure.

The education sector remains a 'highly targeted' area for cybercriminals, according to the 2024 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index.

The index reveals that phishing and exploitation of valid credentials were the 'most common entry points' for cybercriminals into educational organisations last year.

Troy Bettencourt, global partner and head of IBM X-Force, said: "The education sector requires a very dynamic security posture due to the variability of threat vectors it needs to manage."

Moor Park High School and Sixth Form was chosen from hundreds of applications from schools worldwide and is working with IBM Service Corps volunteers to prepare for and respond to cyber threats.

This includes creating incident response plans, ransomware playbooks, updating technology, and providing cybersecurity training for school communities.