Over 100 schools in Northumberland are set to benefit from better internet connectivity thanks to a new contract with a leading UK internet provider. 

Northumberland County Council are introducing a new solution of significant size and scale to 110 schools, which will boost education provision in the county. Of the 110 schools, 70 will have services provided by Commsworld over infrastructure funded by UK government's Local Full Fibre Networks programme and the North of Tyne project.
 

The proposed solution will replace the aging infrastructure currently in place in primary and secondary schools, particularly in rural primaries, which do not have extensive in-house IT capabilities.  
 

Participating schools will gain access to the fastest full fibre internet connection with speeds of up to 1Gb per school. This will include full reliability, enhanced security and safeguarding support with a fully filtered real-time connectivity to ensure all pupils are kept safe online. 
 

Cllr Richard Wearmouth, Northumberland County Council's deputy leader and portfolio holder for corporate services said: “This is a pivotal moment for education in Northumberland. Soon our schools will be able to access the best connectivity to deliver far better digital education through a wide range of devices – bringing them up to date with the latest technologies. 
 

“I look forward to seeing the benefits of this new service over the coming years which will help provide the best learning experience, and security, for our young people and school staff alike.” 
 

The Council aims to have a community of schools connected through a universal internet service which will provide enterprise-level services at an affordable cost, something which schools could not procure independently. 
 

Steve Wood, Group Sales Director at Commsworld, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Northumberland County Council to deliver this contract. Our service will pave the way for a significant enhancement of capacity, resilience and security in schools so that they can gain access to the best digital resources available today and in the future.  
 

“We look forward to playing a key role in this digital journey for Northumberland County Council, its educators and its pupils.”