Westbury Junior School: Inexpensive ITC access - for the whole school!

At Westbury Junior School, a school with nearly 300 pupils, they knew they needed to replace the ICT they already had, and provide greater acess to computers throughout the school.

When Richard Hatt, Head Teacher, heard about desktop virtualisation he decided to trial it in his two year 6 classrooms. It worked out so well that the whole school is now equipped with virtual desktops and is benefitting from a huge reduction in running costs and an anticipated saving in equipment replacement costs in excess of £14k.

Challenge: Initially to provide 6 worstations in each of 2 classrooms, hosted by 1 PC. To roll out new ICT hardware throughout the school, and to simplify the school's IT administration requirements.

Solution: To implement 5 Very PC hosts with 7 NComputing X550 cards across 7 classrooms, providing 40 workstations.

Results: ICT provision installed throughout the school. The ongoing reduction in power used by the virtual desktop suites will save 90% of the running costs of these suites. Renewal costs are a fraction of the cost of replacing PCs, and are likely to last twice as long - a massive saving on capital expenditure costs.

View the PDF case study here or read in full below.

At Westbury Junior School, a school with nearly 300 pupils, they knew they needed to replace the ICT they already had, and provide greater access to computers throughout the school.

Richard Hatt, Head Teacher, believes passionately that "So much of the curriculum can be brought to life with access to computers. Pupils should be able to use ICT, when and where they need it, to support and enhance learning". It was this belief that initially led Richard to find alternatives to their current ICT.

Richard explains “We considered adding to our trolley of laptops, but ruled it out on the basis that it was too expensive and really didn't meet our needs of easy access to ICT throughout the school. The laptops are difficult to manage and maintain, take up too much time - handing them out, switching them on and resolving issues - and are so expensive to replace, either when they wear out or, as can so easily happen with laptops, they get broken". When Richard heard about desktop virtualisation he decided to trial it in the two year 6 classrooms - installing 1 Very PC host to serve 12 workstations (6 in each classroom). It worked out so well, the whole school is now equipped with virtual desktops. Richard says "I asked the children and the teachers to feed back on how well the virtual desktops met their needs - they all loved them".

Richard explains "When we were looking at putting in the system we had to look not just at what we could afford at the time, but also the cost to replace in a few years time. We needed to plan for the future, making sure that this level of ICT is sustainable". He adds "The workstations get all their computing capability from th host, so instead of replacing a whole suite of PCs in 4 or 5 years time, we're looking at replacing the host PC and what amounts to peripherals; ie 5 PCs instead of 40. I anticipate, on today's prices, a refresh cost saving in excess of £14k".

Richard comments "In essence, desktop virtualisation has allowed us to 'future-proof' ICT for the whole school. We're delighted".

A Total Solution: Affordable, Efficient, Effective

Richard went on to say "Not only is the system affordable, it's much more efficient than other solutions and so allows more effective delivery of the curriculum. Previously, a great deal of teachers' time was wasted collecting the laptop trolley, handing out the laptops and starting them up, and then collecting them all in and returning them to the office. Children were often 'hanging around' while technical issues were resolved. With desktop virtualisation this simply doesn't happen. The entire suite is switched on at the touch of one button. The management element, and resultant cost, is negligible. ICT is an essential teaching tool, and with virtual desktops we can maximise its benefits".

Richard adds "Replacement costs are minimal too, as the access device is so much more durable than a PC or laptop and so needs replacing less frequently. The running costs are a fraction of running a suite of PCs - the access device itself uses virtually nothing, so you have the cost of running one host PC, instead of a whole suite".

Cooler, Quieter - A Better Teaching Environment

The desktop virtualisation solutions are quieter and produce virtually no heat, making the environment for students and teachers so much more comfortable. Also, because the units are so small and can be easily hidden and secured, the likelihood of theft or vandalism - with all its resultant headaches - is massively reduced.

Desktop virtualisation works because today's PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of the computer's capacity. The 'virtualisation' hardware and software taps into this unused capacity so that it can be simultaneously shared by multiple students. Each student's monitor, keyboard and mouse connect to the shared PC through a small and very durable access device.

The access device itself has no CPU, memory or moving parts - so it's rugged, reliable and easy to deploy and maintain - and if the worst should happen, it's a fraction of the cost of a new PC to replace.

By spreading out the cost of the shared computer schools and colleges can provide up to five times the number of workstations for the same money.

Richard Hatt says "We couldn't be happier. We have given ICT access to pupils throughout the school, with a relatively small budget. On top of that, we will save money on the running costs and replacement costs, and we are 'doing our bit' for the environment by saving energy throughout the lifetime of the device, and the environmental waste on disposal - we really are halping to build the future with our pupils".