Schools are set to get up to speed
£1.7m grant to boost roll-out of full fibre broadband
MORE schools in West Berkshire will be connected to full fibre broadband by March 2022, thanks to a £1.7m grant from the Government’s Getting Building Fund.
For some schools in more rural areas, full fibre will be a game changer, allowing connectivity speeds of up to 900Mb.
This will transform the way teachers meet the demands of an increasingly digital curriculum.
The successful bid, made by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and West Berkshire Council, secured funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to deliver full fibre broadband to as many schools in the district as possible, to improve their bandwidth and internet speeds.
Doctors surgeries could also benefit from this additional funding.
Access to full fibre is proving increasingly important and, if funding allows, more surgeries will be able to employ the technology.
Full fibre will also support the response of the fire service to emergencies by enabling digital options such as realtime imaging and video conferencing.
West Berkshire Council executive member for internal governance Joanne Stewart said: “Connectivity is essential and has become even more so during the pandemic where remote learning has become critical for our young people and education providers.
“This funding and roll out of full fibre will help us deliver two of our key strategic priorities.
“Firstly, ensuring our vulnerable children and adults achieve better outcomes and secondly, helping everyone reach their full potential.
“I’m delighted we’re now able to offer the best possible broadband to our schools, ensuring that teaching methods and technologies are consistent across West Berkshire.
“We are incredibly grateful to the LEP for helping us make this happen.”
Thames Valley Berkshire LEP chief executive Alison Webster said: “Fast, reliable internet has never been more important in our schools.
“I am delighted that this rollout of full fibre broadband supports our strategy in investing in the digital infrastructure required to make Berkshire fit for the future.”