Technical solutions for UK secondary education

Technology 101: Circular Technology for Secondary Schools

Computers are now at the heart of many educational establishments. From traditional IT lessons which are now vital for students moving into the world of work, to taking registers and creating engaging lessons, ensuring that your staff are well equipped to teach your students is a vital part of modern secondary education.

The increasing transition towards relying more on computers has meant that organisations are requiring further technical enhancements to keep up with demand. This can range from a simple interactive whiteboard to keep your students engaged, all the way up to your entire wireless network. The effective use of technology can lead to higher student engagement and improved grades which is excellent for both students and staff.

Your digital transformation needn't be costly, with a range of offers from Stone, working with leading global brands we can implement a range of new teaching technologies that enhance your educational institution with your budget in mind.

The Future is Digital: What Should a Digital Infrastructure Look Like?

The Covid-19 pandemic has both highlighted the importance of a digital transformation and accelerated its development.

As an educational institution, your digital infrastructure consists of all the technology you use. This could include digital signane to direct students, interactive whiteboards or even the networks and servers that your organisation relies on to safeguard the students and keep vital data secure.

Your digital infrastructure requires regular maintenance to keep your organisation in an optimal position, preparing your school for the future. Regular maintenance and upgrades can help your teaching staff, and as a result your students, thrive from a digital perspective, creating seamless teaching aids.

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How Can Stone Help Your Secondary School?

Over the past three decades, Stone has built up an impressive amount of experience in providing technology-based support to the education sector.

Here at Stone, we offer a wide range of services that can be used in the implementation of your digital transformation. These include:

Supporting you in licensing vital software packages from Microsoft and more.
Working to develop a successful server solution that can host all of the user data required for your staff and students to go about their days.
Implementing AV solutions to make lessons more engaging, and using collaboration software which gets students more involved in lessons.
Using consistent and reliable hardware devices from our partners, so you can rest assured that all of your devices work at a high standard for the long term.
Providing security options to ensure that all of the data held by school systems are protected, and your network is safe from attacks by malicious parties.

In addition to offering all of these features, Stone can ensure that your IT landscape is built to withstand the daily demands of an educational environment.

We’re Listed on 20 Frameworks for Secondary Education

Frameworks are lists of pre-approved suppliers who have been evaluated and selected to provide a predefined set of products and services.

Many schools and academy trusts use frameworks to purchase products and services because they provide better value for money, compliant routes to market and peace of mind – and suppliers use frameworks to bid on specific contracts without going through a lengthened procurement process.

Because large volumes of business are conducted through frameworks, secondary schools can obtain better value for money thanks to increased buying power and economies of scale. transformations.

How can my school or academy trust start using frameworks?

Our framework specialists can explain how you can access relevant frameworks. It’s usually quick and easy, and often free – so schools and trusts can see the benefits of membership immediately.

Talk to us to arrange a signposting session and we’ll discuss the best options for your school or trust.

Each framework agreement tells you how to choose a supplier and complete your buying process.

Depending on the type of procurement, you could have the following options:

Direct award, so you can select a supplier from a list and buy according to agreed prices
Mini-competition, where you ask all suppliers on the list to send you a bid and you choose the best one that meets your requirements

If you use a framework approved by the DfE, you’ll buy through a compliant route. This means you don’t need three quotes from the listed suppliers or anyone else to complete your procurement.

Stone’s education frameworks

We’re listed on key, DfE-approved education frameworks, including the following:

Crescent Purchasing Consortium Frameworks for Hardware and Peripherals Equipment, Networking and Storage Solutions, Software Licences and Associated Services for Academies and Schools and Outsourced ICT
KCS Frameworks for IT Hardware and Services, Managed Services & Consultancy and Audio Visual Solutions
Everything ICT E2BN/WCL for Hardware
Enframe for Hardware, Servers and Storage, Networking, Software and Audio-Visual

For a full breakdown of our frameworks for secondary schools and multi-academy trusts, click here.