CASE STUDY – William Morris Academy – February 2004
by Denise Cole
The Client -
The William Morris Academy in West London opened in 1994 and holds the distinction of being the country’s first school exclusively for the 16-19 age group. With places for around 750 students, a wide range of courses is offered, many of which are supported by an aggressive IT strategy.
The Requirement
In 2001 the Academy began introducing laptops, initially for use by teaching staff but subsequently also for students. This immediately posed questions concerning where the laptops would be stored, how students – and staff – would gain access to them, and raised other concerns such as battery charging and security. In the knowledge that these issues needed to be addressed urgently, Lennie Holder, Digital Arts and Media Manager at the Academy, bought a storage cart: one of the very few he could find on the market. It quickly became apparent that the cart was not up to the job. “The doors could be forced open and it was almost impossible to transport”, explains Lennie. “It was obviously not going to last the course!”
Lennie searched the Internet for alternatives and found the range of LapSafe® Products, at that time still in their infancy. So urgent was Lennie’s requirement that he quite simply jumped in his car and turned up on the doorstep of LapSafe’s® offices in Colchester, so that he could see the products for himself. “I was very impressed with the robust cabinets and the flexibility of the design”, says Lennie. His first order was for one Mentor, capable of storing 30 laptops.
The Solution
The ‘original’ Mentor remains in everyday use, but has been joined by a further 7 units. Lennie’s strategy is to dedicate a LapSafe® unit to a curriculum area. Not only does this save unnecessary transportation, but also means that resources are well allocated throughout the college.
With approximately 100 laptops and another 50 on order, the need for secure storage is evident. Today, Lennie buys units that are fitted with security devices and include networking options. The Victorian architecture of the William Morris Academy, like many schools and colleges, offers limited options for efficient networking. “We chose the wireless networking route because it gives us enormous flexibility”, comments Lennie. “It means that we don’t need to worry about additional cabling and students have access to the network from almost any point in the college.” When the laptops are not in use, they are stored in the LapSafe® cabinets, which are kept locked. The Academy is spread over several floors with lift access throughout, enabling units to be moved between floors when necessary, but the sheer weight and sturdiness of the cabinets is, Lennie feels, a real deterrent to any potential theft. In fact, the college has not lost a single laptop in the three years since they bought their first LapSafe® unit.
The Future
There are now 6 members of the Academy’s IT team, who support many of the key curriculum areas in their use of technology. Currently laptops are used in business studies, English, sciences, maths, learning support and as a vital part of the six languages on offer. Some teaching staff already have access to laptops, but this is due to be extended over the course of 2004. In response to this, Lennie is arranging for ‘Solo’ LapSafe® units to be trialled at the college. These individual units bolt on to a desk or a wall, enabling the laptop to be securely locked away when not in use. Network access is provided via the unit, and battery charging can take place whilst the laptop is idle.
Taking a lead in technology appears to come naturally to Lennie and the IT team. As from this summer, the school will be running a project whereby all teaching staff will be able to access email and shared work areas remotely. If, as anticipated, the project is a success, the school will rollout its use of remote access to the remaining teaching staff and eventually to students.
With close on 90 teachers, but an average class size of just 20, the college’s needs have to be scaleable and upgradeable, as Lennie explains: “We are looking for technology that aids the learning process, not creates problems. We’ve found that the LapSafe® units allow us to use technology without restrictions, as well as take away some of the worry associated with IT equipment. The LapSafe’s® security features, robust build quality and advanced functionality, has proved to be a complete match to our needs.”
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