Alupro launches campaign to educate primary pupils about recycling

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Alupro, the aluminium packaging recycling organisation, has announced the launch of its 2020 primary education programme. From Monday 28September, schools across the UK and Ireland will be recruited to participate in the initiative, which aims to bring recycling into the classroom through science, art, design and PHSE.

The anime-inspired Key Stage 2 (KS2) campaign will see schoolchildren introduced to heroine Ally Minium and asked to join her quest to defeat evil villain Land Phil, who is threatening to take over the planet. Comprising an introductory video, an interactive lesson about recycling and a series of quests for pupils to complete, the creative programme will task pupils with becoming ‘masters of infinity’.  

After completing all the quests, using a series of custom-designed character cards, pupils will complete a pledge to recycle their waste and help others to do the same. The aim of the initiative is to generate awareness of the benefits of recycling all household packaging, including aluminium, as well as drive a long-term shift in recycling behaviour among young people and their families.

Rick Hindley, executive director at Alupro, commented: “Inspiring the next generation and educating students about the properties of aluminium and the role it plays within the circular economy will help contribute to ever-increasing recycling rates. At Alupro, we love working with pupils to build awareness of sustainability and support teachers as they work with their class to promote the benefits of recycling. Our resources have been designed to be hugely flexible and, as such, can even be used by students for home schooling!”

As part of the campaign, students will be invited to enter a competition (which runs between 28 September and 14 December) to complete an anime-based comic strip, for the chance to win an iPad to take home and a £1500 voucher for their school. Rick added: “We’re really looking forward to seeing the entries and the exciting adventures they design. I’d like to offer the best of luck to everyone who takes part!”

ALFED, the aluminium federation, will be part funding the programme. For more information, or to download the resources, visit: https://learningaluminium.co.uk/. For more information about Alupro, visit: www.alupro.org.uk.

School safety standards: How to teach our children about allergens

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As schools welcome students back, albeit with greater COVID-19 health and safety measures in place, leaders must begin to give thought to other areas of concern too. Namely, food safety standards.

With over 30,000 schools in the UK, all focusing more vigilantly on health, safety and risk mitigation to contain the spread of the virus, cross-contamination and hygiene are perhaps being given the greatest attention when it comes to food.

However, Kirstie Jones, environmental health officer at Navitas Safety, administrators of digital food safety management, compliance and training, urges that more must be done by schools and education leaders, if we are to protect children against other food-related risks too.

“Education on allergens and food safety should ultimately form part of the national school curriculum. Children learn best when they are young and learned behaviours can influence lifelong habits and routines.

“Therefore, knowing the basics of food safety at an early age will not only protect children from tragic accidents while young but also stand them in good stead to ensure they do not fall foul to food poisoning later in life, too.”

In the UK, it is reported that 7% of children have a food allergy. While reactions can be treated in most cases, some can be more severe and even fatal. And it’s these that can be prevented with effective education and being better informed.

But how exactly can children be taught about food safety, particularly when many of us adults are unaware of the basics, such as the eight legally defined food allergens?

Well, Kirstie explains simple solutions that can be integrated with school practices, which can help children make better lifelong choices and protect those most at risk.

Make information easily digestible for children

As with any information aimed at children, presentation is key in breaking down the barrier of comprehension. While technical terminology and bold lettering might not be the best way forward, Kirstie offers a solution that is.

“Like we are used to seeing with nutritional labelling, a similar traffic light system could be adopted for allergen details on the front of packaging. Red could be used to indicate allergens, amber for ‘may contain’ and green for ‘free-from’ items, for example.”                           

Creative communication goes down best

How well information is taken on board has a lot to do with how it is communicated. While repetition and frequency are common tactics used in marketing and communications, Kirstie explains that creativity is key when it comes to getting messages across to children.

“Teaching practices should be interactive and engaging. This could include promotional launches, daily pre-lunch briefings, infographics or videos displayed on TV screens, discussions and activities, such as puzzles and quizzes which are linked to allergens.”

Remember, teaching is a team effort

We’ve all heard the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and when it comes to teaching children vital information, like allergens, this is certainly the case. 

“In order to ensure information is retained, it must be reinforced by all those involved in the food-related activities in a child’s life. Included in this is teaching staff, catering managers, lunchtime supervisors and parents.

“Keeping messages consistent requires collaboration and training which involves all parties. This is particularly important for children in early years who are unable to make their own food choices and depend solely on the adults getting it right. 

