Rethinking Your School’s ICT Needs

Technology is changing the world and will inevitably have a huge impact on the world our children grow up into. But as it becomes an increasingly integral part of education, so does the challenge for schools to save money, spend it wisely and use ICT more effectively.

We frequently encounter schools whose ICT investment plans are driven by the latest technology trends, where ICT investment hasn’t been steered as to how the technology could and would support their pedagogy. Conversely, some schools have always had an ICT suite of 30 computers and as they get older they begin to slow down, the school simply goes out and buys the same again because that’s what they’ve always done.

But what if you don’t even need these computers?

What if your pupils are only really using them to write a few documents or do some brief research on the internet? In that case, you would probably be better with something like a Chromebook, which is half the cost of a PC so you’re immediately reducing your spend as well as using a more collaborative tool which will help give your students future career skills.

If you move towards internet-based devices, then rather than having a large capital outlay on hardware and associated maintenance and support costs, you could become a ‘serverless school’ where services and systems are delivered to staff and students through the internet.

This can be a really effective way to reduce your ICT spend as it allows the costs to be spread through a friendlier revenue model, and means you can opt for more cost-effective internet-optimised devices for your teachers and students. This model not only makes financial planning easier but reduces the need for schools to build up a capital fund for future ICT purchases.

Adopting this model also reduces the need for a large on-site technical team; our research has indicated that having remote support in place can be infinitely more cost-effective for schools, with on average 60% of issues resolved remotely, reducing the need for a large on-site technical team and allowing schools to concentrate on physical tasks.

These cost-effective technological trends place ICT back under the control of your senior leadership team, meaning precious budgets can be spent in a manner that provides the maximum return for your school.

To find out more call us free on 0808 172 9534, visit www.rm.com/flex or email flex@rm.com