PRIORITY SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAMME TIME TO DECANT OR INVEST?
Why you should avoid reinstalling old technology in your new secondary school build
Introduction You’re probably reading this because your school is part of the second wave of the government’s Priority School Building Programme, or PSBP2. By 2021, PSBP2 will have regenerated 277 schools
That’s a real shame, because upgrading your classrooms
in the most acute need of repair and infrastructure
presents the ideal opportunity to upgrade your front-of-
investment. But the PSBP’s £4.4 billion budget only pays for
class technology at the same time – and to move to the
construction, not new technology.
latest generation of education technology.
After all, why put legacy equipment in a fantastic new classroom?
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PSPB - Time to decant or invest?
To decant or not to decant? Unfortunately, PSBP only covers you for the cost of ‘decanting’, or uninstalling, your existing technology and then reinstalling it in your new build.
Your decanting work may be done by the ICT sub-contractor assigned to your school. They’ll take your old equipment out and then re-fit it in your new classrooms. However, if you can find your own budget, you can choose to buy new technology and ask your ICT sub-contractor to install that instead, which means you may not have to pay for its installation. Despite the investment, most PSBP2 schools know it makes sense to allow PSBP2 to work as a catalyst to update their technology. Most are deciding to upgrade – even if it’s a little sooner than they would have wanted. That’s because doing it as part of PSBP2 means avoiding another round of disruption later on.
New technology also helps schools meet a range of other important goals: • enhancing the performance of students, teachers, classes and the entire school • giving parents the chance to choose an environment with the latest technology • recruiting and retaining the quality of teaching and support staff you want • reducing repair, replacement and financing costs • cutting energy bills
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Things to watch out for If you’re interested in investing in new technology to align with PSBP2, there are some concerns to be aware of. That’s why Promethean has produced this quick and easy guide to making the most of the PSBP2 opportunity. We’ll explore:
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Key facts and the pitfalls of decanting
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What you’ll need to think about, and next steps
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Where to get expert advice on your front of class technology
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How new technology can benefit your school
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Consultancy and support
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How you can budget for new technology
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PSPB - Time to decant or invest?
All aspects of ‘local technology – core’ are dependent on the use of equipment that has been transferred from the existing building. The responsibility of the contractor is therefore limited to a technical decant… where elements of the existing solution will be redeployed into the new building.1
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‘Facilities Output Specification: Generic Design Brief Priority School Building Programme’, Education Funding Authority, October 2012
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Key facts about decanting If you have existing front of class technology, such as interactive projectors or whiteboards, then your ICT subcontractor must install front of class technology in your new classrooms. But it doesn’t have to be the same technology!
This means that any new equipment can be installed for free.
Whereas, if you decide to upgrade after your PSBP2 work is completed, you’ll need to pay for a retro-fit installation – this will inevitably involve a lot of ripping-out and repair work.
Installation costs can be as high as 20% of the total cost for new technology
Take care PSBP2’s ICT subcontractors often do the technology decant at a very late stage in the project. So if you’re hoping to install new technology, but they don’t know about your plans, you could run into problems.
For example, they may already have completed the infrastructure to fit your decanted equipment. Understandably, they’re not going to want to do your installation work twice, not least because they’re only being paid to do it once. And if this happens:
it may be too late to fit the infrastructure you need for your new equipment, so, you may have to pay for installing it after all
if the changes can be made, the infrastructure for the old equipment may have to be ripped out, potentially affecting walls, floors and ceilings and causing disagreement, disruption and mess
the opening of your new building may be delayed
A clear understanding early in the process of refitting or, better still, refreshing classroom provisions will most definitely save the school valuable time and money. Keeping clear, open discussions from the start allows all Audio Visual and ICT intentions to be advised and addressed at design level. In our experience this eliminates any adverse issues encountered when decisions are made later in the project. Agreed solutions can then be specified on a ‘best fit’ rather than ‘make fit’ scenario, enhancing the overall experience and usability the provision delivers once deployed.
Lee Wilson, AV2 Events
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What’s different? You’ll need to think about how technology, fixtures and connectivity have changed since you last invested in classroom equipment. For example: •
You’ll need the right type and amount of
•
cabling and conduit, in the right places •
right places – and you may need more, or less, than you previously needed
If you have interactive flat panels they may be bigger and most certainly heavier. You will need to consult your
You’ll need the right amount of power, delivered in the
•
installer to establish the correct location for your front-of-
You may be able to dispense with some cabling; for example, you might use Wi-Fi a lot more
class technology, particularly if it is wall mounted
What should you do? The following six steps will support your decision making process: 1.
