Who are Winchester College?
Winchester College is one of the oldest and most prestigious independent schools in the United Kingdom, located in Winchester, Hampshire. Founded in 1382, it is an all-boys' school that offers a rigorous academic curriculum alongside a rich tradition of extracurricular activities, including sports, music, drama, and the arts. The school has a strong reputation for academic excellence and is known for its history, traditions, and the high standards of education it provides to students. Winchester College is part of the Eton Group of schools and caters to students between the ages of 13 and 18.
The Challenge
First, Intercity conducted a comprehensive assessment of the existing user setup to identify pain points and gain insights into the needs and challenges of the people who rely on the technology day-to-day. Armed with this information, Intercity offered expert guidance on suitable market solutions and how best to implement them. Key challenges identified included:
- A lack of Wi-Fi coverage
- PCs requiring modernisation and security updates
- A complex IT network with around 200 hubs and switches
- Insufficient devices to meet pupil demand
- Weak IT governance
Before tackling the infrastructure, Intercity recommended revamping the IT governance structure. Given the scale of the upcoming IT changes and the broad impact on staff, teachers, and students, it was crucial to ensure clear communication and proper preparation. As a result, the college’s existing 30-minute weekly meetings were replaced with longer, more strategic two-hour monthly sessions. The group membership was also expanded, creating a stronger, more effective forum for decision-making.
The Objectives
Modernise IT
The existing system lacked trust among its users. In the classroom, unlike in the workplace, time lost due to poor IT performance cannot be reclaimed. If technology fails during a lesson, it impacts both the students and teachers, leaving everyone frustrated. This situation had to be resolved.
Make Wi-Fi Widely Available
There was no Wi-Fi coverage, forcing pupils to rely on wired network connections to access educational tools and resources. Many students resorted to using their 4G smartphones to access these resources wirelessly, creating security concerns as teachers had no visibility over what content students were accessing. This undermined the school's role in safeguarding students' online activity.
Enable Flexible Teaching
By laying the groundwork for a fully immersive and mobile technology experience, the school enabled teachers to deliver a higher quality educational experience. This transformation empowers both in-class and remote learning, ensuring a more flexible and dynamic teaching environment.
Allow Worldwide Information Access
By providing pupils with access to relevant data from anywhere—whether they’re overseas or on holiday—teachers can offer continuous support, share resources, and maintain open communication. This ensures that every student has the necessary materials to complete assignments, regardless of their location, creating a seamless and uninterrupted learning experience.
The Solution
Centrality delivered this major overhaul in two main phases. The first phase involved the installation of full wifi coverage throughout Winchester’s boarding houses, supported by an advanced physical network and strategically placed access points. The rollout of Windows 10 across all school PCs improved security and usability, while the migration of all pupils and staff to Office 365 unlocked the full potential of these IT capabilities.
As a result, pupils could work using their own devices in their own study areas, eliminating the need to queue for shared PCs or resources. This transformation was a game-changer for the College’s IT education offering.
The second phase, which is still ongoing, includes further wifi deployment and the modernisation of the College’s core server infrastructure, with a migration to Microsoft Azure. This shift will provide the foundation for a fundamental change in teaching capabilities. The College is trialling comprehensive campus mobility using Microsoft Surface Pro devices and wireless technology.
The College is confident that everything is progressing as planned, meeting objectives, and delivering the value it intended. Starting from September 2018, all fixed PCs will be permanently removed, and pupils will use a Microsoft Surface Pro when they join the school.
The Business Benefits
Winchester College has achieved - and continues to achieve - this IT revitalisation for an investment of less than £1m, which is significantly less than its original suggested investment proposed by an alternative supplier. In fact, a full digital transformation is being delivered for less than the cost of the original proposed wifi implementation. Both pupils and parents are delighted with the response to the digital challenge, and Winchester is now well-placed to compete with the best educational institutions in virtual learning for 13-18 year-olds.
As the Headmaster himself puts it: “We used to educate the literati. Now we educate the digerati.”
Intercity’s technical expertise, consultative approach and ongoing support has proved invaluable for all at the College. Seen as an extension of Winchester’s own IT team, Intercity provides off-site helpdesk support which can be called upon when needed.
Because IT is now managed as a service, and bought according to demand, users enjoy an up-to-date, reliable and integrated experience which also reduces the burden on IT support staff so they can focus on providing users with improvements rather than being tied up with cumbersome maintenance and equipment issues.
Teaching is now more innovative, forward-thinking and fluid, and teachers can use their initiative to create truly outstanding classroom experiences that benefit the entire school community.
“Intercity created confidence from the beginning of our engagement, with their open-minded, consultative approach and relevant experience. They made it clear early on that the people were as important as the technology. Intercity is an extension of our team, and jointly we've revamped our IT infrastructure and digitally transformed the college. We trust them as experts to leverage the right solutions, allowing to focus our own time on creating the finest end user experience."
Steven Little, IT Director
Intercity is the ideal technology partner to enable organisations like yours to flourish securely in the new age of working from anywhere. We enable businesses and people to be productive anywhere, anytime, regardless of device, communications or technology. Connecting and securing from device to the cloud. To learn how you can Do More with Intercity, please speak to us here or use the live chat. To learn more about Winchester College, and some of the fantastic work they’re doing, please click here.