“But, whatever practices are adopted, it is important that they are kept under continual review to keep up with children’s changing dietary requirements.”

Help yourself

While education is important, what should be remembered is that allergen information is, in fact, a matter of life or death. That said, integrating teachings into lessons and daily routines should be supported with fool-proof aids to minimise the chance of any accidents.

Kirstie emphasises that this isn’t about finding flaws in teachers but rather a way to experiment with teaching methods, safe in the knowledge that the system you have in place will see no child’s wellbeing put at risk.

“Aids could include ‘free-from’ menus, the use of pictorial symbols or even integration with digital systems, whereby when a child scans their thumb to purchase a lunch, any allergies they have can be flagged up and their tray cross-checked by a supervisor.

“In an ideal world, there would be one chosen method that is implemented consistently to avoid instances of inaccurate information provision, which could result in harm to an allergy sufferer. While we wait for this universal solution, for now, it is up to school leaders to take the issue further and do what they can to protect the children in their care.”

For more information on Navitas Safety please visit: www.navitas.eu.com. 

What we can learn about distance learning technology in light of COVID-19

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Rene Buhay, Vice President Sales and Marketing at AVer Europe, explores different approaches to teaching and learning across Europe in light of the pandemic.

The delivery of classes and lectures has been transformed all over the world because of COVID-19. Different regions have adopted different approaches to learning depending on the severity of the pandemic in the country, the digital capacity of the nation and the availability of technologies to deliver and receive content to the homes of students.

In the UK, schools have reopened and formed class or year bubbles in a bid to maintain school attendance and counter the pandemic. Across Europe, we’re seeing hybrid models and alternative methods adopted. What’s the best approach to distance learning and what can we learn from the delivery of classes in other countries?

A business conferencing approach

Classrooms in Spain and Italy are taking their lead from the business world by utilising technology that is typically seen in boardrooms in corporate environments. By using a professional video conferencing system, teachers can make the most of high-quality optical zoom, true WDR and impressive audio so that they can continue their lessons remotely for as long as they need to. Some conferencing systems – like the AVer VC520 Pro – also enable daisy-chain speakerphone capability, which means this solution can flex to a hybrid model when some students return to the classroom.

Equipping educators for delivery

While teachers and lecturers globally may have relied on built-in webcams and existing technology to deliver content to students up until now, the pandemic and requirement to deliver content remotely is not going away. These existing solutions will likely be showing their limitations, and educational institutions are investing in technology now more than ever. Higher quality cameras are being used in universities across Europe to improve the content delivered to students. While these are still plug-and-play solutions, the 4K premium quality and wide-angle lenses can offer so much more. In addition, visualizers are being utilized by teachers more and more for distance learning.

Educational establishments In the UK are making great strides in combatting the current pandemic. We are delighted to be working with many of them to provide AVer solutions to ensure continuity of learning.

About AVer Europe

AVer Europe provides intelligent technological solutions to harness the power of visual communications for business and education. With over 20 years of research, development and manufacturing excellence, AVer holds numerous international design, innovation, application, and service awards for exceptional product usability, reliability and customer satisfaction.

www.avereurope.com

Daily COVID-19 testing in schools is vital to save children’s education

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Daily COVID-19 testing in schools will keep children in full-time education, stop mass COVID-19 spread, and help keep the economy afloat, according to Professor Abderrahim Taamouti, an Economist at Durham University Business School.

Professor Taamouti previously developed an epidemic model to study the trade-off between Covid-19 control, lockdown and testing. The model shows that mass testing is the safest and cheapest way to reopen the economy and society. Professor Taamouti’s model suggests we would need to test 4-7% of the UK population each day to effectively control Covid-19 infection rates, without needing to enforce another lockdown again. 

This testing policy also applies to the education sector, to ensure children’s education is not a stop-start process. The education sector is a critical one in terms of covid-spread, given the difficulties in enforcing social distancing, and the sheer volume of children and teachers from numerous households all interacting indoors.

Current measures in school’s for preventing COVID-19 include encouraging all to wash their hands, creating bubbles within the school years, wearing masks between classrooms and socially distanced seating. However, there are currently no mandatory testing procedures in place for teachers or pupils.

If anyone within school bubbles displays symptoms, all members are currently required to be tested or isolate, meaning children and teachers face missing out on vital education and classroom time over the next academic year. The Children’s Commissioner has suggested around one in 20 children in England are currently out of school due to issues linked to the pandemic and lockdown. 

