Tockington Manor School and Nursery is a family-focused, independent, co-educational Nursery and Preparatory School. Being a small school with a team of dedicated teachers, Tockington are able to spend time discovering the talents of their children, and with outstanding facilities in Science, ICT, Sport and the Arts, there are opportunities for every child to excel. We spoke with Sarah Morris, Bursar at Tockington about outsourcing their IT to Sharp and how we help to continuously improve their technology provision.
“Sharp are key to helping us continuously improve our technology provision, helping us to meet our goals.”
Sarah Morris, Bursar, Tockington Manor School and Nursery
The Challenge
• An IT Support provider to maintain their IT.
• Consultative, flexible support with transparent pricing.
• High standard of support to help with future-proofing.
Searching for a consultative and flexible IT partner
Being a small school, Tockington do not have the resources to employ an in-house IT team, which is why out sourcing their IT to a local IT support provider is perfect for them.
Sarah managed the process when looking for an IT Support Partner in the Bristol area and had specific IT requirements that needed to be met.
The school were in need of consultative and flexible support and due to having tight budgets, an IT provider that had a clear pricing model that didn’t include hidden extras.
It was also important for them to partner with an IT provider who could offer advice and guidance on the most appropriate technology for their school.
“Our Technical Consultant can fix problems quickly and efficiently and we have a great relationship with him.”
Sarah Morris, Bursar, Tockington Manor School and Nursery
The Solution
• Complete IT Manager to support the maintenance and monitoring of all of their IT.
• Dedicated team who becomes an extension of theirs.
• Full IT systems review to understand current set up.
• Project to update infrastructure and devices.
High-standard updates and a plan for the future
Our Complete IT Manager (CITM) service was the perfect solution for Tockington. As part of this service Sharp would take full control of Tockington’s IT and offer consultative, proactive support to ensure they were always working efficiently and securely. It would enable their team to focus on what they do best and have peace of mind that their IT is taken care of.
As part of their dedicated account management, a Technical Consultant will get to know Tockington’s systems inside out and work with key staff to plan their IT roadmap for the next year, ensuring goals are met and any necessary improvements are made or challenges are overcome.
After an in-depth review, Sharp’s first task was to bring the school’s infrastructure and devices up to date. The Sharp team managed the entire project, from updating cabling throughout the school to replacing outdated devices and ensuring all laptops were updated to Windows 10.
As with all schools, Tockington holds a lot of sensitive data and IT security is a priority. With the help of Sharp, a new bring your own device (BYOD) policy has also implemented to help protect the school’s sensitive data and reduce the risk of a cyber-attack.
Additionally, Tockington’s tailored roadmap was carefully planned to help with future-proofing. It would show them where they are, next steps, and would help them budget well into the future, which was important to the school.
“Sharp ticked all of our boxes.”
Sarah Morris, Bursar, Tockington Manor School and Nursery
The Result
• Reliable and knowledgeable IT team to rely on and form as an extension to Tockington vs a nameless third party.
• Transparent pricing so they are able budget accordingly.
• Freed up time so the team can focus on other key responsibilities.
• Clear roadmap so they can ensure a high-standard of IT and technology for the future.
A Technical Consultant they can rely on
Sharp have supported Tockington since 2018 and for them, the real value of Sharp’s service comes from their dedicated Technical Consultant, “He knows the school’s systems inside out,” said Sarah.
Tockington benefit from their Technical Consultant spending 36 on-site proactive days per year, this time is solely dedicated to working with Sarah and the team to understand their priorities. During the on-site days, their Technical Consultant will complete proactive checks which fall in line with their collaborated roadmap.
Tockington recognises that technology is rapidly evolving and understands the importance of keeping up to date and investing in technology to ensure their children and staff are able to meet their full potential, which is why the project to update devices and their infrastructure was so important to them.
Overall, Tockington benefit from a hands-on IT support provider who provides peace of mind that their IT is taken care of and due to transparent pricing, budgeting is made easy.
