Engaging the school community while promoting their brand are the key outcomes Chilwell School has achieved with their digital signage. Our latest testimonial video showcases how TrilbyTV has been implemented with the Lenovo Chromebox Micro as the signage player of choice in partnership with leading educational IT provider, Getech.
Chilwell School is a mixed, non-selective secondary school in Nottinghamshire. The school welcomes over a thousand students aged 11 to 18 and has a sixth form on site. Chilwell focuses on providing students with the best opportunities to foster success and offers a broad and challenging curriculum to empower their learners.
Getech and TrilbyTV
We began our visit by talking to Kirsty Lowde, Business Manager, who is responsible for all support functions covering everything from IT infrastructure to site development. She started by telling us that they found out about TrilbyTV through their IT partner, Getech, who knew they were looking for a digital signage solution.
TrilbyTV has partnered with Getech, one of the largest independent, value-added distributors and providers of edtech services in the UK. Together, we provide schools and trusts with the technology they need to communicate effectively. Simon Hool, Business Development Manager at Getech told us how they work with schools,
“We support Chilwell with all things Google and related technology. That includes deployment of their Chromebooks, Google Workspace licensing, artificial intelligence technologies as well as associated digital signage.”
Simon went on to explain the breadth of their offering,
“Whether it be technical solutions that you need, whether it be teacher training, guidance and support, hardware deployments – we’re able to support in all areas of the solution.”
A complete digital signage solution
When Chilwell asked about digital signage, Getech knew that TrilbyTV would be a good fit. Our platform is made for education, so it’s simple, cost-effective and quick to set up. Simon explained,
“TrilbyTV is a fantastic solution for education. It’s built for education, it’s priced at the right point for education and covers all of the points a school would need for their digital signage solutions.”
Matt Lucas, Systems Manager at Chilwell School agreed, saying, “it’s been really easy to set up. The help and advice is really easy to obtain.”
Getech also recommended and helped to implement the Lenovo Chromebox Micro as an easy-to-use player for their TrilbyTV digital signage. Simon told us why it’s perfect for signage in the school environment,
“The Lenovo Chromebox Micro is a fantastic solution for digital signage. It’s low energy and it’s easy to deploy using Chrome OS software. It’s completely dust-proof and sealed as well, so if it is in a messy environment, that won’t interfere with the device.”
Guide to effective digital signage in education
Request free guideEngaging the school community
Since going live with TrilbyTV, the team at Chilwell School has made the most of the opportunity to share important information and celebrate the school community. With 15 screens spread across the school, they use TrilbyTV’s Playlists and Categories features to share content relevant to each area. In the reception, for example, visitors are greeted with a welcome video; meanwhile the music block displays a timetable of lessons; and inspirational quotes are shown all around the school.
Sarah Baxter-Williams, Headteacher at Chilwell School, talked about the value of displaying this kind of information visually,
“Unlike a poster that just stays there, with TrilbyTV there’s a rolling programme of information. We can schedule it and make sure that it’s current information and relevant to what’s happening in school at the moment.”
Sarah went on to say, “this has really transformed information sharing with students and their response to it has been really positive.”
The students agree. Elise in Year 10 said “I really like seeing the quotes because they make me feel better.” Fellow Year 10 student, Henry told us that he likes seeing the planners and assembly reminders around the school saying, “It just helps me remember and organise everything better.”
The reach of signage goes beyond the school itself, too. Kirsty told us that the content displayed on the screens is also repurposed for the school’s social media accounts: “so we can share with families and the wider community all the amazing things we’re doing in Chilwell School.”
Building the school brand
Chilwell has also recently made changes to their branding, updating their logo and colours. Using digital signage has been a simple, effective way to share and embed the brand in school life. Kirsty plays a key role in the look and feel of the school, so her favourite TrilbyTV moment was seeing all of the screens in action for the first time,
“It took that vision of what we wanted the school to look like and it became a reality. It looked professional, sharp, and did what we needed it to do.”
To bring the brand to life, the team not only made sure that their screens reflected these updates but also that they were eye-catching for viewers. They’ve started to introduce movement to signage to grab attention and boost interactivity. It was easy to create this content in a way that worked for the school, using tools they were already familiar with. Chris Moore, Assistant Headteacher explained,
“I like how versatile it is. I like that we can make just about anything in just about any format. Whether that’s in Canva, Google Slides, or a PDF – we can get those bits of information out to our students without being constrained to just one means of being creative.”
We loved catching up with the staff and students at Chilwell School and finding how much of an impact their digital signage has had on the way they communicate. Kirsty sums up their experience saying, “it is the voice. It shares who people are, what we’re doing, the exciting things that are happening and celebrates successes.”
If you’re looking for a digital signage solution that’s made for education, we’d love to work with you. You can book a free demo with our team, who’ll walk you through the platform and help you find the best solution for your school or trust. If you’d like to try it for yourself, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.