We have been supporting Corpus Christi Primary School with their education technology since 2015, having initially worked with them to upgrade their ageing interactive whiteboards and projectors.

For a long list of reasons, the school chose to do so using a public-sector approved operating lease; this allowed all their teachers and learners to have equal access to up-to-date technology, whilst avoiding capital spend.

We spoke to Wendy Walsh, who has been Head Teacher at Corpus Christi since 2008, to find out more about her experiences so far…

Why did your school decide to benefit from leasing your technology?

We knew we didn’t want to be in a ‘them and us’ situation where some have the new technology and others don’t. That was a recipe for problems as I saw it. Technology leasing was the only way we could avoid this – we simply didn’t have the funds to purchase it all as a one-off. Once we saw it was approved by the DfE and so on, it was pretty much the only option.

We’ve actually seen other costs come down as well which has helped pay for it – energy costs, replacement lamps and some other unexpected things. Our IT technician, for example, came into the school and spent most of his time repairing problems – that’s minimal now. He comes in less often, does more remotely from their office and when he is here he can actually help us move forward! Troubleshooting was such a waste of time.

You chose to renew your lease at the end of the three years…

Yes, we renewed our lease at the end of 2019, which allowed us to upgrade to newer and better technology and continue at a similar spend – we had all the benefits of new tech, new training, new software and so on, with no impact on our balance sheet. We upgraded to better SMART Board interactive touchscreens and new AVer M17-13M visualisers, which has really helped us move forward.

How do you find working with Elementary Technology?

Everything goes smoothly. It’s all about that personal touch. Elementary Technology first looked at what technology we had and how we were using it with their Classroom Healthcheck – this was great and really helped me as headteacher. They then explained all the available options, where we could upgrade our technology and costed it all out for us. They provided us with all the valuable information we needed and explained it all. They also come back regularly to provide training to all our teachers, which is all part of the package.

How would you compare working with Elementary Technology to previous suppliers?

We wouldn’t be where we are today. We’ve now got a supplier that we trust, and we work well with, they bring value and they understand our school. Surprisingly, their prices are competitive too.

When you are searching for an EdTech supplier, it’s important to compare like to like, factor in benefits, training and support, rather than just comparing prices.

How has technology helped you deliver better education?

We have been able to offer the very best provision to the children. Teachers have more time to teach, having the right equipment in place, which has minimised disruptions caused by ineffective technology.

Children enjoy having the technology in the classrooms and this was renewed of course in 2019. There are larger, brighter screens and all sorts of other benefits. There’s a buzz about the place!

What advice you can give to other schools looking to upgrade their EdTech?

I would say, speak to Elementary Technology and listen to what they have to say. Compare like for like offers and look at extras you get with their package. Elementary Technology has offered us a very efficient second to none service and a quick turnaround, and they are always a phone call away. As a busy school, they’re exactly what we need.

If you'd like to follow this advice and see what can be done for your school, contact us now.

Date: 2nd April 2020