Top of the Class: Technology to Transform Your School, College, or University

Education is all about preparing for the future, and your institution deserves tools that can keep up. With growing class sizes, funding pressures, and operational challenges like inefficient document management and outdated print infrastructures, educational institutions are under more pressure than ever.

Meanwhile, the shift towards digital education - through interactive displays, digital workflow tools, cloud telephony, and more - means schools must evolve to stay efficient and compliant. In this article, we'll explore how technology can help streamline daily operations, improve communication, and enhance safety across your institution, allowing you to focus on delivering the best educational outcomes.

A Work in Progress

Educational institutions are navigating a complex landscape filled with challenges that can disrupt their operations. With larger class sizes and tightening budgets, they are tasked with achieving great educational outcomes without sacrificing efficiency.

Common hurdles include managing documents effectively, as staff often struggle to locate and save important files. Without a central digital system, the chaos of folders makes finding what they need a real headache. Plus, ensuring that vital communications reach parents and senior leadership teams on time is an ongoing concern.

As these schools work to embrace the digital shift, incorporating interactive displays, digital document management, and cloud-based solutions becomes crucial. Yet, this move brings its own challenges, such as staying compliant with data regulations and maintaining solid print infrastructures for producing high-quality learning materials.

These ongoing issues underscore the need for smarter, more streamlined operations, allowing schools to focus on what really matters: delivering quality education in a more effective way.

Solving the Challenges With A+ Solutions

Educational institutions today face a range of challenges, but the good news is that the right technology can help overcome them. These include:

Managing High Volumes of Paperwork

Challenge: They handle mountains of paperwork, from student records to staff documentation, timetables, and compliance forms. Manually managing these can be time-consuming, error-prone and at risk from damage, loss and data breaches.

Solution: Information management systems (IMS) streamline these tasks, reducing the workload and minimising errors. By centralising and digitising records, IMS make it easier to store, retrieve, and secure documents, improving overall efficiency and data security across the institution.

Keeping Your Print Infrastructure Up-to-Date

Challenge: Many schools struggle with outdated or insufficient print infrastructures that lead to high costs, inefficient use of resources, and security vulnerabilities. Whether it's unreliable devices, inconsistent print quality, or lack of central management, these issues can disrupt day-to-day operations and impact the delivery of important learning materials.

Solution: Managed Print Services (MPS) streamline print environments by optimising the use of multifunctional devices (MFDs), ensuring reliable, secure, and cost-efficient printing. MPS improves overall print management, reduces downtime, enhances security through user authentication, and lowers both operational costs and environmental impact by cutting down on paper and energy waste.

Supporting Sustainability

Challenge: Educational institutions are under increasing pressure to deliver an exceptional experience for students while reducing their environmental impact.

Solution: Agilico Zero refurbished multifunctional devices (MFDs) offer a sustainable alternative. These lightly used devices are refurbished to an "as-new" condition, ensuring top-level performance while significantly reducing environmental impact. Each Agilico Zero MFD helps avoid an average of 500kg of CO2 emissions compared to manufacturing a new machine. By choosing refurbished technology, schools can meet their operational needs while advancing their sustainability goals.

Enhancing Communication and Connectivity

Challenge: Effective communication across staff, students, and parents is critical, yet institutions often struggle with outdated or disconnected systems.

Solution: Cloud-based telecoms systems and unified communications platforms streamline communication, enabling smooth interactions between teachers, administrators, students, and parents across different locations.

Keeping IT Infrastructure Up-to-Date

Challenge: Many institutions struggle to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, which can lead to outdated hardware, software issues, and security vulnerabilities.

Solution: Managed IT services, hardware, software, and peripherals ensure that institutions have access to the latest technology without the hassle of maintaining it themselves, improving overall performance and connectivity and reducing downtime.

Safeguarding and Access Control

Challenge: Ensuring student safety and meeting safeguarding standards is a major concern. Schools must track who enters and exits their premises, monitor visitor access, and protect sensitive areas.

Solution: Visitor and access management systems provide robust access control, helping institutions comply with safeguarding requirements by monitoring visitors, staff, and students while reducing manual admin at reception.

Embracing Digital Learning Tools

Challenge: With the rise of digital learning, schools must integrate interactive and collaborative technologies into their classrooms and curriculums.

