The Background
Greenwood Academy is part of Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) and situated in Birmingham. It is a state-funded secondary school with over 800 mixed gender pupils. The Academies Enterprise Trust operates nationwide encompassing 62 schools and over 33 000 students. Greenwood consider technology an essential tool that enhances their overall vision for teaching and learning.
The Vision
Greenwood were keen to use IT as a source of information and specialist content, engaging with opportunities for learning using the right tools at the right time. They wanted to use IT in the classroom as an integral resource, making sure the same equipment was available across the academy so they could share good practice and ensure consistency of approach.
The Challenge
The school wanted to implement a cloud based solution but needed excellent connectivity and service to enable it. They hoped the new technology would save time on administration tasks and organising complex logistics such as events involving the whole school but recognised how important it was for their teachers to feel confident using the new technology to support learning. Greenwood also wanted to ensure appropriate levels of safeguarding for their students.
The Solution
RM delivers a Managed Service and Connectivity Services to Greenwood. The academy also uses RM SafetyNet to help identify and reach out to individuals needing help and support. Taking a managed service from RM means there is a named account manager and an onsite technician who is fully trained to support the school and its particular services.
"They work well together and for us it’s a great partnership. Our experience of RM has been excellent."
Allen Bird, Headteacher
The Results & Benefits
Teachers are now confident using the technology, an achievement which Allen Bird attributes to having a clear vision which was supported by AET and RM. Making sure the transition process was a great experience was key in developing the relationship between RM and Greenwood.
"Nothing was too much trouble, and they went the extra mile to make sure it worked. They care about what they deliver."
Allen Bird, Headteacher
Cloud-based sharing has been fundamental in changing how staff members work together with individuals now able to work interactively on a document and see the full edit history. Documents can be shared easily across the Trust with nothing ever getting lost, so the school – teachers and students – work more efficiently. It’s also helped with GDPR compliance as they are no longer using USB drives to share information, or use remote access to servers. Efficiencies have also been realised in planning and collaborating on tasks and projects across the school. For example on Remembrance Day the school had a ceremony in the canteen that was live streamed to every classroom – achieving a poignant and effective event which fit seamlessly into the teaching day.
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