DfE Wireless (WiFi) Network Standards
Wireless (WiFi) Network Standards
Reliability and, high-performance of wireless access across a school or college is essential.
A strong, secure, and well-managed wireless network is a must in any modern school or college. Teachers, staff and students rely on constantly wireless connectivity for teaching, learning, and administrative tasks. The Department for Education expects schools and colleges to provide robust, site-wide access that meets these requirements.
Schools are required to meet performance and security standards by implementing the latest WiFi technology, currently Wi-Fi 6E or higher.
WiFi coverage must extend to all teaching and administrative areas within a school or college including outdoor spaces where required. Typically, this involves placing access points in every classroom, learning spaces and office administration areas, with higher-capacity devices in larger or high-traffic spaces.
Centrally managed wireless systems allow IT teams to monitor performance, deploy updates, address faults quickly, and balance network traffic. They should be scalable to meet future demand and regularly reviewed to keep pace with evolving standards and emerging threats.
Security is non-negotiable. Wireless networks must prevent unauthorised access and safeguard sensitive data, both from internal misuse and external threats. This includes secure authentication (e.g., WPA3), role-based access, encrypted traffic, and multi-factor authentication for privileged users.
Guest access should be clearly separated from the main network to maintain security.
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DfE Network Cabling Standards
Network Cabling Standards
Network cabling underpins a school’s entire digital environment, connecting classroom technology, administrative systems and cloud services.
Inadequate or outdated cabling can restrict performance, limit future growth and increase ongoing maintenance costs. The Department for Education (DfE) therefore expects schools and colleges to upgrade legacy infrastructure where feasible, ensuring all new cabling supports long-term reliability, capacity and safety.
Category 6A (Cat 6A) is now the minimum standard for copper cabling, providing the bandwidth and resilience required for high-speed networks, modern devices and wireless connectivity.
For fibre cabling, particularly between buildings or core network areas, OM4 should be used as a baseline to support higher data volumes over extended distances.






























