Empowering Multi Academy Trusts Through a Robust Digital Strategy

As Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) continue to expand and evolve, the need for a cohesive and forward-thinking digital strategy becomes increasingly apparent. With each new school added to the trust, a unique set of challenges arises, ranging from IT practices to different technology infrastructures. However, within these complexities lies an opportunity to create positive change and drive innovation across the trust, enhancing the educational experience for all stakeholders involved.

At the heart of this transformation is the development and implementation of a comprehensive Digital Strategy, designed to align with the educational vision of the trust whilst successfully leveraging technology.

The five key strands that underpin this strategy are:

1. Infrastructure and Networks: Establishing a robust network infrastructure ensures seamless communication, data sharing, and efficient operations.
2. Information and Data: A well-defined data management strategy ensures accuracy, privacy, and informed decision-making.
3. Online Safety and Cyber Security: Protecting students, staff, and sensitive information through a strong cybersecurity framework.
4. Teaching, Learning and End User Technology: Integrating technology enhances engagement, personalised learning, and collaboration.
5. Governance, Policy, and Operations: Clear policies and governance structures guide digital initiatives. MAT leaders collaborate with stakeholders to address ethical, legal, and operational aspects.

Recognising the importance of this, the Department for Education (DfE) emphasises the adoption of a robust digital strategy, outlining standards and recommendations for schools and colleges nationwide. By embracing these five strands, MATs can empower their staff, drive educational excellence, and prepare students for a digital future.

Building a Foundation: Design Principles

To successfully develop a trust-wide digital strategy that meets the DfE standards of building important procedures to manage technology, we take a unified approach to guarantee that all major parts of your IT work together.

Imagine this: your MAT, an environment where every aspect of your IT infrastructure operates in perfect harmony, a teacher can teach without spending the first 30 minutes of their class trying to get the interactive screen to work, and students using devices unimpeded by slow speeds.

The most important principle of our approach to implementing a Digital Strategy is that teaching staff should be able to turn up and teach in any classroom across the trust and not waste their valuable teaching time because of the technology.

The main areas of your trusts IT provision that would benefit from our approach to helping you design and implement a Digital Strategy are:

• Cloud Platform - One unified cloud platform (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for Education) for authentication, communication, file storage & device management
• Productivity, Communication & Collaboration Tools
• Devices for Staff and Students
• Classroom Technology - connectivity, audio visual, digital education platform

When designing a Digital Strategy, standardisation does not always require new equipment. As a first step, it is recommended to perform an audit of your trust’s sites to evaluate the suitability of the existing technology that is currently in place. Rather than removing everything, we recommend repurposing and reusing as much as possible across the existing trust leading to a more efficient and cost-effective approach.

Thorough audits of existing technology infrastructure are essential. Three key areas we recommend should be audited are network health checks, cybersecurity audits, and cloud readiness assessments they provide valuable insights for targeted improvements. By following these principles, MATs can tailor their digital strategy effectively, allocating resources where they matter most.

After conducting a thorough fact-finding process, we will provide your trust with a comprehensive RAG (Red/Amber/Green) report. This report will help you identify any pressing concerns and help prioritise your actions accordingly, keeping the DfE standards in mind at all times.

RAG reports are one of the key elements we go by when developing a digital strategy. These reports offer a clear and visual representation of the most important performance indicators and help identify areas of concern. By using RAG reports, MATs can effectively prioritise their efforts and allocate resources where they are most needed. By aligning RAG reports with the five key strands of their digital strategy, MATs can ensure that their strategic objectives are closely tied to measurable outcomes.

Putting People First: User-Centric Approach

Technology is essential for education, but its success depends on the people using it. A good digital strategy should focus on the needs of educators, students, and support staff. Introducing a Digital Strategy that will transform IT across your trust requires a comprehensive training programme. 

There is a substantial risk that users will simply adopt old and familiar methods and practices without taking advantage of the many new capabilities and opportunities that modern digital environments can provide. From basic IT knowledge to cybersecurity awareness, ongoing training fosters innovation and digital fluency within your trust. Partnering with experienced providers like us who offer specialised expertise and support for training programs can support MATs create a digitally enabled learning environment for both staff and students.

Training should be a continuous plan, not a one-off session, with a focus on regular training to support your Digital Strategy ensuring that all training is documented and available via an online training platform with refresher sessions available so that both existing and new staff across your trust feel confident with the technology available to them.

👀 Stay tuned for our next blog, where we will dive deep into the Infrastructure and Networks strand! We will explore the DfE’s recommended digital and technology standards for schools in this crucial area.

Contact us to discuss how we can support your trust build a digital strategy.