Solution: Audiovisual technology and interactive screens facilitate more engaging, dynamic learning experiences, enhancing in-person teaching. Tools such as interactive whiteboards and touch table technology encourage collaboration and hands-on learning, while AV tech - including high-definition projectors and video conferencing systems - ensures that lessons can be delivered effectively to both in-person and remote learners. These solutions improve accessibility, encourage interactive discussions, and allow for seamless content sharing.

A National Education Framework Approved Supplier

The National Education Framework provides an easy access route to buying or leasing multifunctional print devices (MFDs) and opportunities for accessing digital transformation services and solutions.

We are proud to be a trusted supplier on this framework, helping to improve print technologies and implement digital transformation solutions to support the ever-evolving needs of the education sector. With our place on the framework, institutions can confidently partner with us, knowing they’re choosing trusted solutions that ensure compliance, efficiency, and peace of mind.

What Our Customers Are Saying…

We’ve helped schools, colleges and universities across the UK to transform with tech. But don’t just take our word for it - see what they have to say!

Our case studies showcase how we’ve helped Embley School, Stockton Riverside College, the University of the Highlands and Islands, and many more to improve their operations, boost efficiency, enhance communications, and reduce their carbon footprint.

Explore our success stories here.

Find Out More About Our Smarter Digital Solutions at the Schools & Academies Show

The Agilico team are excited to connect with both familiar faces and meet new industry professionals. Join us at the CPC Framework Village to discover how our innovative digital solutions can enhance your operations and support your school’s goals.

Schools & Academies Show

on Wednesday 20 November

at NEC Birmingham, B40 1NT

The Schools & Academies Show provides the education community with a one-stop shop for everything they need to strengthen their strategic business and school improvement plans for a lasting impact.

The show provides an unrivalled opportunity to access high-quality content and collaborate with innovative education suppliers and like-minded school leaders.

Explore Our Resources

Unlock valuable insights with our downloadable education guides. These resources are designed to help you navigate the unique challenges in the education sector, offering solutions that can streamline operations, enhance communication, and help your institution thrive.

Education Toolkit – Discover the technology that can help school, colleges and universities to transform workflows , improve communication ,? optimise printers and copiers, enhance daily operations,?and integrate digital teaching tools to streamline administrative tasks and support modern learning environments.

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The Greener Way to Print Guide – Explore the benefits of choosing an Agilico Zero refurbished device, practical tips to optimise your school print environment, the smart printing habits that will save money and resources, and how to enhance efficiency while helping the environment.

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Education Connectivity Made Easy Guide – Learn how to streamline and future-proof communications, ensuring that staff, students, and parents stay connected with Connect Cloud VoIP Telephony for Education.?

PCs with a Purpose: Supporting sustainability at Bathford Church School

At Agilico, sustainability is embedded into everything we do. From our innovative Circular-First Managed Print Services to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we strive to make a positive difference in our community and beyond.?

Recently, Agilico Account Director Richard Vinall headed up an initiative to support a primary school by donating 18 PCs and 2 laptops that were no longer needed by one of our clients. The PCs were still in great condition after a few years of use, so Richard arranged for our IT team to wipe the hard drives and prepare them for donation.

Richard approached his local primary school, Bathford Church School, part of the Bath and Well Multi-Academy Trust, to see if they could use the PCs. Headteacher Becky Hayter explained that they were looking to update their IT suite, and the computers were exactly what they needed. To complement the PCs, another parent from the school donated some nearly new monitors, completing the school’s upgraded IT setup.

This donation not only supports the school’s educational goals but also aligns with Agilico’s commitment to sustainability. By repurposing technology and reducing landfill waste, we contribute directly to Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

In a world where technology evolves rapidly, partnerships like these demonstrate the power of collaboration in creating positive change. As we continue to champion sustainability and community engagement, Agilico remains committed to making a meaningful difference – one initiative at a time.

Facing Challenges Head-On

While schools, colleges, and universities are navigating numerous challenges - whether it’s managing resources, enhancing communication, or ensuring security - the right technology can help improve workflows, streamline daily tasks, reduce costs, and secure sensitive information. By adopting smarter solutions, institutions can focus on what matters most: delivering quality education.

Ready to Score Top Marks in Digital Transformation?

Explore our resources, connect with us at one of our upcoming events, or get in touch with our friendly team to discover how our solutions can support your goals. Let’s work together to create a smarter, more sustainable future for education.