A need for more PC control and ways to combat poor classroom layout

Hamble College is a small comprehensive school with six ICT rooms being used across the curriculum. Some of the classrooms had poor layouts, which meant that the teachers needed more control over PC usage during lessons. With limited budget, they needed a flexible and cost-effective classroom management solution.

Empowering control into the hands of the teacher

AB Tutor has simply put the control of the lesson in the hands of each teacher but with the ongoing technical support of a Network Manager.

The school actively sets parameters for each lesson with an array of Policies set up for all staff to use, e.g. Microsoft Office Applications only, No Internet, No sound. The school has found that these could not be easier to create. They have also implemented a series of complex policies which leave the Internet open but restricted, e.g. no games or local football clubs!

Teachers regularly use the demo features to share students' work on the main screen to the rest of the class. They have also found that the on-screen demo permits less able students to follow a series of exercises in real-time, to ensure they don’t get lost in the explanation.

The school’s favourite use of AB Tutor is to use the multi-screen function as a scoreboard, with students responding by writing their answers on a PowerPoint slide, creating a modernised mini-whiteboard solution.

The school has found there are significant cost-saving and environmental benefits too. The school uses AB Tutor to power up and shut down 250 PCs every day; this avoids unnecessary costs building up.

First class support

Hamble College has commented that the relationship with AB Consulting and its staff has been outstanding. The level of service has been personal, and every question or problem is handled with sincerity and open-mindedness.

Improved lesson performance by 15%

Hamble College has estimated that lesson performance has improved by some 15% as students are much more focused. They have also benefited from a significant reduction in behavioural referrals as students have fewer distractions; they see this improving further as they use AB Tutor over longer periods.