What made you decide to move to GSuite for Education?

There were many reasons for making this move. The ever increasing costs of licenses, lack of longevity of laptops, and the need to find a large sum of money to replace the server! Also, as a federation of schools, we needed a way of staff collaborating new sharing documents easily. Governors were also looking for a way of centrally storing and accessing documents securely.

How did Harrap help with the planning/migration and subsequent support?

It was Harrap that first suggested using Google as a solution to some of the issues we were facing. They provided examples where it had worked well and explained all aspects clearly. They also helped by suggesting ways of introducing G suite to staff. They handled the migration superbly and seamlessly.

Harrap also investigated options and found a solution for using our windows laptops.

What have you been able to achieve since using GSuite for Education?

Initially, the big win was being able to access documents from whichever school we were at, and from home, without clunky remote working systems. It streamlined governor business and saved the need for lengthy emails with attachments. Links to supporting documents are now added to the agenda.

We were able to adopt Google classroom for our remote learning easily as we had it set up; staff and children were familiar with it.

The ability for multiple people to work on one live document is a brilliant feature and has enabled more efficient working for the SLT. Google classroom is now becoming more of a feature in daily classroom life.

What has exceeded your expectations since working with us?

I have always found that no question is too trivial for Harrap with quick responses and support whenever needed.

What about our GSuite for Education has been the most useful?

Sharing resources easily from wherever. The move to Chromebooks has been brilliant as they are more cost-effective and more reliable than laptops.

What would you tell someone who’s considering a migration to Google?

Do it – you won’t be sorry! Have a clear path for introducing to staff and clear expectations of organisation.