Over summer 2010 our audio-visual team completed more installation work than ever before, including the fit-out of every teaching room at the Manchester Enterprise Academy (MEA) in East Manchester on behalf of our partners at Capita. We equipped teaching spaces with a legacy Promethean interactive boards and new Epsom ultra short throw projectors along with custom media input panels to allow the connection of teacher laptops among other devices. Computeam prides itself on delivering an-end-to-end AV service from pre-installation surveys to post-install comprehensive checks and sign-offs. We were able to offer our partners at Capita a first-class experience that helped bring about the successful opening of this £16 million project.

"AV installation tends to be a particularly troublesome solution area and that threatened to be the case at MEA due to the eclectic mix of legacy and new solutions required by the project. The Computeam team were professional and fully supportive. Their efforts removed many of my normal concerns and delivered to schedule. I will have no hesitation in using Computeam for future similar requirements." Kevin Peters, Capita.

The AV Team were tasked with a mixed installation that included removal and re-installation of 28 legacy interactive whiteboards from the old school site alongside other new installations. These were paired with brand-new Epson ultra-short-throw projectors to complete each facility. This approach meant that the Academy received maximum value from past investments, without compromising on the latest technology and the advanced functions that it brings.

We believe that AV installations create a visible impact on day-to-day teaching, making lessons more engaging for pupils and actually helping with information retention. To ensure that this impact was maximised every new interactive whiteboard was coupled with a powerful dual speaker audio system, capable of taking a feed from a variety of audio sources including a microphone.  Studies have shown that teachers using a microphone not only generate better retention of information in their pupils, but also have less average sick days through strained voices and sore throats!

As a final touch, our team carried out the installation of more than 50 Aruba wireless access points around the school. A high-specification wireless network is an essential precursor to the spread of ICT throughout the curriculum. With this in place, teachers at the MEA have far more flexibility in where and how to deliver their lessons and pupils can follow courses of self-directed and personal study in almost any part of the building. Our team were proud to complete such an important element of the school’s ICT solution.