WIRELESS NETWORK IN BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL INCREASES ATTENDANCE BY 12 PER CENT

EMEA, 7 August 2001 - Wireless networking in the classroom has helped Great Barr School in Birmingham to improve attendance by 12 per cent. Using a 3Com® AirConnect® Wireless LAN network, teachers equipped with notebook PCs in the classroom monitor attendance at each class, immediately feeding the information back to a central database. Attendance at Great Barr School, the largest co-educational school for 11-18 year olds in the UK, has risen from 80 to over 90 per cent, since truancy problems are identified faster and parents and social workers can react more quickly.

"The 3Com AirConnect solution has enabled us to implement an effective and efficient wireless attendance monitoring programme throughout the school," said Dick Franks, network manager of Great Barr School. "It would have been impossible to install cabling to every single room due to the expense and disruption it would have caused so the wireless solution offered by 3Com provided the answer."

The Wireless Answer
Great Barr School relies on its 3Com AirConnect solution to provide wireless connectivity in classrooms enabling teachers to register attendance at each lesson on their notebook PCs rather than just at morning registration as was the case previously. Attendance data is then fed back to the central network and into the Information Management System. The individual attendance records of pupils are then monitored and if truancy is identified, parents and the Education Social Work Service is alerted so problems can be rectified as soon as possible, fostering higher attendance and minimising truancy.

Ease of Use
Total Distribution, a leading UK reseller, recommended the 3Com AirConnect solution network to Great Barr because it integrated well with the existing network infrastructure at the school. The school has been impressed with the simplicity of installation of 18 AirConnect access points, which act as the wireless antennae in the school. Great Barr officials were particularly impressed with the site survey tool that came with the AirConnect solution as it ensured the access points were located in places that would provide wireless coverage to teachers wherever they are on the campus.

"Wireless networks are easily installed, can be expanded quickly and cost a lot less than a wired network. They also make moves, additions and changes easy to implement," said Conroy Knapp of Total Distribution. "The installation wizard that comes with the 3Com AirConnect solution meant that the wireless network was up and running very quickly. The web-based management interface means that even non-technical users are able to manage the solution from anywhere on the network."

Because Great Barr School has hundreds of classrooms, 3Com's AirConnect wireless network provided an ideal solution to the problem of how to economically network the school with minimum disruption in order to manage attendance more effectively.

About 3Com Corporation
3Com simplifies how people connect to information and services through easy-to-use connectivity products and solutions for people and businesses. The company also provides access infrastructures and IP services platforms for network service providers.
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