Classroom 2000 (C2K)
Delivering a flexible managed service to over 1200 schools, Northgate is making a major contribution to the transformation of education in Northern Ireland.
Providing New Standards in Teaching and Learning
Northgate is the lead technology partner in Classroom 2000, (C2k), a programme to help schools in Northern Ireland achieve new standards in teaching and learning through world-class technology services. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive e-learning initiatives ever implemented in the UK and, by supplying over 1200 schools with ICT networks, technology management and multimedia resources Northgate has made a major contribution to the transformation of education in Northern Ireland.
An independent survey across 900 schools has shown that C2k is already delivering high levels of satisfaction and: 'Much of this success is due to the capability of Northgate', said Jimmy Stewart of C2k.
'By removing the burden of managing and maintaining IT systems from the school and replacing it with a reliable, supportive and more effective alternative, Northgate has become recognised as an ally of education', he said.
Through Integrated Education Technology Infrastructure
C2k covers over 1,200 schools and is designed to ensure that teachers and learners in Northern Ireland acquire the information and skills they need to operate effectively in the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century.
It is part of a £500m, 10-year programme set up by the Northern Ireland Department of Education working with the five Education and Library Boards and leading ICT companies. Together, they are providing an integrated education technology infrastructure for all Northern Ireland schools which aims to help schools achieve new standards in teaching and learning through the delivery of world-class technology services.
C2k chose Northgate as the lead technology partner because the company is recognised throughout the UK as a specialist managed service provider with a long established reputation in the education sector.
With the professionalism, flexibility and expertise of Northgate
Most significantly, Northgate has ensured that schools are supported locally by teams that have developed a knowledge and understanding of their specific needs.
As a result, Northgate's delivery of the managed service has been very flexible, with individual schools having a wide range of choice in both the quantity and type of access devices deployed - whether desktop, laptop, whiteboard or printer. Equally importantly, each school has had input into the deployment plan itself so that the resources in each school are located in the best places to deliver the greatest benefit, both to pupils and teachers.
Northgate has installed a local area ICT network in every school, and these are managed to exacting standards to ensure that over 350,000 users have access both during the school day and from home, using some 45,000 desktop PCs and 25,000 laptops.
Educational Benefits
The C2k and Northgate partnership is providing schools with:
- A highly available and fully supported core ICT infrastructure of school-based, networked computers connected to the Internet
- Access to a wide range of education technology content and services to support the Northern Ireland Curriculum and professional development of teachers
- An integrated suite of services for administration and management
- Flexibility, choice and a wide range of additional teaching and learning resources
- A constantly evolving service to support the ongoing needs of education in NI
Northgate's professionalism has been vital in helping the C2k initiative open new e-learning pathways into further and higher education, and into the wider world of work in a technology focused age.
By working for and with C2k as a true partner, Northgate has played a pivotal role in the evolution and implementation of Northern Ireland's Education Technology Strategy, touching the lives and futures of hundreds of thousands of children at school today.
