Boarding school keeps in touch with high speed broadband

AMPLEFORTH College has signed a new five-year contract with broadband provider NYnet to deliver a high-speed broadband connection to improve its online access.

It is hoped the access will have a positive impact on pupils, teachers and parents at the boarding college by allowing real-time communication with parents who live overseas.

Reliable communications has long been a problem at Ampleforth College and mobile phone signal in the area is poor. The new NYnet infrastructure will enable reliable communications via the internet instead.

The system will also allow teachers who travel frequently to access the network remotely via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) enabling them to access college files and work off site.

David Cullen, chief executive of NYnet said: “The digital revolution has had a huge impact on both the way we teach and the way we socialise. The new NYnet connection helps Ampleforth College remain at the forefront of teaching techniques and allows students to stay in touch with friends and family.”

Giles Duncan, systems manager at Ampleforth College, said: “The extra bandwidth provided by NYnet will enable faster and more reliable internet access and allow uninterrupted communication between students and parents which was limited via the previous network.

“The new connection will increase our potential to use new technologies such as video conferencing and home working. These technologies will allow us to provide rich media resources from the school to any location with a similar connection, enabling teachers and students to access and use these valuable college resources from anywhere at any time.”

NYnet, formed by Yorkshire Forward and North Yorkshire County Council with funding from the European Union, provides a super-fast internet network to ensure North Yorkshire is not left behind in the next phase of the internet revolution.