Professor Taamouti says,

“Schools cannot be left to their own fate. They must be equipped with testing to help them properly fight the spread of the virus and avoid the outbreaks that can lead to their closure. Daily testing for teachers and pupils could help run schools smoothly and reduce the anxiety of parents, ensuring children have no unnecessary breaks in their education, and can continue to learn without disruption”.

Professor Taamouti says governments should provide schools with enough tests, which ideally return results in a short time-frame, to be used at any time when needed. By employing his mass, daily testing strategy in all schools children will only have to self-isolate if they test positive themselves and not if someone in their bubble does, meaning the number of children missing school will drastically reduce. In turn, the knock-on effect on the economy and public health will also decrease.

Professor Taamouti says,

“Taking children out of schools forces parents to stay at home to look after them. Some parents might manage to work from home, but many will not due to the nature of their work. That is why it is so important that we are able to keep schools open, not only because children need their education, but also because of the knock-on effect closures would have.”

With the winter, and flu season, ahead many parents may mistakenly stop children from going into school by confusing suspected covid-19 symptoms with the flu. Whilst, alternatively, other children with covid-19 may be sent to school as parents assume a flu diagnosis. Professor Taamouti’s strategy would help to identify both the false alarms and the more worrying asymptomatic cases that can cause further outbreaks and subsequent school closures.

Parent power: teachers worry they will face more pressure from parents after lockdown home-schooling

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A new report suggests teachers are worried that they will face more pressure from parents who now want greater input into their children’s education after their lockdown home-schooling experience. 

Research1 from specialist insurer Ecclesiastical has found that 69% of teachers believe they are going to face more pressure from parents for greater personalisation thanks to learning at home. Some 61% expect to see an increase in home-schooling and 68% are expecting a demand for other forms of alternative education. 

Alternative education was already on the rise before the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA), local authorities reported 60,544 children as being home educated on 29 March 2019, compared with 52,770 on the same date in 2018.  New research from Oxford Home Schooling has found that more than a third (36%) of millennial parents (25-34 year olds) are now considering homeschooling as a permanent option for their children, in part due to positive experiences during lockdown.

Ecclesiastical’s 2020 Education Barometer uncovered some concerns about the rise in alternative education, not least in the ways in which teachers feel it leads to a rise in higher expectations – without the necessary support and funding needed. The report found that parents’ principal reasons for alternative education were the desire for a greater involvement in their children’s education, looking for a more personalised approach, dissatisfaction with mainstream education, a need for greater flexibility and concern over class sizes. 

Now, the main concern is, unsurprisingly, COVID-19 and the associated risks. 

While more than a third of teachers (36%) actively want parents to be extremely involved in their children’s education, the majority are worried about this increased pressure. Some 45% expect to see changes in alternative education provision as a result of COVID-19.

What will this mean for teachers? 

In the earlier Ecclesiastical research, a quarter (25%) of respondents believed this increase is a positive one, saying that schools will adapt to a greater choice for children. However, 22% considered it a negative, with some believing that alternative education, “leads to an extraordinary and unnecessary rise in the expectations of students in the mainstream schools”. 

Parental expectation was still a key concern for the earlier respondents, along with the worry that alternative education doesn’t give the opportunity for students to grow or results in a lack of motivation.  

Faith Kitchen, Ecclesiastical’s education director, says: “Perhaps with an inevitable rise in flexible working across all sectors thanks to COVID-19, there is a chance that more parents will opt for flexi-schooling around their working schedule as an alternative to the mainstream. Our latest research has found 69% of teachers believe they are going to face more pressure from parents for greater personalisation as a result of mass home-schooling during the coronavirus lockdown. The majority of teachers we surveyed also expect to see an increase in home-schooling and a greater demand for other forms of alternative education.”

Impington International College expands its educational offering with six new subjects for 2021

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Impington International College has launched six new subjects within its educational offering with first teaching from September 2021: International Baccalaureate (IB) Business, IB Global Politics, IB Italian ab initio, IB French ab initio, BTEC Business and BTEC Health and Social Care. The IB subjects will complement the other well-established Diploma Programme (DP) courses on offer to its students.

The new courses will expand its DP curriculum to a total of 33 subjects, including Economics, Philosphy, Psychology and more. The new BTEC subjects will sit alongside three other courses offered, designed to accommodate the needs of employers and allow students to progress to higher education, higher level apprenticeships or the world of work.

