The Challenge: Multiple Schools, Fixed Deadlines & Minimal Downtime
Delivering the technical solution was only part of the challenge.
The Connect the Classroom funding was subject to strict DfE criteria, requiring detailed network schematics and supporting documentation before each project could be signed off.
Funding was also confirmed relatively late in the programme, leaving a fixed and challenging timeframe in which the schools needed to be surveyed, designed, upgraded, documented, handed over and fully operational.
In a school environment, opportunities for complete network downtime are extremely limited. Connectivity supports teaching, learning, administration and day-to-day operations, so each deployment had to be carefully planned around the individual school.
Any delays or overruns had the potential to disrupt school operations and put the funding deadline at risk.
Simpli-Fi therefore developed a tightly managed deployment programme, coordinating additional engineering resource and dedicated project management to ensure each upgrade could be completed within the available windows.
A Design-Led Approach
Before recommending new technology, Simpli-Fi carried out detailed site surveys across the schools to assess the existing WiFi, switching and wider network infrastructure.
Each site was reviewed individually, looking at current performance, resilience and future scalability.
Simpli-Fi then developed a detailed design and report for each school, including network diagrams showing the proposed infrastructure upgrades and demonstrating how the solution would meet the criteria required under the Connect the Classroom programme.
This approach also ensured the new infrastructure aligned with Lion Academy Trust’s wider network standards, providing consistency across the Trust without assuming that every school had identical requirements.
The Solution: Future-Ready WiFi & Resilient Network Infrastructure
Following the survey and design process, Simpli-Fi developed a complete connectivity solution for each school combining high-performance WiFi 7, upgraded switching and a resilient 10Gb network backbone.
Ruckus WiFi 7
Ruckus WiFi 7 access points were deployed to provide high-performance wireless coverage and capacity across the schools.
The wireless environment was designed to support increasing numbers of connected devices, cloud-based learning platforms and digital teaching technologies, while providing the scalability required for future demand.
Cloud-based wireless management provides centralised visibility and control of the WiFi environment, helping to simplify ongoing network management and support.
The latest wireless security capabilities were also incorporated into the solution, helping ensure the new infrastructure could meet the evolving security requirements of a modern school network.
Resilient 10Gb Network Infrastructure
Alongside the WiFi upgrade, Simpli-Fi deployed Ruckus ICX switching and a high-capacity 10Gb network backbone.
Resilience was designed throughout the backbone and core network to eliminate single points of failure and reduce the risk of an individual infrastructure issue affecting connectivity across the school.
This provides each site with a robust, scalable network foundation capable of supporting both current requirements and the continued growth of digital services.
Designed Around Each School
Rather than simply applying the same configuration to every site, Simpli-Fi surveyed and designed each school individually, taking account of its existing infrastructure, network requirements and future demands.
This enabled Lion Academy Trust to establish a consistent technology standard across its Wellingborough schools while ensuring the network at each site was appropriate for its individual environment and users.
Project Delivery & Handover
With a fixed DfE completion deadline and limited opportunities for network downtime, careful project management was critical.
Simpli-Fi coordinated the installation, configuration and testing of the new infrastructure around each school’s operational requirements, with additional engineering resources deployed where necessary to ensure the work remained on schedule.
Following each upgrade, the network was fully tested and documented, with the required network schematics and project information completed before a formal handover to the school’s IT provider.
All schools were successfully upgraded, handed over and live within the required DfE timeframe.
The Outcome: Secure, Resilient & Future-Ready School Connectivity
The project provided Lion Academy Trust’s Wellingborough schools with modern digital infrastructure designed around the increasing connectivity demands of education.
The completed programme delivered:
- High-performance Ruckus WiFi 7
- Ruckus ICX network switching
- A high-capacity 10Gb network backbone
- Resilience across the backbone and core network
- No single point of failure within the core infrastructure
- Cloud-based wireless management
- Enhanced wireless security capabilities
- Greater capacity for connected devices and digital learning
- Consistent network standards across multiple schools
- Detailed network documentation and handover
- Successful delivery within strict DfE funding timescales
Crucially, the project combined technical design with careful programme management, enabling significant infrastructure upgrades to be delivered across multiple operational schools while minimising disruption to teaching and learning.
Client Testimonial
“We are super happy and can’t believe how smoothly this project ran working with Simpli-Fi, we are incredibly impressed.”
Kerry Ridge
Operations Manager, Lion Academy Trust
Beyond Connect the Classroom
While the DfE Connect the Classroom programme has concluded, the principles behind it remain highly relevant.
Schools and academy trusts are increasingly dependent on cloud-based learning, connected devices and digital resources, making secure, resilient and scalable network infrastructure fundamental to the way modern schools operate.
The work delivered through Connect the Classroom forms part of Simpli-Fi’s wider relationship with Lion Academy Trust, supporting the Trust in developing consistent, reliable connectivity across its schools.
For other schools and multi-academy trusts, the project demonstrates the importance of looking beyond individual WiFi access points and considering the complete network environment – from initial survey and design through to switching, resilience, security, deployment and ongoing support.
