We Innovate with Technology
We are driving innovation in technology across our Trust to empower every learner, colleague, and school community. Our aim is to ensure that pupils can access and confidently use digital tools both in school and at home, while staff are supported with the systems, infrastructure, and training they need to work efficiently and deliver high-quality teaching.
Our Focus
This year, we’ve made great strides in using technology to enhance learning, improve efficiency, and strengthen safety across the Trust. Through partnerships, cloud migration, and data-driven innovation, we’re embedding digital excellence at every level. By innovating with technology we’re improving outcomes, streamlining operations, and future-proofing our schools by supporting both the tools and the people who use them.
Highlights
Enhancing IT and EdTech Across the Trust
This year, we have been working with TransforMATive to review and improve our IT services and we are also developing an Education Technology workstream. Through stakeholder feedback and leadership surveys, we’re strengthening digital strategy, infrastructure, and learning, including exploring AI in education, to boost innovation and outcomes across the Trust.
Successful IT Migration of New Schools
Saltergate Schools have successfully joined our Trust’s IT network, marking a significant step in their onboarding and digital integration. Their broadband has been upgraded to a high-capacity connection, more than double the speed of their previous setup, ensuring fast, reliable access. They are now fully connected to and using the Trust’s central IT systems, with day-to-day IT support also being delivered by our expert in-house team.
Cloud Migration for a More Efficient Future
We’ve started moving our systems from on-site data centres to the cloud, with several already on Microsoft Azure and more planned. This marks a key milestone since the launch of the Education Transformation Project five years ago.
With our current infrastructure needing renewal, adopting a cloud-first approach lets us modernise systems, cut energy and maintenance costs, and meet growing school demands. This shift will improve flexibility, security, and access, and is expected to save our Trust over £700,000 in the next five years.
Using IT to Save Money and Keep Everyone Safe
Total Risk Manager is now embedded in all our schools for the management of compliance and planned preventative maintenance tasks. This allows the Trust to have a clear oversite of the status of these tasks in each school and ensures that everyone is on top of the tasks in hand, ultimately meaning that our schools are safer places to be.
Data at the Click of a Button
One way in which the trust has supported school leaders to improve attendance is by providing them with easily accessible information. Thi Nguyen, our Senior Data Analyst, has created a dashboard which gives incredibly detailed insights into attendance across the trust. We now know which postcode area in our trust has the best attendance (LS22), what the worst day for attendance is (Friday) and whether attendance improves during World Book Day week (it does). Having this information is one of the factors that has led to an increase of 1.32% across all our secondary schools this year.