The DP is the principal academic programme at Impington International College and is a comprehensive inquiry-based education that puts students in control of their study, so that they can develop superior academic ability, confidence, critical‑thinking and language skills. As part of the DP, students aged 16 – 18 years old study a choice of six different subjects from the 33 available, which include Italian Literature, Geography, Sports Science and Theatre. Through the Higher and Standard Level courses, students are able to tailor the programme to their own strengths and interests.

Commenting on her time spent at the sixth form, alumna Esme Kovacs, who studied Mathematics, Biology, Theatre Studies, English Literature, Spanish and History at Impington International College and is now studying at the University of Durham, said: “What really appealed to me about Impington International College was the IB. In Year 11, I had a huge range of interests and didn’t want to limit any of these; the DP curriculum is broad and directed towards independent study and critical thinking, and so it seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

Impington International College has been offering IB programmes for 30 years, and was recently crowned the UK’s top non-selective provider of the IB by the Sunday Times Parent Power list 2020. Students studying at the College have the option to choose between the DP or the IB’s Career-related Programme (CP), as well as a range of Extended BTECs, with its Performance School Programme or Sports Scholarship Programme, training with a number of professional teams.

Jo Sale, Vice Principal, Impington International College, said: “Through the DP, our students develop academic independence and broaden their cultural horizons. We are so pleased to be able to expand our offering with the four new subjects, now giving our students the option to choose from 33 different courses and even more choice post-16! Traditionally, at the age of 16 we see students narrowing their subjects down from 10 GCSEs to three or four A Levels, and the real beauty of the DP is that it doesn’t require students to give up on subjects they enjoy, and they therefore have a huge advantage and more options at the end of their school years.”

For prospective Year 11 students, who are looking at sixth form options for September 2021, the College is hosting a number of face to face bookable on site tours with the chance to meet and talk to subject teachers as well as a range of virtual sessions on 21 and 22 October. These events will give students and parents the chance to learn more about the new subjects as well as the opportunity to connect with teachers, learn more about the facilities and apply for a place. To book your place on one of the tours or sessions sessions, please visit: https://impingtonintcol.eventbritestudio.com/.  

Sale continued: “We’re proud to have such a unique and international cohort here at the College and, with our small class sizes, we encourage discussion and debate across all lessons. With these additional subjects, we will continue to allow our students to ground their learning in a global context. We’re excited to get started!”

RNIB works with the LEGO Foundation to bring LEGO® Braille Bricks toolkits to UK children

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Children with vision impairment across the UK are set to benefit from thousands of LEGO® Braille Bricks toolkits thanks to the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) work with the LEGO Foundation.

LEGO Braille Bricks introduce a new way to help children with vision impairment develop tactile skills and learn the braille system. The kits are made up of approximately 300 LEGO bricks that are specially moulded so that the studs on top reflect individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet. The bricks also feature printed letters, numbers and symbols so that they can be used simultaneously by sighted peers, classmates, and teachers in a collaborative and inclusive way.

The kits are being brought to the UK by RNIB, which worked with the LEGO Foundation to develop and test the Braille Bricks and will distribute toolkits to schools and home-schooled children from September.

RNIB Director of Services, David Clarke said: “We are excited to bring the LEGO Braille Brick toolkits to UK classrooms to help children learn how to read and write braille in a fun and engaging way. Braille is an important tool and these inclusive toolkits will make a real difference to children with vision impairment, allowing them to play and interact with their sighted classmates.”

RNIB has also trained teachers and support staff working with children with vision impairment in the teaching concept. Although the toolkit is intended as a playful introduction to braille for younger children aged from four up, it has also proven to have learning opportunities and benefits for children in secondary school.

Senior Play & Health Specialist at the LEGO Foundation, Stine Storm, said: “We are thrilled to launch the first wave of the LEGO Braille Bricks program and get the toolkits into the hands of children. With LEGO Braille Bricks, students and educators can tailor their activities in countless different ways to meet their needs and learning goals in a fun and inclusive manner. The possibilities for learning through play are endless, and we look forward to seeing how LEGO Braille Bricks can inspire children of all ages along their journey to learn braille.”

The UK is one of several countries that LEGO Braille Bricks will launch in this year. The toolkits, or sets of bricks, are not on general sale and can only be ordered by heads of service from local sensory services. Heads of service can also nominate an education professional from schools for children with vision impairment, or a QTVI (qualified teacher of children and young people with vision impairment), to place an order on behalf of their area. For more information visit www.rnib.org.uk/legobraillebricks

Satchel appoints AQA Chief Executive Officer as Non-Executive Director

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Satchel, the award-winning provider of the learning platform, Satchel One, home to Show My Homework, today announces the appointment of Colin Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of assessment body, AQA, as Non-Executive Director to the organisation. Colin’s appointment comes at an exciting time for Satchel, as it looks to build on its growth in the UK by expanding internationally.