Be aware that decanting is risky: older kit
3.
may break or may not release easily – and while there’s PSBP2 budget for breakages, it’s disruptive and you may only get like-for-like
your upgrade as early as possible 4.
2.
5.
Put your ICT subcontractor in touch with the suppliers of your new equipment as soon as you can, so they can discuss what
Decide as early as possible what new
needs to be done at installation time
technology you want to acquire, based on the latest professional advice
Make sure they have all the specifications they need – or you may encounter problems later on
(which means replacing legacy equipment with old-fashioned or cheap equipment)
Ensure that your construction and ICT companies know about
6.
Keep conversations open, and keep everyone in the loop, throughout the entire process
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PSPB - Time to decant or invest?
We recognised that the mixed ICT estate across all of our sites required a complete upgrade. While my team had the technical and commercial considerations of procurement front-of-mind, we fully appreciated the importance of engaging teaching staff regarding their needs too – after all, they are the ones who use the technology to enhance the classroom experience.
Mornè van Niekerk, Technical Services Manager, Milton Keynes Education Trust (MKET) PSPB - Time to decant or invest?
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Time & technology march on Technology that is not fit for purpose, or has a tendency to fail, no longer meets the demands of today’s classroom.
If it’s been a while since you last invested in new classroom technology, things have really changed. You’ll need to find out: • what’s on the market these days? • what’s tried and tested? • which providers can you trust? • what are the pros and cons of each solution? • what offers the best value? • how can you pay for it?
Ideally, this is where you’d turn to an ICT consultancy for help. But if you’re already spending precious budget on new equipment, you don’t want to be paying for expertise as well. So that’s where Promethean comes in, because we’re offering 4 major advantages for PSBP2 schools, all at no cost to you:
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PSPB - Time to decant or invest?
- offering 4 major advantages for PSBP2 schools:
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FREE strategic consultancy You can trust us because we’re a global education technology provider with an outstanding reputation. For over 20 years Promethean has been a leading manufacturer of education technology products, all designed and built with the pedagogical requirements of schools in mind.
Even better, we understand PSBP2 and the challenges of decanting equipment – so we’re here to help you upgrade if that’s what you choose to do. We’ll work with your contractors and ICT reseller to ensure a result that fits the unique requirements of your school. We offer state-of-the-art front of class solutions for every size and type of classroom.
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FREE demo equipment, orientation and support Without obligation, we’ll loan you a superb interactive panel, the award-winning ActivPanel, for a trial of up to 2 weeks. ActivPanel is powered by an Android-based mini-PC, which effectively transforms the panel into a giant tablet computer and an intelligent, highly connected hub for all your devices. We’ll also provide a free demonstration and orientation session, preparing you to explore the panel to your heart’s content while you’re trialling it.
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FREE liaison with your PSBP2 contractors We’ll work with your building and ICT contractors to ensure they understand what you’re buying, along with all the implications for your infrastructure. This includes the correct placing of connectivity, conduits, power sources and fittings – but it also means ensuring they don’t go in if you don’t need them, such as with wireless equipment. It’s really important that this liaison occurs as early as possible in your PSBP2 project.
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FREE orientation and support on purchases If you decide to go ahead and purchase from us, with or without a free trial, we’ll provide the orientation and support you need both before and after installation. In addition to our interactive panels, this support is also available on our:
•
free software solutions for lesson delivery, collaboration and polling
•
interactive whiteboards
•
wireless presentation technology, which enables devices to connect to front-of-class technology without the need for cables
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What will new technology give your school? The latest technology can help to improve the performance of students, teachers and your entire school. Equipment designed for the modern classroom is smarter: not just in terms of technology but pedagogy, too. It creates a more immersive experience, and when used well can lead to better performance for everyone: •
•
Increase student engagement – create active learners
•
Get real-time learning feedback – teachers can get
who are intellectually curious
crucial insights into students’ progress, empowering them
Foster collaboration – use a full range of collaborative
to adjust and intervene immediately
learning models, including whole-class, individual and team settings, via shared projects, peer-to-peer learning
•
Personalise and differentiate lessons – based on learning styles, learning preferences and levels of mastery.
and critiquing
Connectivity and ownership The ability to connect together devices – including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones, whether Microsoft, Apple, Android, Chrome or Linux Ubuntu – means better sharing and an enhanced sense of ownership for students.
Our technology offers instant direct access to the Promethean App Store and Google Play offering an ever-expanding world of educational tools plus popular apps such as Google Earth. App-based learning on the ActivPanel is not only easy, but feels comfortable and familiar to students.
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PSPB - Time to decant or invest?
