We recently visited Clevedon School in North Somerset to catch up with Gavin Smart, Teacher of Science & Photography. The school has been using TrilbyTV for around 10 years so we were excited to find out more about Gavin’s passion for digital signage and the success of TrilbyTV across the school.
Before moving to TrilbyTV, Gavin explained they had quite an unstructured approach to digital signage. With a number of remote desktops and ancient computers running outdated PowerPoints. The school found this to be quite expensive to run from an electricity point of view, having to have a physical computer installed somewhere close-by to then supply or to provide the signage for the screen.
Gavin explained, “It was dreadful, very dated, very, very painful to update and I think there was only a certain number of people that could update it.” The school recognises that management of digital signage can’t come down to just one person and TrilbyTV gives them the ease of use and flexibility to have multiple people managing and sharing content.
TrilbyTV was introduced to Clevedon School via an Apple Reseller. They got Apple TVs set up around the school, making use of an Unlimited screens subscription and quickly they found they were able to easily update the screens in an instant. Gavin told us,
“I’m instantly able to change all the screens at the click of a button or update something, it’s so much easier, more efficient.” The flexibility and efficiency of TrilbyTV enables easy and instant updating of your screens, allowing for quick communication and dynamic content display.
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Book free DemoStaying on brand and making the best first impression
Utilising the screens for open evenings and sports awards is key for keeping the school’s professional appearance and creating the right impression. Gavin emphasised that the front screen is always on as it’s the first thing you see when entering the school. Consistent and streamlined branding was clear throughout and Gavin told us how students realise it too.
“The screens are a massive part of it. A good example would be things like our sports awards and open evenings. There are brochures that are exactly the same as the screens, the screens are exactly the same as the invite.”
Focusing on students
Students recognise the inclusivity of their school and their strong identities, there’s a huge sense of belonging to their house and Gavin told us, “At 08:50 every single morning, a different slide comes on that welcomes you to a different house assembly and the back screen changes and you’re instantly, into a Valley Assembly, then I am now into the Sports Awards. The brand and the signage go hand in hand and it just makes for a very strong sense of identity and community.”
There is an unwavering sense of belonging and community felt at Clevedon School and a huge part of this comes down to the school’s strategically planned communication.
Keeping content fresh
When creating and sharing content Gavin is mindful of how long the content stays on the screen and to keep the students engaged just at the right time. Making use of the Schedules and auto delete features, Clevedon utilises these for their team sheets, scheduling content on the PE screen so students have to check the screens at break time, before and after school and not during lesson time.
Building anticipation with announcements
The House Championships play a crucial role in the school community and students love the anticipation of finding out the winners on the last day or penultimate day of school in July. Gavin explained how he makes use of the TrilbyTV Announcements feature to take over all screens when announcing the winner. “I’m there pressing go on all screens to announce it, so you know everybody in the school sees who the winner is, we watch a live feed.”
Aspirational alumni
A vital part of school is thinking ahead to the future and the pathways students will take to achieve their desired careers. It was inspiring to see how Clevedon School created vibrant content on their screens for their young people to aspire to. Discovery Centre Manager and House Championship Co-ordinator, Mike Thie shared, “We’ve had alumni boards up for 10 years, maybe even longer. But to actually have them up and it be showing sports legends, sports people that the students know, it just adds something.”
Student engagement and ownership
During our visit we met with Sixth Form student Aaron who supports the media team. Alongside studying for his A-Levels, Aaron takes pride in managing the Sixth Form screens and he told us how he starts his day checking the screens are on and displaying content. Aaron shared the impact his contribution to the schools digital signage has on him. “Being responsible for it allows me to know what I’m filming for, because I’m heavily involved in the actual production and organisation of the events. Planning how the event will work out, how it will look best on the screen beforehand. It feels good. I feel like I’m trusted.”
Sharing the responsibility
It was fantastic to see student engagement, ownership and responsibility for building and sharing content. Giving students real life opportunities to practice these key skills in preparation for their future careers, What can be more meaningful and empowering than applying these skills to everyday context?
A strong sense of identity and belonging
It was clear to see the immense sense of pride and belonging to the school community. Through the process of sharing and showcasing student achievements in areas such as the hall during the lunch period it helps to capture and celebrate the successes. Gavin explained, “The sense of ownership and belonging, being proud to be on that screen, if it’s your football team that’s won a match. When you see it in the hall and you’re sitting down eating lunch or you’re wandering past then you instantly feel, yes I belong to Clevedon.”
Sense of community
It was uplifting to hear how Clevedon School’s emphasis on Team Black and Gold truly encapsulates the sense of belonging and strong sense of community. Having recently been shortlisted for a TES Community Engagement Award it was clear to see how the schools digital content shared on TrilbyTV reinforced the ‘Team Black and Gold’ identity, strengthens community, and creates a very inclusive environment.
We enjoyed catching up with the team at Clevedon and seeing the impact their digital signage has amongst the school community. Gavin concluded that digital signage should be, “dynamically engaging, and it’s got to be nice, simple, easy, and manageable”.
If you’d like to chat more about using digital signage for student engagement and building community, we’d love to hear from you. You can book a free demo with one of our team who can show you the platform and talk to you about your individual needs. Plus, if you’d like to try it for yourself, we offer a free 30 day trial with full functionality and support.