St. Herbert’s in Oldham is a Roman Catholic Primary School for over 300 girls and boys aged 3 to 11. Its aim is to provide a happy, secure and supportive education environment, as well as providing the best opportunities for students to maximise their potential. With this in mind, St. Herbert’s had invested in interactive whiteboards in the past, but this solution had failed them. This meant that the teachers had limited interaction capabilities for a number of years, so the school was looking to upgrade to the latest interactive technology.
St. Herbert’s required new technological solutions to enhance teaching potential and boost interactive learning, especially in its learning centre and early years’ classes. After consulting with its reseller Universal AV and conducting extensive research, St. Herbert’s decided that an interactive flat panel (IFP) would be the best solution. The IFP’s longer warranty, good quality display and connectivity options would be best suited to the school’s needs.
Nigel Milligan, IT manager at St. Herbert’s, conducted extensive research into IFPs and from this he managed to narrow down his preferred brands. He then attended the Bett Show in January 2017 to learn more about the solutions available in the market and speak to companies on his shortlist directly. After this extensive evaluation process Milligan turned to BenQ; he believed that the company provided the best value in terms of both features and quality, as well as additional benefits such as the anti-bacterial screen coating, eye care and warranty.
In order for St. Herbert’s to choose its IFP solution, BenQ provided lots of support and guidance with a RP790 loan unit for teachers to demo at a school event. Milligan also travelled to Universal AV to have a demo with BenQ’s Chris Moore in order to learn more about what was on offer and make the final purchase decision. St. Herbert’s Primary School purchased six RP653 Interactive Flat Panels from BenQ with touch pen accessories. Five of these IFP’s have already been installed in its classrooms, with the final unit due to be installed in July 2017.
Milligan commented: “BenQ have proved to be an all-round success for our school as every part of the process and features fit perfectly with our requirements and budget. BenQ’s IFP product range is high quality, great value and reliable.”
Teachers have found that the new RP653 offers fantastic touch experiences for students which helps to inspire learning and stimulate collaboration. Jackie Eade, a member of the teaching team at St. Herbert’s added: “The boards really enhance the children’s learning and we often use the split board options to create a collaborative environment in the classroom”.
Overall, BenQ’s solutions have helped St. Herbert’s to achieve their goals and address their need for greater interaction. The solutions are now an integral part of the learning experience and the team would “highly recommended BenQ to other schools”. Students at St. Herbert’s now have the opportunity to take part in interactive activities and they say “It’s fun, but we’re learning!” and “It helps our imagination”. The teachers are also more confident in the way that they are teaching as the IFP has enhanced the way that they can display their resources.
Alison Ellor, teacher at St. Herbert’s stated: “Since having the interactive screen installed, I have been able to breathe life into my lessons and the possibilities are limitless.”
