Resilience
Backup broadband: keeping the school online when a line fails
DfE’s broadband standard asks schools to avoid a single point of failure: a second connection of a different type, automatic failover and redundant power. What that means, when to do it, and why power matters more once copper lines go.
On this page
At a glance
- DfE’s backup standard: A second connection of a different type, with automatic failover.
- DfE’s examples: a leased line with FTTP, or FTTP with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite.
- Add it alongside a new connection, or as soon as possible afterwards.
- Fibre doesn’t carry power: without battery backup or a UPS, a power cut takes out internet and voice.
Lessons, registers, payments and safeguarding systems all depend on the internet now. DfE’s broadband internet standard includes a backup broadband connection, so that one fault doesn’t cut the school off. It’s one of the core standards to work towards by 2030.
What the standard describes
The purpose is to avoid a single point of failure. In practice that means:
- More than one connection, of different service types. DfE’s examples are a leased line with FTTP, or FTTP with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite.
- More than one router, set up for automatic failover, so traffic moves to the backup without someone having to step in.
- Redundant power on core network equipment.
When: put resilience in alongside a new connection, or as soon as possible after it’s installed.
Power: the part that’s easy to miss
DfE’s guidance on the copper switch-off points out that fibre doesn’t carry power. During a power cut, all voice and internet services are lost unless there is battery backup or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). DfE’s switching standard also says core switches should be connected to at least one UPS, and that critical core switches should have two power supplies, two management modules and two connections to other critical equipment.
Service levels
The England standard gives no availability or repair-time figures. In Wales, the Hwb standard sets a minimum availability of 99.9% and guaranteed restoration within 6 hours if the service fails completely. Whatever nation you’re in, read the service level agreement and ask what happens when a line goes down.
Plan for failure anyway
DfE’s digital leadership standard asks schools to include digital technology in their disaster recovery and business continuity plans, and to test the recovery plan at least once a year. Losing the internet connection is an obvious scenario to include.
Sources
Checked 25 October 2026. We wrote this guide from these sources, in our own words:
- DfE: Broadband internet core standard (gov.uk)
- DfE: Network switching core standard (gov.uk)
- DfE: Digital leadership and governance core standard (gov.uk)
- DfE: Prepare your education estate for the PSTN and ISDN switch-off (gov.uk)
- Hwb: Connectivity (broadband) standards (hwb.gov.wales)
Broadband for Schools is an independent guide. We are not a broker, a reseller or a supplier, and we are not connected to the Department for Education, any local authority or any provider. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.