Restoring Trust in IT Support

With over two decades in education IT service development, I’ve helped schools and Trusts in rebuilding confidence in their technology; transforming unreliable systems into trusted IT services that effectively support teaching, learning, and leadership.

Challenge:

Confidence in IT support had diminished. Staff felt unheard, issues remained unresolved, and systems were inconsistent.

Action:

I restructured the IT function from the ground up — prioritizing people and processes before technology. 

- Introduced a transparent ticketing system and regular progress updates.

- Standardized procedures for reliable, first-time fixes.

- Mentored technicians to foster confidence, accountability, and pride in their work.

- Enhanced communication with staff, ensuring every issue was closed with feedback.

Impact:

- Staff trust in IT support was restored within months.

- Reduced repeat issues and improved resolution times.

- A calmer, more proactive working environment for both IT and teaching staff.

Outcome:

A dependable, professional IT service that is trusted by staff and leadership — empowering teachers to teach and students to learn without interruption.

Challenge:

A growing Multi-Academy Trust needed consistent, reliable IT support across schools; but each had evolved separately, leading to fragmented systems and uneven user experiences.

Action:

I led the unification of the Trust’s IT service development and technical landscape.

Designed a shared Microsoft 365 and Azure platform for all schools. 

Standardised networks and security across sites. 

Introduced IT governance, documentation, and process ownership. 

Mentored site technicians to ensure the delivery of trusted IT services with confidence.

Impact:

Ten schools now operate under a single, coherent IT strategy. 

There was a dramatic reduction in recurring tickets and downtime. 

Collaboration became easier, and access to learning resources was faster.

Outcome:

A stable, future-ready IT environment — and a culture of professionalism across the Trust’s technical teams.

Challenge:

Legacy systems, frequent downtime, and no disaster recovery plan left IT struggling to meet classroom demands for effective IT service development. 

Action:

I modernised the school’s entire infrastructure while embedding strong working practices in IT support. Introduced virtualisation to replace aging physical servers. Implemented documented backup and recovery systems. Improved communication and expectation-setting with staff. Built vendor relationships for quicker, more reliable support, ensuring trusted IT services. 

Impact:

Downtime incidents reduced to near zero. Reliable access to digital tools for thousands of students. The IT team is now seen as trusted partners in teaching and learning.  Outcome: A resilient, modern IT foundation supporting every lesson, every day.

Supported over 10,000 users across multi-site Trust environments by providing trusted IT services. Improved ticket resolution times and reduced repeat issues by up to 40% through effective IT service development. Established ITIL-based processes and documentation frameworks to enhance our IT support. Built confident, proactive technician teams focused on delivering service excellence.