A four-school trust had a government funding deadline, a network refresh, and a supplier whose quotes expired before anyone could act on them. Highgate connected 110 classrooms inside the funding window, and uptime now runs at 99.6%.
Education, MAT • 4 schools • 254 staff • Blackburn & Accrington, UK • Client since 2020
Network uptime across the year
Classrooms connected under Connect the Classroom
Sites covered, plus 40 offices
Delivered inside the government funding window
LET Education Trust is a cross-phase multi-academy trust bringing together four schools across Blackburn and Accrington.
In a sector where tight budgets, government funding deadlines and the safeguarding of pupil data demand reliable technology, the trust needed an IT partner capable of delivering at pace, and of being there when it mattered.
Externally set funding dates, multiple sites, and quotes that expired before they could be approved.
Slow responses from the previous supplier creating delays on time-sensitive projects
Poor financial processes, with inaccurate billing and quotes expiring before approval
No consistent relationship or account ownership, making escalation difficult
Pressure to deliver a government-funded programme on a fixed timeline
LET Education Trust needed to deliver the Department for Education's Connect the Classroom programme, a government-backed initiative to improve digital connectivity in schools, alongside a server and network refresh. With deadlines set externally and multiple sites involved, the margin for error was small.
Previous IT supplier relationships had been hampered by slow response times, poor financial administration, and quotes that expired before they could be acted on. There was no reliable point of contact, no one who picked up the phone and understood the trust's priorities.
Highgate took on delivery of the DfE Connect the Classroom programme alongside LET's server and network refresh, handling procurement, coordination and communication throughout.
Full delivery of the DfE programme within the government funding window, across all sites.
Physical to VMware virtual environment across four sites, including an own-datacentre build with switches, routers, backup hardware, patch panels and fibre links.
20+ switches and 3 core switches at the secondary site, on a 100Gbps backbone with Cat6 cabling and 10Gbps feeds to every WiFi 6 access point.
Continuing supply of hardware, software and systems across the trust, with further network and server projects in the pipeline.
Approximately 110 classrooms and 40 offices connected across five sites
99.6% network uptime across the year
Connect the Classroom delivered inside the government funding window
iQuila introduced for secure remote access
Ongoing procurement relationship, with further projects in the pipeline
The Connect the Classroom programme connected approximately 110 classrooms and 40 offices across five sites, delivered on time and within the government funding window. Network uptime now runs at 99.6% across the year.
The server and network refresh proceeded without disruption to the trust's schools. Highgate also introduced LET to iQuila for secure remote access, a solution that has since gone on to win industry recognition.
The trust continues to work with Highgate across ongoing procurement and infrastructure, with further network and server projects already in the pipeline.
"These projects would not have been possible without the support of Mike and Highgate. I couldn’t do my job without them."
David Hazari
Director of IT & Operations
Network design, refresh and multi-site connectivity for schools and trusts.
Server, storage and end-user infrastructure.
How we support colleges, trusts and schools across the UK.
"We would not hesitate to recommend Highgate."
– Robin Pengilley, Head of IT Services
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– Austin Pass, Managing Director
"A vendor you can rely on."
– Tom Luknar, IT Manager
DfE programmes do not move their deadlines. We deliver against them, and we answer the phone.
