Client story Insight WiFi solution helps school deliver digital learning
By Insight UK / 22 Feb 2021
By Insight UK / 22 Feb 2021
A leading independent school in Scotland, St Leonards wanted to enhance its digital capabilities to enable it to deliver interactive Online learning, host live events and tighten network security.
St Leonards chose Insight to deliver a Cisco network solution to improve the internal and external WiFi coverage across all areas of the school.
As part of its commitment to providing students with the best possible online teaching and learning, St Leonards wanted to use digital interactive teaching tools in the classroom. However, its existing WiFi coverage was not up to the job.
WiFi coverage within the school buildings and across its boarding houses was also poor, making it difficult for students to access resources for study and online resources. This was a particular concern for St Leonards as it is a boarding school and strives to give students and staff a home-from-home experience.
In order to safeguard students, it was essential that mechanisms were in place for the school’s IT staff to be able to monitor the content that pupils were watching in their free time. Insight were able to provide this.
As the pupils range from five to 18 years old, St Leonards wanted to be able to set access permissions and control WiFi access by age group, time of day and content viewed.
The school was also looking for a CCTV solution that could easily be managed by the IT and security teams.
“Insight worked closely with us to design a network solution to help bring our school into the future. We are now able to be more innovative in our teaching and focus on delivering an excellent education across the board.
We can be secure in the knowledge that our IT is opening up opportunities for pupils to learn independently and explore resources while staying safe online.“
Calum Race, Head of IT Services, St Leonards School
With its extensive experience in the independent education sector, Insight was the natural choice to work with St Leonards School.
Following the initial consultation, it was clear that the solution had to enable a positive teaching and learning experience, ensure online security and deliver ease of management and reporting.
Insight drew on its expertise in Cisco products to put together a comprehensive solution including LAN and wireless networks, malware protection and firewalls.
The solution provides WiFi coverage across all the buildings on campus, the school grounds and sports fields and the student and staff boarding houses. As well as enhancing the learning experience in the classrooms and boarding areas, this allows coaches to use digital teaching methods in the sports field without losing connectivity.
The security and control built into the solution enables the IT staff to monitor and control individual’s WiFi usage and keep students safe while online.
To keep the solution up and running, the school needed at least a five-year lifetime on product support, so Insight negotiated 10 years’ support, plus one year free on the Meraki license.
Insight also arranged Cisco finance, enabling the school to close its existing support contracts and spread the cost over a five-year term.
St Leonards School now has a network solution worthy of its world-class reputation for academic and sporting excellence. The school can add digital instruction to its unrivalled coaching programmes, and host interactive events in its beautiful school grounds.
Pupils and teachers have high quality IT in their home and study spaces, and the children can access a world of learning resources with the security features to keep them safe. The addition of CCTV in the golf locker room also helps safeguard pupil’s property.
A Cisco finance solution has maximised the school’s budget, giving them state-of-the art technology on an affordable basis and excellent ROI over a five-year term.
