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innovation as a long term investment

Solutions

Leeds Learning Network

Integrated and managed learning platform for lifelong learning

Brief:

When it was time to renew the five year old Leeds Learning Network (LLN), it had already undergone an ISDN to broadband refresh; the number of services used over the network had increased as had the number of participants, having acquired libraries and city learning centres in addition to the original 298 schools.

Those five years had proved that online teaching and learning had developed significantly, as had customers’ requirements and expectations. Having a strategic vision of lifelong learning, LLN looked to expand the network into a multi-service learning environment to help to transform education by providing all learners with a learning experience suited to their unique needs.

Leeds felt they needed to procure a completely new range of services to cope with the rapid development of online teaching and learning, whilst achieving best value, addressing efficiency targets and government standards.

Solution:

Leeds awarded Synetrix the contract to upgrade its network and provide an innovative and complex portfolio of services for 400 schools, libraries and city learning centres.

These services include Becta-accredited filtered high-speed internet access, email services and their own unique learning environment.

Some of the benefits due from the new LLN are that it enables collaboration, provides flexibility and the ability to create private learning environments, for instance:

  • Provides staff and pupils roaming access to work files and assignments from anywhere
  • A file sharing facility that allows children and teachers to work on a common document rather than producing numerous versions and to collaborate on problem solving
  • More flexibility for schools and teachers to structure resources around class, age groups or streams
  • Allows teaching staff discrete management of assignment setting, marking, administrative and analytical work tailored around a subject, individual or group of learners

The upgrade to the core network means that most sites now have a minimum 10Mbps connection with the scalability to ensure that LLN can easily expand its broadband offering to meet demands of up to 500Mbps over the next five years as services and requirements develop.

The LLN has successfully beaten government broadband targets, is well under way to providing a managed learning environment and online storage space for individual pupils before 2008 whilst ensuring that the learning platform is integrated into Leeds' upcoming Building Schools for the Future initiatives.

Synetrix has entered into this contract as a long term partnership with Leeds City Council, and is fully committed to supporting Leeds in harnessing advances in ICT to empower schools and libraries to achieve excellent results through online learning.

More information is available at www.leedslearning.net

"The Leeds Learning Network has brought our education community closer together."





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