Students and teachers at 44 primary and secondary schools across Kirklees, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, are getting faster, more reliable access to the internet and e-learning tools thanks to a major network upgrade from ntl:Telewest Business, part of the Virgin Media Group.
As a result of the upgrade, the next generation network will provide primary and secondary school pupils with faster connections to online resources for lessons and homework via the Kirklees Grid for Learning (KGfL) and the Kirklees Collegiate for Learning (KC4L), regional virtual learning environments. The network will also provide more resilient links to access JANET, the UK’s education and research network.
With technology playing a central role in today’s education system and an increasing number of online resources now available, Kirklees Council recognised the need for a more robust and reliable network. The ntl:Telewest Business network is enabling bandwidth increases for primary schools from between 2 and 4 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) to 10 Mbps.
“For schools to get the most out of these services, we knew that the right supporting infrastructure had to be in place. ntl:Telewest Business collaborated closely with us to help design an innovative and flexible solution that met our requirements,” said Debbie Hall, Connect IT Programme Manager at Kirklees Council. “Since the Wide Area Network (WAN) went live, we’ve received less support calls from schools and the service has proved extremely reliable.”
“Technology is no longer a nice to have for schools, it lies at the heart of the way that the digital generation learns and the way teachers teach,” said Dave Alderson, public sector specialist at ntl:Telewest Business. “It also provides the foundations for the way schools operate as administration, human resources and finance tools are now electronic. Schools and service providers need to work closely together to ensure teachers and children have a vibrant and innovative education environment that encourages creativity and promotes learning. Our work with Kirklees Council has achieved this.”
ntl:Telewest Business’ Metro Ethernet Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides secure, high-speed, any-to-any connectivity across a town, city or region, making it the ideal solution for Kirklees, which at 157 square miles is the third largest metropolitan district in the UK. In the future, the network may be rolled out to more schools in the region.
About ntl:Telewest Business
ntl:Telewest Business has the most technically advanced of the UK’s two national networks. Its vast nationwide Next Generation Network provides businesses, public sector organisations and service providers across the UK with a complete portfolio of advanced data, internet and voice services. The £13billion network is flexible, scaleable and is already built out to more than 38,000 street cabinets across the UK.
As part of a commitment to deliver superior customer service, ntl:Telewest Business sales and support teams are located in close proximity to its customers in over 40 centres across the UK.
ntl:Telewest Business is trusted to provide critical communications to high profile customers including: Birmingham City Council, Yorkshire Water and EasyJet.
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