School setup and management has changed dramatically in the past several years. As of the latest figures (March 2017), approximately 23%, over 6000, of all schools in England and Wales are now Academies. These Academies are formed into 1249 Multi-Academy Trusts. Being a part of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) can deliver many benefits, not least the draw of increasing student attainment.
Multi-Academy Trusts
Sharing Knowledge
Whether academic, strategic, managerial or technological, sharing knowledge enables schools to learn from each other in different ways. Individual schools can build on strengths and improve their weaknesses with the support of others in their group.
Sharing Resources
Sharing resources is a further enticing aspect of joining or becoming an MAT. Where schools are located in close proximity to one another, collaboration, availability and economies of scale come into their own.
Multi-Academy Trust IT Services and Solutions: Connect your academies with M-Tech
M-Tech’s connectivity solution has been designed to provide MATs with a centrally-managed, cost effective, scalable and flexible ICT solution. Whether you’re at the start of your journey in joining up as a Trust, or a longstanding Trust looking to make better use of resources, we can tailor a solution to suit your needs.
Connectivity
Schools can be connected to their data centre using Ethernet broadband services, either fibre leased lines or Ethernet over FTTC, or a combination of the two technologies, to provide the required bandwidth for each school in the Trust.
Centralised Data Centre
The trust infrastructure can be deployed into a local data centre, or on one of your school sites if suitable. Benefits associated with using an offsite data centre are increased security, power redundancy, continual cooling and high levels of connectivity.
Next Generation Firewall
Layer 7 application control brings a high level of visibility onto the network, allowing a Trust to block, shape and throttle line of business applications; the result is a more efficient use of outgoing bandwidth as well as benefits from previously unrealised security.
Filtering and Monitoring
Sharing filtering and monitoring solutions enables the singular maintenance and support of highly available safeguarding technologies. Key terms can be added en masse or controlled at an individual school level to suit.
Telephony
Both inter-school and in-school calls can be made across the WAN using IP telephony, cutting communication costs across a Trust. Users can also be added to the system hassle-free, by adding a phone and a licence.
Local and Cloud Backups
All sites can not only back-up onsite, but also to a central repository in the Trust data centre, saving the cost and complexity of using tape or another cloud back-up, or building and maintaining an offsite infrastructure.