Over the last two years, Sandy Secondary School in Bedfordshire have updated their classrooms to provide students with the best educational tools. In 2022, the school added an additional building on the same site and upgraded the infrastructure across the whole school.

A large part of the regeneration work has focused on classroom technology to promote participation in the classroom and allow teachers to access resources from any learning environment confidently with a unified user experience throughout.

The school’s previous set-up and the overhead projectors with an accompanying drop-down screen and speakers had become outdated, with replacement parts no longer available. IT staff and teachers were wasting important learning time trying to fix technical issues with the projectors and their limited interactivity curtailed the teachers’ attempts to bring virtual discussion events into the classroom.

Working alongside expert education technology integrator Proactive AV, a solution was devised using BenQ’s RE7501 75” Education Interactive Displays. 68 RE7501 displays were installed in classrooms across Sandy Secondary and Moggerhanger Primary School, with the benefits of these displays being felt almost immediately.

Specifically designed for classrooms, the RE7501 displays were the perfect solution as they incorporated interactive elements which the school required, such as the Cloud whiteboard, alongside BenQ’s leading annotation tool EZWrite Live.

The Proactive AV team led Sandy Secondary School through the installation process, utilising their 20 years of experience in the AV industry to provide the school with the best integration solution possible for their current space. The Proactive AV team offered Sandy Secondary School the full package, with their team of knowledgeable engineers and installers on hand to offer same-day support.

Feedback from teachers has been fantastic with one geography teacher explaining how much the displays have streamlined and improved her teaching methods. With the new displays, she can access teaching resources from anywhere, allowing her to pull up maps for students to annotate at the touch of a button.

Staff have noted how teachers have been able to utilise the different tools of the displays for their own subjects, with one maths teacher noting the benefit of the EZWrite’s handwriting recognition technology to quickly draw accurate shapes.

Teachers have remarked on the change the displays have made to their teams’ well-being, with more reporting higher job satisfaction and more time to focus on their students’ needs.

After two training sessions delivered by Proactive AV with staff members, even traditionally tech-phobic teachers felt comfortable using the displays and soon began experimenting with the new features offered by the interactive displays.

The integration of RE7501 75” Education Interactive Displays into Sandy Secondary School’s classrooms has proven to be an incredible asset to teachers and students alike. The interactive annotation tools offered by EZWrite have streamlined students’ collaborative projects while the displays’ cloud capabilities have meant that teachers can work seamlessly across teaching spaces.

The RE7501 displays have cleared tech clutter from teaching spaces by eliminating the need for noisy overhead projectors or wall-mounted speakers. This, coupled with the displays’ low blue light and flicker-free eye-care technology, has made classrooms a healthier place to learn. The improved clarity of image and sharpness of sound has ensured that all students can clearly see the board and fully interact with their lessons, irrespective of classroom size.

Parents have also noticed the change, with many commenting on the school’s top-of-the-range education technology on open days. The integration of the RE7501 displays has helped the school go from low pupil numbers to now working at full capacity.

In addition, the installation of the RE7501 displays have proven to be an incredible cost-saving measure for Sandy Secondary School. According to Proactive AV, overhead projectors with external speakers cost on average £100 more to run per year than using an interactive display. By installing BenQ RE7501 displays across 68 classrooms, Sandy Secondary School has been able to save £6,800 per year while enjoying the benefits that this updated technology has given them.

The BenQ displays are a valuable classroom tool that have enhanced the learning environment and experience for students. Teachers and the staff have been utilising even more of the RE7501 display’s features, including DMS remote management features and Google Classroom, since 2022 when they moved to the state-of-the-art building. The ease of use and multi-functionality of the displays have enhanced pupil engagement and facilitated adaptive teaching strategies.