More than 320,000 files stolen from 39 schools in Bristol have been published on the dark web, Bristol City Council confirmed on Tuesday 4 November 2026, six weeks after hackers broke into the council’s Trading with Schools platform. The council says it cannot yet tell families what is in the files, and is working through a large volume of published material as quickly as possible.

Malicious software got into the Trading with Schools system on 21 September, and the council became aware four days later, shutting the system down on 25 September. The platform is used by 88 schools in the city, but 49 of them buy only internet services through it and are not believed to have been directly affected. The other 39 schools used it for day-to-day work including scheduling, lesson plans, staff details and payroll, and the platform can also hold sensitive information about children, including educational psychology files.

Contents not yet confirmed

The council has not confirmed which kinds of records were in the leaked files, and says it is not yet possible to confirm all the schools or individuals affected. That distinction matters: the number of files is confirmed, but no specific record type should be assumed to have leaked until the council’s audit establishes it. Vik Verma, the council’s director of education and skills, said officers were working through a large amount of material to determine the nature of the data published.

Families have been warned to remain vigilant against scams, with the council advising parents and pupils to be cautious about unexpected texts, calls and emails that could use stolen information. The council is working with schools, cybersecurity advisers, Avon and Somerset Police and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, and the investigation is continuing.

Sources: TES, Cyberattack leads to online leak of schools’ data, 4 November 2026; Silicon.co.uk, Hackers Publish Stolen Data After Bristol Schools Hack, 5 November 2026.