Alpha Academies Trust selects RM for up to five more years as their technology partner

LONDON, 20 September – RM, a leading supplier of technology solutions to the education sector, today announced it had extended its partnership with Alpha Academies Trust for three – and possibly five – more years, having been first selected as their IT partner in 2011.

Alpha Academies Trust is a high performing Trust made up of five excellent schools in North Staffordshire – two Secondary and three Primary – with nearly 4,000 pupils under their care. The Trust first entered into a “Building Schools for the Future” contract with RM in 2011, which was replaced with a competitive “RM1050” contract for 5 more years, in 2016. After a further competitive procurement earlier this year, the Trust chose RM as its preferred partner once again, entering into a new three-year contract worth up to £500,000 over those three years. This contract allows for two further one-year extensions, giving the contract a potential value of £826,000 assuming it runs for the full five years.

The new contract builds on the preceding arrangement, providing a full managed service for each school within the Trust – freeing them up to deliver outstanding teaching and learning for their pupils. The service provided by RM includes their connectivity – both leased lines and filtering with MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching – a technology that increases the speed and flow of data within a school) design – something that proved critical during the pandemic; along with the provision of computer devices for pupils and staff – with RM helping the Trust benefit from the cost-effective HP “Trade In” scheme to ensure all users have access to the latest technology, at a cost they can afford – alongside the very latest audio-visual equipment for each classroom, manufactured by CTouch.

Behind the scenes, RM will provide and maintain each school’s on-site computer servers, storage and the back-up of all files and software. They will manage all Microsoft licensing in a cost effective (and simple way), whilst maintaining their own “RM Unify” identity management software to support single-sign-on and user provisioning to all parts of the technology estate for pupils and teachers.

Beyond the fully managed service, the partnership is also working to ensure that the Trust’s digital strategy develops to build on the excellent foundations developed over the past few years with a focus not only on the technology and a move to the cloud but a keen emphasis on bringing staff, pupils and the wider Trust community along, with clear educational outcomes driving the technology decisions.

John Baskerville, Managing Director of RM comments: “My team are well aware of the challenges associated with a contract renewal like this. We have to work doubly hard from the very first day to demonstrate what we have achieved during our time together, the partnership that we have evolved jointly, and the ambition we retain collectively for the pupils and staff in every school within Alpha Academies Trust. The last 18 months have shown how important technology has become in the successful operation of a school today, and we are delighted to be working with each school within the Trust to demonstrate how the innovative use of existing and emerging technologies can support teachers in achieving outstanding educational outcomes for all”.

Simon French, Chief Executive Officer at Alpha Academies Trust, said: "Like many Trusts we are investing in our digital future after changing irreversibly many of our working practices through the pandemic. It gives me great confidence that as we develop new innovative teaching and learning approaches, we continue to have the expert and strong capacity provided by RM. RM have delivered an excellent service over a number of years, and we look forward to working with them in the coming years."

For more information on how RM could support your school or trust, visit rm.com/education

About RM

RM’s technology business unit enables the improvement of education outcomes around the world through the innovative use of existing and emerging technologies. With a heritage dating back almost 50 years, supporting schools, teachers, and pupils across the globe – from pre-school to higher education – including examination boards, central governments, and other professional institutions. rm.com/education

About RM plc

RM’s technology division is part of the listed company RM plc – the £189m turnover British business, with c. 1,837 employees globally. Established in 1973, RM plc’s Group purpose is to enrich the lives of learners worldwide. rm.com

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