As advisors to UK Education, we have assisted hundreds of school leaders over the years to achieve efficiencies, as well as best value for money, by helping to steer them strategically through the ICT procurement process. 

Planning and managing School ICT budgets can be particularly challenging. Technology is advancing at a lightening pace and is a major part of every aspect of school life. Funds are always tight. It's become increasingly important to do more with less. Decisions need to be made wisely.

You've had your ICT Audit and Review, you've created your ICT Strategic Plan - now you need to implement it across your multi-academy trust (MAT).  Sounds easy, doesn't it?  But if it's that easy, why is it rarely done and done well?

The Department for Education (DfE) has kicked off its publication of 2019 performance tables this autumn (17 October 2019) with provisional accountability measures for secondary schools in England. More national data sets are due to follow in December, January and March.

We meet many school and MAT leaders who want to improve their ICT, make it more effective, and ensure it really does help them achieve their strategic goals.

The first step to achieve this is knowing what you already have and how well it’s working i.e. doing an ICT Audit and Review.

Results Day is an important time, for students and schools alike. On one hand, students will be anxious to learn if they have obtained the grades required for college and apprenticeship places, future university or job applications; on the other, schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) will need to prepare to be judged on their achievements.

If you’re constructing a new educational building with a robust ICT infrastructure, you will most probably require the support of an experienced ICT partner.  Not just for the ICT design elements during your bid and tender process but for the installation and delivery of the actual ICT solution.

Moving from separate ICT systems, infrastructure and suppliers to a Trust-wide approach, and procuring on that basis, can be daunting.

One year on from the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has begun to step up its scrutiny of data protection policies and procedures at Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs).  

Most multi-academy trusts (MATs) and academies are busy collecting, saving and crunching enormous amounts of data.  But all too often this data is unable to be turned into truly useful information.