IT Support for Secondary Schools
Technology plays an instrumental part in teachers' and students' lives within a secondary school setting, empowering students and teaching staff.
Zenzero recommend starting with a technology roadmap. This can be as simple as understanding what IT the school has, what your school would like to use and where you would like your school IT to be in the next 5 years.
Benefits of a technology roadmap:
Builds steps to work through to meet your tech targets
Looks at a school’s infrastructure, fundamental and forms the baseline for IT equipment to work successfully
While implementing technology roadmaps can feel intimidating or overwhelming, proactively planning can reduce frustration further down the road. Our experts can help navigate which questions to ask your teaching and support staff and what systems can be consolidated to reduce costs.
17 years in business and we still have our first customer!
Over 150 staff with a great mix of new and longer serving team members
8 offices across the country to support our continued growth
Our services
-
Network & Monitoring
We manage the complex network of connected devices in modern business.
-
Cyber Security Services
We can keep your business safe from an ever-changing security landscape.
-
Hosted Desktop Services
Access your applications, documents, and data anywhere in the world.
-
Migration & App Development
Simple solutions through Microsoft’s Power Platform for low-code programming.
-
Business IT Support
The foundation of a modern business is the technology that enables your success.
-
Office 365 Support
We provide Microsoft modern workplace support to improve your team’s productivity.
-
Microsoft Azure
We help build strong foundations for organisations to scale flexibly in the cloud.
-
Data Compliance
We protect your crucial information in line with the latest standards and practices.
What to consider when thinking about technology in your school ICT services
Often in schools, we think of technology as being PCs/laptops, Wi-Fi and, different cables.
In reality, schools have:
Cameras/photography equipment
Pupil attendance, attainment and behaviour systems (SIMS, Arbor, Bromcom)
Processing systems (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
Communication systems (email, instant messaging)
Grade feedback systems
HR & finance systems
Personal devices (PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets)
Smart whiteboards and projectors
Wi-Fi
Servers/infrastructure for cloud-based systems
Phone systems
Smart TVs/monitors
Speakers
CCTV
Trolleys/lockers for storing/charging devices
Creating a technology framework
When secondary schools are faced with technology issues it can begin to feel like a maze.
Zenzero can offer support and guidance by using our continued experience of working closely with schools to create an ICT framework and discuss the stages of adoption in priority order into to the school’s technology plan/roadmap.
If you are responsible for school ICT services, staff may be coming to you with complex issues.
Staff may be asking questions such as:
How can we get faster internet at our high school site?
Can I use my personal device for school?
Does the curriculum control what ICT equipment we can introduce to schools?
What costs are associated with bringing in new technology solutions?
How do we achieve the targets for our school while ensuring teachers have what they need?
How can I get more onsite support?
Technology Roadmapping and helping you develop your IT strategy
By utilising the services of a managed services provider, our experts can design and implement a digital strategy according to best practices and your school's needs.
As an ICT manager or a member of the senior faculty, you can rely upon our experience of over 15 years managing onsite and remote support for organisations and the education sector.
Using technology to improve your school's attainment results
Education within the UK has always been viewed as a vital tool to increase opportunity for all learners.
Numerous policies and successive governments have focused on closing the gap through education. Attainment is still one of the largest issues within secondary education and one of the area’s schools are targeted on.
“Disadvantaged pupils fall behind their more affluent peers by around 2 months each year over the course of secondary school.”
— 'Closing the gap? Trends in Education Attainment and Disadvantage', Education Policy Institute, August 2017
There is an expectation that the senior leadership team facilitate programs and infrastructure to provide additional support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds with less access and budget for technology.
Schools are uniquely placed in being able to provide access, bridging the gap of technology poverty. Zenzero can help your school plan and implement technology solutions for students by class or year group to increase access and equity in a cost-effective way.
By utilising technology in collaboration with your teaching and support staff, we can support with training to alleviate fears of uncertainty around systems and programs while helping you reach your school's OFSTED targets. Through the right tools, we can support pupils in getting the resources they need for better student outcomes.
GDPR and how to store sensitive information at your secondary school
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are the rules that makeup how we handle and store data within the UK. Schools hold a high level of information from personal information, medical records, parents' or guardians' contact numbers and addresses to grades, homework and more. Each type of information needs to be treated according to how sensitive it is.
GDPR means that schools have greater accountability for the data they collect. Therefore, any action taken that doesn’t fit in with the normal school procedures requires full consent - especially if any data is handled by a third party.
By using businesses like Zenzero that deliver processes for storing information in a compliant way, your school can access advice in making sure that your IT systems in your school follow the guidelines set out by GDPR.
Device management in secondary schools
Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD)
Due to the emphasis on schools to improve students’ attainment, we are likely to see more 'bring your own device' (BYOD) policies in our secondary schools.
To ensure that children are getting enough time on devices as part of a lesson, BYOD can help increase the number of devices a school or class has available to them.
However, it is important that if BYOD is introduced at your school, there need to be security policies around how the data is managed and what access the device has to other telecommunication tools.
The reason for this is to look after both your school's secure data and the sensitive data of the student stored on the device.
Cloud-based device management
Our device management system focuses on mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM).
Either on your behalf, or working as an extension to your existing ICT team, Zenzero can control how your organisation’s devices are used which includes mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. We can also configure specific policies to control applications that might be needed in your secondary school.
For example, Zenzero can prevent emails from being sent to people outside your organisation. Our education customers like putting this policy in place for students' emails (especially in key stage 3 where younger pupils may be less aware of the risks of emailing external parties) both for student safety and cyber risks to your school.
With our help you can allow staff and students to use their personal devices for school or work. We make sure your school's data stays protected and we can isolate school data from students' and staff's personal data from their devices.
ICT support services
There are many options for outsourcing your ICT needs: from fully outsourced external IT support to IT services where we work with your existing internal IT department.
Our cost-effective, strategy-focused approach is backed by over 15 years of experience in the education sector providing quality service.
We are highly experienced in delivering Managed IT Support services throughout the UK for state and independent primary and secondary schools, colleges, and large multi-academy trusts (MATs).
With Zenzero, you have access to a helpdesk, with experienced IT technicians on hand to call/communicate through the Zenzero app for any IT questions or issues that a user has. Our projects team can work through mid to long-term changes for your institution.
We will work closely with your Senior Leadership Team and IT department to introduce new tools and services for modern ways to work and learn in safe and cost-effective methods.
Interactive reporting for a clearer view of what matters at your high school
What is Power BI?
Power BI is a data visualisation tool from Microsoft that enables information to be combined and analysed from multiple sources that the users connect it with.
A system like Power BI can give teachers and staff to get an accurate overview of the data that matters to them in real-time. Through Power BI, teams can look at reports on grades across subjects or year groups, monitor punctuality.
Presenting reports with greater impact
This can strengthen leadership meetings and empower presenters by providing data easily to be able to answer follow up questions. If presenting a report on school children engaged in extracurricular activities, the presenter can hover over the graph which will show which data is being reported on.
Analyse, plan actions and report in one system
Power BI works as one system and centrally holds a place for teams to analyse, plan actions and carry out ongoing reviews of interventions. It also allows users to comment on specific pages and tag colleagues to bring parts of the data to their attention.
Ideal for school departments or faculty groups
It links seamlessly with Microsoft Teams which means that you can share dashboards in conversation groups which may be beneficial for specific groups working on a school improvement goal using live data to inform their tasks.
Learn more
Book a session with Bal Dulay,
Educational specialist at Zenzero
No obligation chat