Update on secure communication arrangements – continued use of HertsFX
Message from Tony Fitzpatrick, Director of Education Hertfordshire County Council
Dear colleagues
I am writing to provide a further update on the council’s secure communication arrangements with schools, specifically in relation to HertsFX.
Extension of current arrangements
Following further review and continued feedback from schools and council services, we have taken the decision to continue the use of HertsFX for a further three months beyond the current extension period. This decision ensures that current arrangements for securely sharing information between schools and the council can remain in place while work continues on a longer term solution.
Why this decision has been taken
As previously communicated, HertsSecure has been introduced as the council’s replacement for HertsFX and is now being used successfully in many scenarios.
However, through live use and ongoing engagement with schools and services, it remains clear that:
- Schools are not yet able to independently initiate secure exchanges in all required scenarios
- Some statutory and operational processes still rely on this capability
- Removing HertsFX at this stage would introduce avoidable disruption, additional workload, and potential inconsistency in how information is shared
Please continue to use HertsFX as you currently do for secure communication with colleagues within the Local Authority. We will continue to provide updates through the Schools Bulletin and direct communication.
We recognise the importance of reliable and consistent ways of sharing information to support our collective statutory responsibilities to children and young people, and we are committed to developing a solution that works effectively for both schools and the Local Authority.
As a reminder, SchoolsFX is being decommissioned from 1st July 2026 - my previous communication emailed to you all regarding this can be viewed here.
Thank you for your continued support, feedback, and patience.