Chedworth School becomes best connected in UK
16th June, 2016
A school in the rural
village of Chedworth, Gloucestershire has become the best connected in Britain
following the rollout of pure fibre-to-the-premises ultrafast broadband in the
region by Fastershire. The new ultrafast service means that children
at St. Andrew’s Church of England Primary School now have internet speeds of
over 50Mb, with access to speeds of up to 1Gbps - up to 30 times faster than
the UK average.
Earlier this year, the
school invested in brand new, state-of-the-art IT and computer technology to support
the new ultrafast service. The new improved technology will enable children to
make the most of the fastest internet speeds in the country, ensuring they are
able to access the most up to date learning resources.
The school is the 1,000th
premises in the region to have access to ultrafast broadband
service as part of Fastershire's Phase 2 rollout in partnership with Gigaclear. Over 6,500 homes and
businesses across some of the most isolated areas of the Cotswolds are
scheduled to benefit from the service by the end of 2017 as part of the
project.
Angharad Fitch, Headmistress
at St. Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, said: “Before we were
connected to Gigaclear’s ultrafast broadband service, our internet access was
so unpredictable, we never knew if it would work. It made lesson planning almost impossible
because we couldn’t rely on having internet access.”
“Now, the
world is our oyster! The children are able
to do online research and watch films which bring subjects to life for them
while our teachers have access to the wealth of useful resources available via
the internet. It will enable us to offer
more in the future too, such as setting online homework or contacting parents
more effectively through our website. It’s really changing how the school works.”
The school now has upload
and download speeds many times faster than previously but its monthly payments
have reduced. In a further boost to the
school’s finances, the cost of its ultrafast connection was funded
through a donation from local charity Chedworth Community Land Trust.
Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “There are many learning opportunities now available through the internet which makes access to fast and reliable broadband essential both at school and home, and Fastershire’s delivery of an ultrafast connection to more than 6,500 of the most isolated homes and businesses in the Cotswolds will have a significant impact. I’m sure the pupils and staff of St Andrews will benefit hugely now they are a part of Fastershire.”
Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, County Councillor for Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach, said: “'As a resident of the rural Cotswolds, I know how frustrating slow Internet speeds can be - particularly for small businesses and organisations. That's why I'm delighted that the faster broadband roll out is now in full flow on the back of the campaigns some of us have fought. Now schools like St Andrews are benefitting from no buffering and the kind of speeds we could only dream of a short while ago.”
Joe Frost, Sales and
Marketing Director, said: “Digital skills are a hugely important part of
education today and we’re delighted to be giving children in Chedworth a big
advantage when learning new computer, IT and coding skills. St. Andrew’s is the
very first school to benefit from the new ultrafast service through the
Fastershire project and is a milestone for Gigaclear as it’s the 1,000th
property we have passed in the region. We’re now looking forward to connecting
more schools in rural Gloucestershire to our world-class and future-proof
network.”
The
overall rollout schedule for Fastershire’s Phase 2 broadband rollout in the
Cotswolds is now available at www.fastershire.com/phase2