diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4cd82075..d1b0b367 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,3 +4,4 @@ static/
 __pycache__
 .vscode/
 .DS_Store
+rad/settings_local.py
diff --git a/rad/settings.py b/rad/settings.py
index 5828afd9..9b4aff1b 100644
--- a/rad/settings.py
+++ b/rad/settings.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ with open('/etc/secret_key') as f:
     SECRET_KEY = f.read().strip()
 
 # SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
-DEBUG = True
+DEBUG = False
 
 ALLOWED_HOSTS = ["localhost", "127.0.0.1", "161.35.163.87", "penracourses.org.uk"]
 
@@ -193,4 +193,9 @@ THUMBNAIL_ALIASES = {
     '': {
         'exam-list': {'size': (50, 50), 'crop': True},
     },
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+try:
+    from .settings_local import *
+except ImportError:
+    pass
\ No newline at end of file