Multi-academy trusts will expand exponentially in the next few years, as the Government’s 2022 Schools White Paper mandates that all English schools should be part of a multi academy trust (MAT) by 2030. This sounds great in principle, but the reality of successfully integrating all these schools and ensuring they have the right unified communications structure is challenging.
How communications tech impacts MATs
Teachers are three times more likely to leave a school with poor conditions of work. So, easy to adopt unified communications (UC) across the whole MAT can make a huge difference. It encourages wider engagement across the organisation, simplifies the planning process and makes responding to day-to-day challenges more efficient.
Studies have shown that for ed-tech projects to be successful, teachers must believe that they are worth the effort and that the technology will enable them to deliver improved outcomes for their students. Without early engagement from teachers on technology projects, schools may struggle to ensure wide adoption and maximise the investment.
Key features of effective UC for MATs
Integrating a new school into a MAT requires significant change for teachers and school leaders. This puts staff under a lot of pressure, as it involves adapting long-established working practices and culture while still driving improved academic results. The last thing staff need at this sensitive time is a glitchy communication system that is hard to learn.
As such, for any unified communications solution under consideration, first and foremost it needs to be easy to adopt. Once you have checked this box, you should consider features such as effective IVRs, remote access, and integrations, with technologies such as Microsoft Teams. The benefits for the school of a UC solution with the right features include cost-savings, better safeguarding practices and centralised management.
Finding the right UC solution
This guide from Gradwell will help you create successful UC adoption across your MAT, or individual school. We outline all of the essentials, and explain the benefits the technology will make to all stakeholders. The guide also covers:
- What are the must-haves when choosing a UC solution
- How to demonstrate the benefits to all stakeholders
- What a future-proof MAT UC solution looks like
Driving Excellence in MATs with UC
Click below to download the guide