Colin joined AQA as CEO on June 1st, and is currently responsible for developing a new 3 – 5 year strategy for the organisation that aims to diversify and digitalise its activities. Prior to AQA, Colin served for eight years as Managing Director of the Collins Learning division of HarperCollins, where he merged the Education, Language (dictionaries) and Geo (mapping and atlases) divisions into a unified and successful digital learning division in the UK and international markets. 

Talking about joining Satchel, Colin Hughes, CEO of AQA and Satchel Non-Executive Director, said: “I joined Satchel because I regard it as one of the most well-run and effective edtech enterprises in the UK. I’m attracted by the opportunity to root digital education in schools in the right way. And I want support in the growth of technology that makes a real impact on students’ learning and achievement, while reducing the day-to-day challenges that teachers experience which can ultimately impact the success of the school”.

Colin adds: “Satchel has a strong market share with a brilliant suite of products that genuinely address the needs of teachers. I am looking forward to working with Naimish and the excellent Satchel team in helping them better champion their UK successes to take their products to the international education market”.

Speaking of Colin’s appointment, Naimish Gohil, Founder and CEO of Satchel, said: “I am very excited to have Colin join the Satchel team. Colin has been a fantastic supporter from the sidelines and has provided advice to me on many occasions over the last 5 years. He brings a great deal of experience building and growing digital education businesses in the international markets. I’m delighted we can lean on his operating and industry experience during this next phase of growth for Satchel”.

To learn more about Satchel and its range of award-winning products, please visit: www.teamsatchel.com 

CRB Cunninghams First Education Technology Company to Win a Public Sector Catering Award 22nd September 2020

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On 15th September, CRB Cunninghams, providers of cashless catering, online payment and ID management software to the education sector, was named the winner of the Innovation award at this year’s Public Sector Catering awards, dedicated to recognising and celebrating excellence in the public sector catering industry. CRB Cunninghams received the award for their Fusion Online pre-order mealtime app for schools, making them the first dedicated EdTech company to ever win a Public Sector Catering Award.


Innovation award

Judges were looking for a product or service innovation that has dramatically changed an operator’s catering strategy. With the release of Fusion Online, CRB Cunninghams’ innovative pre-ordering app that encourages pupils to pre-order their school meals directly from their mobile phone, coupled with exceptional service and dedication to the education sector, confirmed CRB Cunninghams as the 2020 winner.

Public Sector Catering Awards

Finalists for awards were announced in March with the original event due to take place in April. However, due to COVID-19, the event was postponed until September and transformed into a virtual event with leaders across the industry in attendance.

The Innovation Award, announced by Mark Moloney from Youngs Foodservice, declared CRB Cunninghams as the winner for the following reasons:

Fusion Online pre-order app

Fusion Online allows secondary school pupils to pre-order their preferred meal options in advance, either in school or out of school. The app enables pupils to choose their favourite school meals on-the-go to ensure their order is ready to pick up at lunchtime.

“For us, the main thing is looking at pre-ordering and looking at the future developments that are associated. The use of a phone-based app will make a big difference in how pupils order their food. That’s a really important development and one that we are keen to test.” – Jayne Jones, Customer of CRB Cunninghams, Commercial Manager at Argyll and Bute Council, and Head of ASSIST FM.

Increase in uptake of school meals

Fusion Online is a platform that enables schools to compete against out-of-the-gate food options, such as takeaway and fast-food establishments. The pre-order app encourages pupils to stay within the school grounds during lunchtimes, resulting in an increase in revenue for caterers and schools.

Combat food wastage in schools

£250 Million per year is lost due to food waste in schools and colleges in the UK. To combat food wastage and the associated cost, Fusion Online tells school staff exactly what lunches need to be prepared in advance. The combined cashless package provides catering managers with a host of management information, including historical data and an analytical view to better predict food trends and to assist with stock ordering and long-term planning.

Customer-driven research & development

In 2011, CRB Cunninghams first introduced the ability to pre-order meals that encouraged secondary school pupils to choose school meals rather than opting for local shops and burger vans. Initially developed as an answer for customers that required a flexible solution that would allow pupils to pre-order meals 24/7, CRB Cunninghams introduced Fusion Online to schools as an enhancement to their pre-ordering service. Their in-house research and development team utilised the latest technology and Azure hosting to offer this product to schools with enhanced security.

