Northgate Managed Services building schools for future

Lessons learnt: Northern schools are investing in ICT upgrades to their learning environments

Managed services provider Northgate has been contracted by construction firm Balfour Beatty to work on a Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project across two local boroughs, Blackburn with Darwen, and Bolton.

The plan is for Northgate to upgrade the infrastructure and provide an interim managed ICT service from 1 February at nine Blackburn with Darwen secondary schools, and 15 Bolton schools.

David Hyland, managing director for the education business at Northgate Managed Services, said the deal would involve working with the local authorities, Balfour Beatty, and individual schools.

“We will be offering innovative, high quality facilities and integrated information and communication technology to help deliver personalised learning tailored to the needs, interests and aptitudes of their learners,” he said.

The aim is to “transform” learning and teaching at the schools, using a£41.3m investment in IT, with a view to making Blackburn with Darwen, and Bolton exemplars for the government’s BSF initiative.

For example, thin client networks will be deployed to improve efficiency and save energy while enabling students to access curriculum material and an N-able online learning platform from mobile devices as well as network-attached clients.

E-registration, access control and cashless catering systems would also be deployed, with the aim of improving school security.