ICT Support for Primary Schools – more than just a technician.

A question we are often asked is how are we are different to the incumbent IT handyman, local one stop computer shop or lumbering IT support team. It’s a great question because it goes right to the crux of what we are about as an organisation, and, what is lacking from so many IT outfits nowadays.

Firstly, it is important to understand the challenges primary schools face:

• ever-changing curriculum objectives or how to achieve or monitor them
• increasing requirement to combine ICT with other subjects
• an ICT network (servers, desktops, laptops, netbooks) the size of a small to medium sized business but without the budget to afford an IT team or department
• an increasing reliance on ICT to support basic functions
• lack of trained IT specialists

The solution – how do we best tackle these challenges?

Initially, the solution to answer these challenges (like any business challenge or requirement) has to be designed, which during our early days we sat down and completed. Technically it’s adapted and changed since then but 5 core stages remain:

1. Discover and fix – an important phase that involves learning and discovering about the technical landscape and what is trying to be achieved in the school. In addition we identify if anything needs to be urgently fixed and do it.
2. Plan – together we put together an all encompassing plan that supports curriculum objectives and provides a solid foundation of support
3. Develop - we look for ways in which to further develop how and what ICT is being used
4. Review – as an ongoing process its important to take a step back and review progress and direction
5. Support - provide a clearly communicated method of supporting all the activities and steps above

What this means is we become a pro-active force for supporting curriculum objectives rather than a purely reactive, and rather typical technical support role.

So, if you’d like to apply a bit of this in your school, give us a call and we’ll discuss your individual requirements or visit our sub-site www.primarytech.co.uk