Cyber ranks number one in the risk rankings for the second consecutive year in Aon’s 2026 Independent Schools Risk Report, highlighting ongoing concern about exposure to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Cyber risk is a high profile issue across all sectors and countries. According to the 2025 Aon Global Risk Management Survey (GRMS), it is the top priority risk for Australian organisations and their global peers.

In the education sector, digital systems now underpin almost every element of a school’s daily operations, from teaching and learning to administration, communication and finance. At the same time, students who have grown up online expect technology enabled learning that supports collaboration, creativity and real time access to information.

This increases the importance to independent schools of stable, secure and well governed technology platforms.

In this context, cyber security, data privacy and system resilience continue to be a priority for school leadership teams. Disruption caused by cyber incidents can interrupt school operations, compromise sensitive information and potentially
undermine confidence among parents, staff and the broader community.

While cyber security risk ranked as the number one risk, ability to attract and retain talent is only fractionally behind. Attraction and retention and mental health of staff remain as the top three risks for the sector.

Survey responses also indicated that cost-of-living pressure and uncertainty on funding policy are driving financial concerns higher in the independent schools’ risk rankings

The findings of the survey highlight not only where risks are intensifying – from safeguarding and cyber security to staff
recruitment, retention, and governance – but also where there is innovation, resilience, and opportunity.

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