Case Study: Digital Transformation, Benchmarking and Future Planning
Our case studies showcase how important partnership is to us as well as the transformative impact of technology on teaching and learning.
iCT4 partnered with the Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust (DGAT) to build a shared picture of digital maturity across its family of schools and create a practical roadmap for meeting the digital and technology standards for schools by the deadline of 2030.
In-person digital assessments
Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust (DGAT) is a multi-academy trust serving 24 primary, infant and nursery schools across Gloucestershire. With a diverse mix of rural and urban settings, the Trust needed a consistent approach to understanding where each school stood on its digital transformation journey and how to move forward in a way that was financially sustainable. iCT4 was appointed as DGAT’s trusted technology partner to lead a comprehensive digital maturity assessment across the Trust, working closely with the Trust’s central and operational teams.
iCT4 visited each school to review infrastructure, connectivity, device provision, cloud adoption, cyber resilience and staff confidence with technology, benchmarking against the DfE digital and technology standards and KCSiE.
The findings gave DGAT’s leadership team a clear, comparable picture of the Trust’s starting position and a shared language for talking about digital progress.
Benchmarking and building the roadmap
iCT4 developed a detailed benchmark for DGAT across all core DfE standards categories, establishing both current maturity levels and realistic target levels for the next 5 years.
Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the roadmap was designed to reflect the individual needs of each school while supporting the Trust’s broader ambition to centralise more services and maximise the resources available for teaching and learning.
Key priorities for the organisation’s digital journey included upgrading and standardising network infrastructure across all sites to ensure reliability, performance, and security. In parallel, a rolling programme of staff and pupil device replacement was developed to maintain access to modern, fit-for-purpose technology.
A central focus was the adoption of cloud platforms to enable greater flexibility, resilience, and scalability. This was supported by a move towards a single, integrated IT ecosystem, which enhanced collaboration and communication across the organisation and provided a consistent and efficient digital experience for all users.
"Our journey with ICT4 so far has been truly transformational. It has enabled the Trust to build confidence in a digital strategy grounded in a clear and accurate understanding of our current landscape, while also empowering us to be ambitious for both our staff and our pupils. Importantly, it has provided us with a realistic and manageable roadmap for sustainable progress."
Rachel Howie
CEO, Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust
iCT4 also put in place a framework for ongoing monitoring and review, so the Trust can track progress against its benchmarks and adapt its plans as needs and standards evolve.
Impact across the Trust
With benchmarks established across the all core DfE standards categories and a 5 year investment roadmap in place, DGAT has a clear, costed picture of it’s digital landscape across all 24 schools.
The Trust is investing strategically and sustainably in it’s infrastructure and people, ensuring technology continues to serve the needs of every child, staff member and family, with iCT4 as its long-term partner every step of the way.
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