Transforming learning environments at University Academy Keighley

UAK’s legacy systems were causing significant disruptions across the school, with unreliable Wi-Fi impacting both students’ ability to access online learning resources and teachers’ capacity to deliver technology-enhanced lessons. The lack of connectivity limited the school’s effectiveness in leveraging its status as a Google affiliate academy, where each student relies on Google Chromebooks for daily study.

Operations Manager Darren Harvey-Hill recognised that the school’s IT infrastructure was no longer fit for purpose. There were concerns over system inefficiencies, outdated hardware, and escalating costs to maintain old equipment. With Wi-Fi access issues becoming an increasing frustration, UAK decided to bring in Afinite to perform a detailed systems health check and resolve these issues.

Afinite conducted a comprehensive three-day audit of UAK’s IT infrastructure, uncovering multiple issues related to hardware, system configurations, and Wi-Fi functionality. It became clear that a full network refresh was required to improve the school’s technology capabilities.

Alongside the network overhaul, Afinite identified a hardware lifecycle management gap. UAK was spending more to maintain ageing equipment than it would cost to replace it with new alternatives. Afinite provided a cost-effective solution by replacing the out-of-date systems with much-improved hardware, helping the school save money while improving network performance.

Due to our partnership, we’ve experienced major improvements across the whole teaching and learning environment.

The network refresh delivered by Afinite has transformed UAK’s IT environment. Wi-Fi access is now consistent and reliable across the school campus, ensuring that both students and staff can engage with online resources without disruption. Software deployment processes have also been streamlined, allowing teachers and students to more easily access the tools they need for teaching and learning.

The improvements in network functionality and hardware have not only enhanced the educational experience but also reduced long-term costs for the school through smarter lifecycle management. Following the success of the project, UAK has committed to an ongoing partnership with Afinite to ensure their IT systems remain optimal in the future.