New age of technology dawns at Haileybury College

Jarvis adds technology to heritage in partnership with leading independent school

 

 

Background

Renowned for its sense of community spirit and vibrant atmosphere, Haileybury was once described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘one of the brightest lights in the Independent Sector’. It’s easy to understand why. Situated on a stunning 500-acre site in rural Hertfordshire, the school boasts excellent facilities, a superb track record and a history of academic excellence that stretches back for nearly 150 years.

 

Today this coeducational boarding school caters for 720 pupils, aged from 11 upwards. And although Haileybury is justifiably proud of it’s heritage, it has an eye firmly on the future – an approach that has made it one of the fastest developing schools in the UK.

 

The challenge

Knowing that the provision of technology in the classroom is essential for preparing young adults to take their places in this modern world, Haileybury recruited Craig Sherman to accelerate its technology acquisition plan. Like many establishments with a long history, the school’s ICT systems had evolved over time, leading to a wide range of different equipment from numerous suppliers and the overheads associated with this.

 

“The existing systems were in a manageable state but it was becoming difficult to take us forward in ICT. It’s crucial to give the pupils and the teachers the best available technology in fully equipped classrooms. This isn’t just about ‘teaching IT,’ it’s about putting the technology to work to improve education at the point of delivery,” he explained.

 

Part of the answer lay in giving the pupils their own laptops.  But when Craig researched the market he was dismayed at what he found. “We had a leasing deal with one of the big suppliers but it was expensive and we weren’t getting what I’d call a true industry laptop in terms of productivity and robustness. What’s more, there are very few suppliers who really understand the education sector and the ones that do tend to offer very similar prices. It’s a monopoly,” he said.

 

Determined to get the very best value for the pupils and for the school, Craig turned to Jarvis-MPC Systems for help.

 

The solution

“Jarvis gave me the product I was looking for, at a price I was happy to pay. Not only could they supply industry-leading Compaq laptops but they did it at a price that was 40% less than the other suppliers,” said Craig.

 

Price was an important factor, but what sealed the deal was Jarvis’s experience of the education sector. “It was very clear to me that Jarvis stood head and shoulders above the competition. It has a tight focus on the education sector and is the preferred supplier to more than 2,000 schools across the UK. Right from the start, Jarvis really listened to what we were saying and they understood our vision. They aren’t just a technology supplier – they’re a trusted partner with a great deal more to contribute than just equipment,” said Craig.

 

Just 5 months after the initial discussions, Jarvis has supplied a total of 50 Compaq desktops and 145 Compaq laptops to the school. 120 of the laptops have been leased to the pupils on a three-year contract with the remainder going to the staff. This compares with just 50 laptops that were supplied under the previous, more expensive, scheme.

 

The benefits

Jarvis-MPC was able to demonstrate a clear understanding of leveraging ICT to personalise the curriculum. Its research into ICT within a learning environment as well and its group heritage of building and maintaining schools and managed learning environments has been invaluable in helping Haileybury to develop a clear medium to long term ICT strategy.

Since forming a partnership with Jarvis, the school has been able to reduce the number of suppliers and to standardise the equipment. The supply chain is simpler, overheads have been reduced and support has been streamlined.

 

“Jarvis has an excellent help desk with staff who know our systems inside and out. We’ve had very few teething problems and on the rare occasions that equipment has failed Jarvis has replaced it quickly and without fuss. We have a Service Level Agreement for delivery lead times and they’re meeting that easily. I have no hesitation in recommending them to other schools,” commented Craig.

 

The future

With the partnership off to such a successful start, Craig is free to turn his attention to wider issues. “I want to make Haileybury a flagship school with a flagship ICT infrastructure,” said Craig. “We’ve already extended the wireless network to the houses so that the pupils can continue to study and research online after classes. They can just open their laptops, power up and log on. It’s so much better than the early days when we had just one desktop for every 17 students.”

 

“It’s early days yet but I see a future where the entire campus is wireless. There will be an interactive whiteboard and a projector in every classroom and every child will have a personal laptop,” explained Craig. “There will be no cables and no fuss. Just come to the class, open the laptop, power up and log on.”

 

“With their experience of the education sector, their partnership approach, their technological expertise and, of course, keen prices, Jarvis is a logical choice for us. We have a long way to go to achieve our vision but because of the way that Jarvis is working with us the timeframe for completion has probably been cut in half. These are exciting times.”