NYnet, which builds and manages its own full fibre network across North Yorkshire, has worked with specialist education technology company Vital York Limited and North Yorkshire Council’s NYES Digital team to improve broadband connectivity, introduce the latest firewall and filtering technology and provide ongoing technical support to Ebor Academy Trust, South Bank Multi Academy Trust and Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust.

Together, the three Yorkshire academy trusts manage over 40 schools, from rural village primaries to inner-city primary and secondary schools .

The collaboration, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the region, has seen NYnet, Vital and NYES Digital pool their experience of working with the education sector to develop a programme of digital improvement, resilience and technical support.

Alastair Taylor, CEO of NYnet, said his firm had been responsible for underpinning the project with high performance broadband connectivity.

Invaluable

He said: “NYnet has built its reputation over a period of almost two decades with a remit to deliver robust full fibre broadband to the NHS, blue light services, schools and remote rural communities in North Yorkshire.

“The knowledge we have built up over that time was invaluable as we worked with our partners on this project to make sure every learning community within the three trusts has access to the same high performance digital connectivity.”

James Pawson from Vital said: “It has been highly rewarding to work as part of a larger tech team to bring together our knowledge and expertise and develop the best possible solution for the academies involved.”

Keren Wild from NYES Digital said: “This partnership has brought huge benefits for all the schools involved and will futureproof their digital communications for many years to come.

“The academies can now benefit from ongoing support from Vital and NYnet to keep their IT systems trouble free and ensure school staff are not spending time fixing IT issues.”

Tim Moat from Ebor Academy Trust, which looks after 23 schools across Yorkshire and the Humber said: “The expertise we have been given access to through this project has transformed the way our IT operates, bringing significant improvements in terms of speed, resilience and security. We are very fortunate to have peace of mind going forward thanks to the knowledgeable teams from NYnet and Vital, who are providing ongoing technological support to our school communities.”

'Innovative' collaboration as Yorkshire businesses team up to give schools a digital boost