School Suite case study 2

With computers now in the home, children are growing up to be literate in IT before they even begin classroom education.

Schools such as Farnborough Grange Nursery And Infant School in Hampshire find the problem isn't getting their pupils interested in computing, it's keeping up with their enthusiasm.

"The kids see it as just another tool," Jane Armstrong of Farnborough Grange explains. "Like a pencil, or a calculator. They have no fear in pressing buttons."

Farnborough Grange caters for approximately two hundred pupils with thirty computers, half of which are networked. They're used not only to teach basic number skills and word processing, but also to familiarise the pupils with technology such as CD players and for fun — programmable toys are especially popular, as are games sites on the internet such as Lego.

To protect both the pupils and the computers, the school needed a reliable control system which would limit access but be simple to use. "We wanted a system that was user-friendly and offered us total protection," Jane says. "It's important that things are restricted, even at their age."

They chose School Suite. "We followed RedFox's advice, which was brilliant. We told them what we wanted and they tailor-made it for the needs of our children."

RedFox installed and configured the system in summer 2002. "It was a flexible approach," Jane says. "RedFox worked with us until it met our needs."

Farnborough Grange is delighted with the system, which allows it to access the internet in all its classrooms. The children can work and play on the computers as fearlessly as they like, and the school is confident they can't come to harm.