RM Tech Talk

Welcome to issue 10 of Tech Talk. Your monthly roundup of insights to help inform your school, college or trust’s digital strategy.

This month we look back at a very busy Bett show, hear from the head teacher of a primary school about the future of their IT support, cover what the PSTN switch-off means for schools and consider how schools and trusts can deliver extra social value.

That was the Bett that was

Just over a month ago, Bett 2025 was in full swing, with over 30,000 attendees over three days. RM’s stand was buzzing with people wanting to discover how our modular approach is an effective and budget-friendly way to manage technology in schools, colleges and trusts.

Our Chief Executive, Jason Tomlinson, took time to describe how the approach works and give some thoughts on broader topics including AI in education, what’s coming over the next 12 months and what interests him in the world of education.

Our partner, ViewSonic , hosted live demos of their interactive panels. We also caught up with Jenny Lovelock of ViewSonic in the relative calm of the RM meeting room to hear about ViewSonic’s myViewBoard and its accessibility features.

With our other partners Dell Technologies and Redstor present, there was always something worth seeing.

If you weren't able to attend Bett or didn't get a chance to speak to us at the show about any aspect of technology in education, get in touch today.

Government launches plan to improve digital inclusion

At the end of February, the UK government set out the first steps in its Digital Inclusion Action Plan. The plan is intended to tackle the barriers to a digitally inclusive society. One of the plan's main pillars is a new Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to support local initiatives.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s first steps document confirms that ensuring the education system provides young people with the necessary digital skills is an important part of the plan. The Department for Education will be jointly responsible for the skills elements of the plan.

The DSIT will work to embed digital skills into students’ learning, taking into account the outcome of the current Curriculum and Assessment Review.

The plan also commits to providing the skills so people can protect themselves and others against potential harms encountered online. It mentions the need for teachers, parents and carers to have access to support to ensure that children can stay safe and benefit from being online.

A call for evidence seeking input on the action plan is currently open until 9th April 2025.

If you'd like us to keep you informed about future developments in the Digital Inclusion Access Plan, register for updates.

RM is HP Education Partner of the Year, again

Another highlight of Bett was RM being awarded HP 's Education Partner of the Year for the second year running.

The award highlights our dedication to providing schools with the best technology solutions and support. We're immensely proud to be recognised for our commitment to improving learning outcomes through technology, across the UK.

For our customers in schools and trusts, RM’s status as HP’s Education Partner of the Year means:

• access to the best available levels of cashback and environmental credits when renewing classroom devices through RM
• the possibility to access exciting learning opportunities in collaboration with HP and their partners (keep an eye on future issues of Tech Talk for more details).

Our HP specialist, Alfie Beckett , is always ready to explain how RM and HP can benefit your school or trust. Get in touch via our website to find out more.

Questions (and answers) for schools evaluating the future of their IT support

Our latest case study covers Peters Hill Primary School's experience with RM and provides an overview of the evolving landscape of IT support for schools. In this case, the local authority (Dudley) has decided to end its centrally provided support, delivered by RM for the last 26 years.

Simon Duncan, the school’s Head Teacher, describes how the school recognises the importance of tailored IT support in enhancing educational outcomes and operational efficiency.

Mr Duncan has advice for schools preparing to select new IT support partners and those seeking to set up a multi-academy trust. Key considerations include:

• the value of support engineers and service managers
• the kind of technology a large primary school needs, both in the classroom and elsewhere
• the importance of a collaborative approach to ensure that technology positively impacts a school.

You can read the full Q&A on our website or get in touch if you have questions about your own school’s or trust’s IT support needs.

What does the landline phone switch-off mean for schools and colleges?

Although the PSTN switch-off is still over a year away, schools should be preparing now to switch to a digital phone system.

Our digital phone system specialist Amos Arowolo argues that there’s no reason to delay bringing the advantages of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) communications to your school, college or trust.

Demand for new systems is likely to increase as the deadline approaches, so act now to avoid getting caught out. Our recent blog post explains what you need to know about the end of existing copper-wire based telephone systems and how to manage the migration to a digital replacement.

To find out more about how RM can help you migrate to a new VoIP system, get in touch today.

Delivering social value and sustainability

Sam Walby , RM’s Head of Sustainability, was part of a panel discussing “Why Social Impact is the Game-Changer Sustainability Alone Can’t Deliver” at the recent Sustainability in Tech Summit.

The panel considered how those without dedicated ESG teams or budgets could find time or resources to devote to social impact. For many schools and trusts, their entire ethos is based on delivering social value through education. Sam gave some suggestions to organisations looking for ways to embed social value in their operations, including:

• Monitoring and addressing the gender pay gap
• Offering apprenticeships as pathways to employment where appropriate
• Understanding the ratios of under-represented groups in the workforce and working to improve representation

RM supports community-based programmes with charity partners to deliver social value. One example is supplying no longer used hardware to 2econd Chance - Registered Charity No. (1210740) a computer recycling charity. It provides work-based training for people furthest away from the job market. In addition, all RM offices in the UK organise annual Christmas gift donations to Barnardo's

In 2022 RM began evolving its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approach. Starting from a position of environmental focus, we have widened our efforts to include social and governance matters. Since 2023 we have concentrated on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In the latest company-wide staff survey “Inclusion” scored the second highest after workplace safety. We intend to launch the next iteration of our ESG strategy, to cover the period from 2026 to 2030, in mid-2025.

If you would like to know more about RM's sustainability efforts or find out more about how we can support schools and trusts to achieve their own sustainability goals, get in touch at rm.com/contact

Forthcoming events

With just a few weeks to catch our breath after Bett, we’re on the road again for the Association of School and College Leaders Annual Conference. The event takes place on 14th and 15th March at ACC Liverpool. We’d love to see you on our stand, number 25.

In May we are returning to The Schools & Academies Show at ExCel, London. We will be on Stand C33 and look forward to connecting with schools and academy leaders to discuss their IT requirements. The show takes place on Thursday, 15th May.

On-demand webinars

Don’t forget that you can catch up with our catalogue of webinars on topics such as cyber security, accessibility tools, how a digital telephone system can help you prepare for the proposed Martyn’s Law legislation and much more.

Visit rm.com/events for the full list.

Follow us on LinkedIn to keep up with the latest on technology for schools, colleges and trusts.

If you missed any previous issues of RM Tech Talk, you can read them in the archive.