RM Tech Talk issue 2
Welcome to our second monthly roundup of insights to help inform your school or trust’s digital strategy.
Martyn's Law, school safety and, yes, the general election
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill, known as Martyn's Law, aims to enhance safety in public spaces, including primary and secondary schools, against terrorist attacks. The bill was expected to be put before Parliament this spring. However, it probably will not pass into law before the general election. Both major parties are seemingly committed to introducing the measures post-election, so it is sensible to continue adapting your technology to prepare for it.
Main obligations for schools
Schools should concentrate on three main topics when formulating their response:
Our blog post covers the topic in more detail. We are also hosting a webinar covering this subject on June 6th, details in the 'Webinars and events' section below.
The impact of technology that just works.
When we ask teachers what they want from the technology in their school, many say that they’d just like it to work when they need it to. Wanting to avoid the disruption malfunctioning technology can bring is perfectly understandable for staff and pupils.
We wanted to know more about the impact on school life, so we asked one of our customers for an example. Here’s what they said:
"Our teachers appreciate that in our trust the technology just works quickly. One new member of staff told me that, as a result, he can just focus on the teaching. At their previous school, if they wanted to move a child for any reason they couldn't because logging them on to another machine could take up to twenty minutes."
Tom Bourne, Trust Digital Director, Alpha Academies Trust
If you’d like technology that supports teaching and learning across your school or trust, talk to RM about how we can help.
Upgrading to Windows 11? Don't miss this handy finance hack.
If your plans for the coming financial year involve upgrading laptops and desktops to Windows 11 devices, don’t pass up the chance to make your budget stretch further.
Existing Windows 10 devices may still be working for your pupils and staff. But upgrading to what was, on release in 2021, the first major update of the operating system since 2015 should be part of your school or trust’s technology strategy.
Many Windows 10 devices may not meet the eligibility criteria for manufacturer trade-in schemes. As a result, you could miss out on the chance to obtain up to ￡150 cash back for each old device when buying new ones.
Our blog post covers the topic in more detail.
What’s on the minds of trust leaders?
领英推荐
In April, one of RM’s Business Development Managers, Shamoon Dean , spent 3 days speaking to trust leaders at the MAT Strategy Forum. Five subjects cropped up again and again relating to technology, some evergreen topics, others newer:
·?????? Budgets
·?????? Focused staff training
·?????? Streamlining information
·?????? Using AI to benefit pupils and staff
·?????? Trusted partnerships
Suggestions for handling some elements of these topics appear in Shamoon’s own account of the conversations.
Webinars and events
New on-demand webinars
If you missed any of them, you can watch our most recent webinars on-demand
Upcoming webinars
We’re hosting the following webinars in the coming weeks. Register on our website.
June 6th - Martyn's Law webinar. RM Voice and Improving Safeguarding in Schools for Primary, Secondary Schools and trusts
June 11th – in association with Trend Micro - What happens to schools when they forget about cyber security?
July 18th – in association with Trend Micro - How is cyber crime evolving? Staying ahead of the game!
We’d also love to see you at these in-person events
June 12th Grammar Schools’ Heads Association Annual Conference for Headteachers
June 10th IAPS Deputy Heads and Directors of Studies Conference 2024
More details on our website.
That’s all for this month. We’ll be back next month with more. Until then, keep up with the latest on technology for schools by following us on LinkedIn.