Narrowing the digital divide in schools and colleges

The UK government has recently announced plans to narrow the digital divide in schools and colleges with a £45 million investment to improve connectivity and wireless networks during 2025.

The original wireless network funding programme, Connect the Classroom, that started back in 2023 was a hugely successful government initiative that reached thousands of schools across the country. Part of the reason for its success was down to the Department for Educations (DfE) engagement with technology suppliers across the educations sector, utilising their experience and knowledge of supporting technology in schools to engage as far and wide as possible. We were one of these suppliers, securing over £7.5 million in funding for eligible schools.

Further to this, the government has also launched a consultation to gather the views of organisations and suppliers who support technology in schools and colleges with the goal of helping to refine future policy development and ensure all students benefit from the opportunities that technology offers.

Much of this consultation focuses on the readiness of schools and colleges to meet six core digital and technology standards by 2030 and addressing the barriers and challenges schools and colleges may face in meeting them. These six core standards are:

• Broadband internet
• Wireless networks
• Network switches
• Digital leadership and governance
• Filtering and monitoring
• Cyber security

For the past few years, we have been actively focusing on supporting schools with the enablement of digital strategies that will help them manage what has become a rapidly evolving educational landscape where technology is key. Our digital strategy for schools, known as Turn Up & Teach, aligns against the DfE Digital and Technology Standards in Schools and Colleges. What we do is digital by design, utilising technology as a great enabler to drive engagement via the effective use of digital tools and resources in the classroom that will in turn help improve pupil outcomes.

As schools and Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) continue to expand and increase their use of technology, the need for a cohesive and forward-thinking digital strategy becomes increasingly apparent. With each new technology initiative, a unique set of challenges arises. These are typically ranging from IT practices to new technology infrastructures and software and end user impact. However, within these complexities lies an opportunity to create positive change and drive innovation across schools and MATs, enhancing the educational experience for all stakeholders involved.

At the heart of this transformation should be the development and implementation of a comprehensive digital strategy, designed to align with the vision and values of the school or MAT whilst successfully leveraging technology to be a great enabler establishment-wide.

Our Turn Up & Teach digital strategy focuses on five key strands, these are:

Infrastructure and Networks: Establishing reliable connectivity and a robust network infrastructure ensures seamless communication, data sharing, and efficient operations.

Information and Data: A cloud-first approach to technology with a well-defined data management strategy ensures accuracy, privacy, and informed decision-making.

Online Safety and Cyber Security: Protecting students, staff, and sensitive information through a strong cybersecurity framework.

Teaching, Learning and End User Technology: Integrating physical and cloud technology enhances engagement, personalised learning, and collaboration in the classroom and beyond.

Governance, Policy, and Operations: Clear policies and governance structures guide digital initiatives. Leaders collaborate with stakeholders to address ethical, legal, and operational aspects.

The current DfE digital and technology standards already recognise the importance of a digital strategy as part of a school or MATs development plan. The new consultation only further emphasises the how the adoption of a robust digital strategy will help enhance standards and recommendations for schools and colleges nationwide.

In our experience, by embracing the five strands of our digital strategy, schools and MATs can empower their staff, drive educational excellence, and best prepare students for a digital future.

Building a Foundation: The Principles of Turn Up & Teach

To successfully develop a 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 an establishments IT work together.

Imagine this: your school or MAT, an environment where every aspect of your IT infrastructure operates in perfect harmony, a teacher can teach without spending the first 15 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 site and not waste their valuable teaching time because of the technology.

The main areas of school IT provision that would benefit from our approach to helping design and implement an education-focused digital strategy are:

• Cloud Platform - Unified cloud platforms (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 and digital education platforms

When designing a digital strategy, a standardised approach will allow a school or MAT to work at scale, whilst also making technology manageable. It also makes the implementation of important policies and practices (such as tools to protect against cyber threats) simpler to deploy. However, standardisation does not always require new equipment or investment. As a first step, it is recommended to perform an audit of your site 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 site 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 of connectivity, wireless and network infrastructure, alongside cybersecurity audits, and cloud readiness assessments. These will provide valuable insights for targeted improvements in line with DfE recommendations. By following these principles, schools and MATs can tailor a digital strategy effectively that will allocate resources where they matter most.

Putting People First: An Inclusive Approach to Technology

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. To successfully introduce a digital strategy that will truly be transformative it must be delivered with a people first approach.

Failure to take end users, the educators, on the journey of digital transformation will mean that there is a substantial risk they 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 and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) fosters innovation and digital fluency within schools. Partnering with experienced providers like ourselves offers access to specialised expertise and support for training programmes that will enable the delivery of digitally enabled learning environments for both staff and students.

Finally, training should be a continuous plan, not a one-off session, with a focus on regular training to support a 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 can feel confident with the technology available to them.

We welcome the opportunity to continue working with the DfE during this new consultation and are ready to support schools that could benefit from the latest round of funding to improve their wireless networks. We are ready to empower them to meet the core digital and technology standards that will ensure no pupil is left behind in this ever advancing digital age via the implementation of an inclusive digital strategy.