David Paylor, Commercial director of CRB Cunninghams said:

“It is fantastic that CRB Cunninghams is being recognised for innovation. We pride ourselves on delivering innovative solutions to our customers and we see this award as a direct result of our dedication and drive to provide new solutions that benefit our customers. I’d like to say congratulations to all the worthy winners and finalists, thank you to Public Sector Catering, and all those involved in hosting the event.”

To learn more about the Fusion Online pre-order app for secondary schools, click here.

How Digitalising School Facilities Can Maximise Efficiency In Response to COVID-19

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While lockdown restrictions are being eased, it is likely that COVID-19 will leave a lasting legacy on our attitudes to safety and building management. As schools readjust to operating within the new norm, one thing is for certain: there is always room for vigilance when it comes to school processes. Whether to reduce costs, maximise efficiencies, or achieve optimal well-being of school-going children, smart technologies are here to stay for their extensive benefits.  

Schools of the future will be smarter

COVID-19 has underscored the importance of automated processes, which are adaptable to different building occupancies and shifting challenges. As schools around the world take the first steps towards digital transformation, the simplicity and ease of integration of some smart technologies are showing marked cost savings; streamlined safety, maintenance and operational efficiencies; and enhanced green potential. Real-time reporting from sensors and technologies are mobilising schools to adopt a data-driven approach to take their schools into the future.

COVID-19 considerations

Since withdrawn, the Government’s guidelines on schools’ management during COVID-19 have provided food for thought for governing bodies and facilities managers in the school setting. It is also driving the adoption of data-based smart solutions to counteract operational challenges and reduce costs. The guidelines dealt with partially closed facilities – and guidelines for full opening have since been issued. Within the school context, the categories outlined in the original guidelines are perennially important and, with a bearing on safety, the more precise, the better. 

Coronavirus and temperature checking 

Across different facilities, temperature screening has become a naturalised daily occurrence, with elevated temperatures a good indicator of underlying illness. In the school setting, crowd screening technology has the potential to give live temperature readings, alerts, and access control functionality. It can also be used as a contact traceability tool when high temperatures are detected. Using infrared sensors, this technology provides medically accurate readings in real time with minimal disruptions or student backlogs.

Hot and cold water systems

The dormancy of school buildings has created a secondary worry around Legionella – and the latest guidance from The Department of Education encourages the usual pre-term building checks are conducted. This is an ongoing responsibility and one which is traditionally labour-intensive – involving hot and cold water temperature testing and flushing. This bacteria causes Legionnaires’ Disease, which is preventable yet potentially fatal. Automated Legionella testing removes the need for human effort, cost, potential exposure, and manual record-keeping. It also provides alerts of undesirable temperature readings and expedited response times (which, in buildings of extensive pipework, can avoid hefty maintenance bills). This smart approach to Legionella maintenance is a simple compliance tool, which will help to ensure statutory obligations and prevent sometimes punitive penalties. 

A smarter outlook on energy and green transformation

Without question, saving energy is smart – and smart technologies are leading the charge in helping schools to reduce consumption and achieve green goals. This is being achieved in a range of ways – from constant monitoring of HVAC usage, heating systems, and lighting to the development of data-driven maintenance schedules to keep equipment performing efficiently. Smart sensors can deliver real-time insights on usage and occupancy, reducing waste to a minimum. 

Compliance around fire safety monitoring

Fire safety is a key compliance concern for schools. A system of smart tags and sensors can perform system tests, monitor extinguishers for tampering (notifying personnel on movement and weight changes, for instance), report on gas leaks and other risk factors, and keep a detailed, cloud-based record for compliance purposes. This removes the chance of human error and works together with smoke and fire alerts, automated roll call, and fire door monitoring to offer schools a demonstrably meticulous approach to fire safety.  

There’s smart and there’s smarter

Iot (Internet of Things) solutions providers, like us, have developed a suite of smart solutions which cater to the schools of the future. Wireless, long-lasting and cost-effective solutions combine a system of tags, sensors, and pressure pads, which transmit data over a secure and private network. These powerful tools send data to a remote dashboard in real time, with alerts for undesirable readings, breaches, and metrics – tailored to facilities owners’ buildings, assets, and needs. With a user-friendly interface, these systems also collect data for thorough record-keeping and meaningful data insights, which have the potential to inspire informed decision-making and strategic development as schools continue to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.