Stanton Under Bardon Primary School, Markfield
School Business Manager, Verity Blair, spoke to the Digital Leicestershire team about how upgrading the broadband through Project Gigahubs has improved how staff are working, and how pupils are learning, at Stanton Under Bardon Primary School.
A School Left Behind Digitally
“When I joined Stanton Under Bardon CP School in 2021, I quickly realised just how far behind we were when it came to digital infrastructure. We are a small primary school in a quiet village near Markfield. The school has always been the heart of the community, but in many ways, we’d been left behind – especially when it comes to technology.”
Our Internet Experience
“Our Internet connection was poor, unreliable and painfully slow. We were working with speeds of around 50 Mbps, but even that wasn’t consistent. Dropouts would last up to 80 minutes, and they happened frequently. It had a knock-on effect on every aspect of school life – contacting parents, running our MIS system and processing school meal orders. On some days, we had to revert to entirely offline working. It wasn’t just inefficient; it was stressful and disruptive.
We knew the digital switchover was coming and that VoIP was inevitable, but we couldn’t make the leap. The infrastructure just wasn’t there. We had investigated options before, but the installation costs were prohibitively expensive – especially for a small school like ours. That’s why the Gigahubs programme made such a difference. It gave us the opportunity to bring in full fibre, something that wasn’t otherwise available in our part of the village.”
A Real Step Forward
“Our new broadband service went live in May 2024, and the difference has been night and day. We’re now on 330 Mbps and finally have the reliability we’ve needed for so long.
We’ve switched to a VoIP system, cutting our annual phone costs from over £1,000 to just £600. Our internet costs have also dropped from £2,566 to £2,000, and we’ve moved from a server-based to a cloud-based setup.
That change has allowed us to invest in new devices. We’ve rolled out 68 touchscreen Chromebooks to students and another 30 are arriving in September. These are assigned to individual pupils and have already had a huge impact on digital literacy, particularly reading. We also now use smart screens and online collaboration tools in Year 5 and 6, transforming how children learn and share work.
For staff, the difference is just as big. We’re finally working in an environment where systems run smoothly and reliably. We’re even planning to move our MIS and finance systems to the cloud – something we never could have risked before.”
What We have Learned from this Installation
“This installation process has taught us a lot, not just about internet connectivity but about managing complex infrastructure projects in a school setting. One of the biggest lessons was the importance of clear and consistent communication between all parties involved.
We’ve also learned that investing in the right digital foundations, however challenging at first, pays off enormously in the long run. It’s not just about speed; it’s about enabling better teaching, smoother operations, and giving pupils access to the tools they need to thrive in a digital world.”
Final Thoughts
“The Gigahubs programme gave us the opportunity to update and bring real, lasting improvements to our school. Yes, the process had its challenges, but the outcome has transformed how we work and how our pupils learn.”