Edinburgh firm gains contract to transform connectivity in over 100 schools

An Edinburgh-based firm is to bring “radically” improved internet connectivity to over 100 schools in Northumberland.  

Northumberland County Council has appointed Commsworld to plan, design, migrate and manage a new solution of significant size and scale to all the schools, boosting education provision in the county.  

The contract will replace the ageing infrastructure currently in place in primary and secondary schools, particularly rural primaries, which do not have extensive in-house IT capabilities.    

Participating schools will receive a full fibre internet connection with speeds up to 1GB per school. This includes full reliability, enhanced security and safeguarding support with fully filtered real-time connectivity to ensure all pupils are kept safe online.  

The council aims to have a community of schools connected through a universal internet service which will provide enterprise-level services at an affordable cost, something which schools could not procure independently.

Councillor Richard Wearmouth, Northumberland County Council's deputy leader and portfolio holder for corporate services, said: “This is a pivotal moment for education in Northumberland. Soon our schools will be able to access the best connectivity to deliver far better digital education through a wide range of devices – bringing them up to date with the latest technologies.  

“I look forward to seeing the benefits of this new service over the coming years which will help provide the best learning experience, and security, for our young people and school staff alike.”

Steve Wood, group sales director at Commsworld, said: “We're delighted to have been chosen by Northumberland County Council to deliver this contract. Our service will pave the way for a significant enhancement of capacity, resilience and security in schools so that they can gain access to the best digital resources available today and in the future.  

“We look forward to playing a key role in this digital journey with the council and educators and pupils in Northumberland.”