South West Grid for Learning

RM PLC
8 May 2001

       
RM plc successfully completes first stage of £6.2m
South West Grid for Learning Project
       
RM plc, the leading provider of information and communications technology
(ICT) to UK education, has successfully completed the first stage of a £6.2
million project to provide a managed broadband Internet access service to
165 secondary schools through the South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL).
SWGfL is the first of the Department for Education and Employment's (DfEE)
regional broadband consortia to complete installation of high speed Internet
access in all of its secondary schools.

The SWGfL is provided through a consortium of 11 local education authorities
(LEA) in the South West including Cornwall, Isles of Scilly, Devon,
Plymouth, Dorset, Bournemouth, Bristol, Wiltshire, Poole, Somerset and
Torbay.  It is one of eight regional broadband projects being funded by £37
million of National Grid for Learning Standards Fund.   As with other
Standard Fund projects the funding is matched by the LEAs.

RM has worked in partnership with the SWGfL consortium to provide a complete
managed broadband service across the South West.  As well as providing high
speed Internet connectivity to 20,000 desktops, SWGfL also uses RM's
SafetyNet Internet filtering service.  SafetyNet allows Internet access to
be filtered at school, LEA and consortium level to ensure that learners in
the South West do not have access to unsuitable material.  In addition, RM
is providing web hosting services to the schools.

The SWGfL consortium intends that the new system will enable schools to take
immediate advantage of a wide range of new Internet facilities, including
video-conferencing and rich multi-media resources, as well as providing a
much faster and wider access to all Internet resources.  It also offers a
complete range of services, including security, virus protection and contact
filtering.  As the SWGfL develops, primary schools, libraries and learning
centres will also be connected.

Richard Girling, Chief Executive of RM plc commented:
'RM has a long track record of providing ICT systems and services to schools
in the South West.  The SWGfL is a significant step forward in educational
ICT and we're pleased to be working with all eleven LEAs to drive forward
their use of broadband services in education.'


For further information:
Andrew Fenwick / Mark Antelme         Brunswick      020 7404 4949