Extra benefits All ActivPanels enable you to: •
Use your panel as a central, inter-connected hub for all devices – the school’s and students’ own
•
Use as your own Wi-Fi hotspot
•
Connect with Bluetooth devices such as musical keyboards, digital lab sensors and robots
•
Enjoy multi-touch functionality – up to 20 simultaneous touchpoints and 4 pens at a time
A cost-effective solution •
With ActivPanel, you’ll be able to upgrade the external Android PC at any time, ensuring you keep pace with rapid advances in computing technology
•
These upgrades are considerably cheaper than having to purchase a new system – with all of the associated installation and orientation costs
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Your choice of HD or 4K display comes with a 5-year guarantee
•
Our panels simplify device maintenance and minimise the cost of diagnostics and repairs
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They’re also power-efficient, saving you on your bills!
For teachers: Time saved, disruption and distraction avoided, thanks to ActivPanel •
The Promethean ActivPanel is easy to learn, saving a lot of time that
•
is traditionally required for education technology training. •
•
‘Instant on’ means no time wasted whilst waiting for equipment
screen, and send these notes to the whole class. •
Run immediate polls and assessments to obtain
to warm up, maximising teaching time.
instant feedback and understand student
Smart connectivity to virtually everything (including by
progress during lessons.
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, wired Ethernet, casting, HDMI, USB, VGA) to
•
avoid problematic or failed connections. •
Take instant snapshots, annotate anything on the
Work online or offline. Lesson content can be prepared at home and then, in class, delivered easily straight onto the ActivPanel.
Stop adjusting class lighting –always have the best visibility, thanks to a built-in light adjuster.
•
Easy to navigate, with helpful handy hints tags attached to the panel.
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Arrange your FREE trial Here’s how it works 01
02
Contact us and we’ll
If you book a trial, we’ll
answer any queries you
bring an ActivPanel to
might have
your school
03
04
We’ll show you
We’ll leave it with
how to use it
you for 2 weeks
05
When the trial period is over we’ll discuss your options
Consultancy and support •
•
We’ll explain how our equipment can be integrated
teaching & learning consultants to do a full day’s on-site
and management.
‘orientation’ with your faculty to get you up and running.
Throughout your trial period, we’ll offer advice on
•
We’ll assign a relationship manager to you, they will be
what you might need, where and how to install
available during the project and will help you to transition over
it, and how to adopt it into your PSBP new build.
to your new equipment, answer any questions, and get any
Pre-sales technical specialists are on hand in case
problems resolved.
concern you. If you decide to buy, we’ll contact your IT contractor as early as possible and work closely with them to ensure that your installation replaces the decanting and goes without a hitch.
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Once your new equipment is in place, we’ll send our own
into your network – including set-up, configuration
there are any technical issues which particularly
•
•
PSPB - Time to decant or invest?
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You’ll receive a full set of easy-to-understand documentation plus lots of easy-to-understand guides and advice.
•
After-sales support is available by phone, email, web chat, WebEx and even site visits – just in case you run into queries or need some troubleshooting.
No budget? No problem! There are flexible options to help you finance your new equipment.
Initial FREE trial At no risk to you, and without having to pay a penny, we’re making it easy for PSBP2 schools to experience best-in-class technology. Simply get in touch with Promethean and arrange a free trial of our ActivPanel system. We offer this trial because we believe you deserve to know about the cutting-edge technology you could be using in your new build. And we offer solutions to suit the size and budget of every school.
If you decide to purchase Our interactive panels and displays are purchased through a network of reseller partners. If you love the experience of your trial and want to go ahead and buy, we’ll work with you and your local reseller to support you throughout the process.
Finance options Our resellers offer a range of purchasing and leasing options because they’re highly motivated to help you access the best classroom technology on the market. They understand that you won’t want to miss out on the benefits of updating your front-of-class technology during a PSBP project. Depending on which partner you select, you could access a range of financing arrangements, which might include: • an operating lease
• deferred payments
One of our key criteria was the ability to mirror all devices and apps, so pupils can use their own phones or tablets to evidence learning,” explained Laura. “This way, they aren’t restricted by what software the school uses. We needed something seamless, intuitive, that would sit easily on the school’s existing network.
Laura Compton, Education IT Manager, West Lothian Council
• low or even 0% interest.
Why Trust us? Founded in 1996, Promethean is a global education company with an outstanding reputation not only for our products but also our excellent pre- and post-sales support. Our technical consultants have over 50 years’ combined experience, with backgrounds in teaching and with some of the UK’s leading IT providers.
PSPB PSPB -- Time Time to to decant decant or invest?
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Make the most of your PSBP2 opportunity. Contact us today for a no-obligation chat about a free trial of our world-class front-of-class interactive ActivPanel.
PSPB@PrometheanWorld.com
01254 298598
www.PrometheanWorld.com