Relying on XMA to provide a quality learning environment

Thanks to XMA, staff and pupils at Discovery Primary School have confidence they can always access exactly the same ICT resources from anywhere within the school’s two buildings. 

It’s no secret that access to ICT resources has become vital for schools – even for those that teach the very youngest pupils. However, with many schools now finding that computing has increasingly become a fundamental part of the structure of teaching and learning, ensuring that access is delivered reliably can be the difference between success and failure.

 

That was one of the key challenges facing one Cambridgeshire school when it needed to undertake a major overhaul of its ICT resources. A year ago, Discovery Primary School, in Peterborough, was created from an amalgamation between neighbouring infants and junior schools. It was a move that, according to Andrew McGrath, the school’s ICT coordinator, brought ICT issues to the forefront.

 

 He said: “When the two schools came together they had two very different computer systems in operation. The Infants school had two or three desktop computers in each classroom or about 25 machines in total.

”The Junior school had a dedicated ICT suite with 19 desktop computers plus we also had a suite of 32 laptop computers and some quite basic wireless networking which didn’t really work. Another element was that we had also issued all our teachers with a laptop.”

According to McGrath, the new primary school needed a supplier to create a single, universal system which could serve the entire school’s needs. IT provider XMA was chosen to create the new infrastructure after being recommended by other local schools and Peterborough City Council.

Access all areas
One of the most important requirements was for XMA to remove the disparate nature of the existing system and create a single, underlying infrastructure for the whole school. McGrath said: “What we were looking for was a system where we could work anywhere in our two, separate buildings and any work, done on any computer, could be saved and accessed from anywhere else.”

Consequently, XMA installed a double rack server to underpin the entire network system. Around 25 new wireless access points were installed and the company also carried out all the necessary cabling. Initially, XMA provided 32 Toshiba  laptop computers, wireless internet connection and Ranger software was installed to control and manage access to the network.

McGrath says: “Any child can now turn on a computer and it has the same look and feel. So, wherever you go in our school, they have the same access features for the same applications – regardless of which building you are in. Each child has a log in name and password and a dedicated parcel of storage space on the server. So, when they return to a computer elsewhere, they can access the same documents.”

 “The main impact of using XMA has been making our lives easier.”Reliability is always important for any ICT resources but, for Discovery, the recent introduction of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) for pupils made it essential. McGrath said: “XMA’s system has been very reliable and that’s vital because, like many schools, we have started using VLEs, run off the Internet, where staff set work and the children can access it via the learning platforms. This year, we are pushing our use of VLEs forward and we have high hopes that, thanks to our underlying
infrastructure, it will come together for us.”

He added: “The main impact of using XMA has been making our lives easier. Previously if we wanted to use a laptop computer in a classroom we had to take it to the classroom and plug it in. We had 30 computers but it was impossible to use more than six or seven at any one time. Now, with our wireless connection working at full steam, we can have 30 laptop computers with 30 children using them and accessing the internet simultaneously. Before, pupils had a fifty, fifty chance of the system working, now they know it will. That’s great for them.”

In fact, the system has worked so well, Discovery has since ordered a further 61 Toshiba laptops. XMA has also installed a projector into each of the school halls so multimedia presentations and films can be shown to all of the 378 pupils.

In addition XMA installed a Toshiba wireless projector to work in conjunction with wireless Tablet computers in a new Innovations Room within the school. This facility is being used or teacher training by the Authority support team, as well as providing additional ICT resource for the school.

Flexible and responsive
McGrath said that XMA’s ability to meet the school’s needs also proved essential to the project. Although XMA offers a technician’s service, the school was happy with the onsite technical support they already received via an agreement with a nearby school. Consequently, XMA agreed to provide the infrastructure with a remote access support. McGrath said: “Some companies insist on doing both together but XMA’s employees were flexible enough just to let us have the service we wanted. We have had a couple of glitches but everything we report to XMA has been resolved quickly. I would certainly consider using them again.”