Sherwood Primary School
TRANSFORMING IT SUPPORT FOR BETTER OUTCOMES
Sherwood Primary School in Northcross, Auckland, operates on the vision "Manawa tautiti, hinengaro rere" (Beating hearts, leaping minds) and core Heart values. This case study explores how under principal Nicola Hewitt, the school overcame inefficient IT support by transitioning to a reliable, best-practice ICT framework. This eliminated technical frustrations, reduced the IT budget, and allowed the strategic reinvestment of savings directly into teaching and learning programmes.
Executive Summary
Transforming IT Frustrations into a 20% Budget Saving
Sherwood Primary School partnered with Support IT to resolve inefficient technical support and reduce excessive expenditure, enabling the school to redirect resources to core educational initiatives and benefit staff and students. This partnership delivered 15% to 20% savings on its IT support budget, directly improving operational efficiency.
“When I was appointed principal at Sherwood Primary School a year ago, I quickly realised we were spending too much time and money resolving straightforward IT issues.”
THE Challenge
How Inefficient Tech Support Drained Funds and Disrupted Teacher Focus
Upon being appointed to Sherwood Primary School 12 months ago, the new principal, Nicola Hewitt, quickly identified a significant drain on school resources. Excessive time and money were being wasted on resolving technical issues that should have been "relatively straightforward." The previous IT support company failed to deliver an acceptable level of service, creating a frustrating environment for staff. This inefficient IT support became a major pain point, draining vital financial resources and stealing valuable staff time away from the school's core business of teaching and learning. For teachers already managing busy classrooms, these technical hurdles caused unnecessary stress and detracted from their ability to focus on their students.
THE Solution
A Trusted IT Partnership Built on Proven Strategies and Best Practices
Recognising the need for urgent change, the school engaged Support IT and brought in staff members Erwen and Russ. Nicola had previously worked with this team at Milford School and knew their proven track record of organisation, efficiency, and deep understanding of school operational needs.
With Support IT on site, the school adopted best practices, overhauled the IT framework, and cut unnecessary costs, freeing funds to directly enhance student education and position technology as an enabler rather than a barrier.
“Having seen Support IT drastically improve operations and reduce costs there, bringing them on board at Sherwood was an easy decision. Thankfully, history repeated itself: they have completely transformed our level of service, and we are now saving 15% to 20% on our IT support budget.”
“Support IT offers the technical service we need, alongside the human element capable of understanding our school's specific requirements.”
THE RESULTS
Immediate Financial Relief Paired with Reliable, Human-Centric Support
The partnership delivered immediate financial relief, with the school saving 15% to 20% on its overall IT budget. Operationally, the Support IT team proved reliable, friendly, and highly efficient, managing technical needs seamlessly across multiple platforms and machines.
Qualitatively, the human impact was profound. Teachers benefited immensely from technicians who actively listened to their needs and explained complex technical concepts in ways staff could easily understand.
The strategic reallocation of funds directly impacted the classroom. As the principal noted: "The money we are saving can be invested in teaching and learning programmes, which represent our core business, of course."
This transformation was underpinned by consistency and reliability, eliminating the anxiety of dealing with a rotating door of strangers. "Effective working relationships can only be developed when the staff trust the provider and can rely on the same personnel showing up every time," the principal observed, highlighting the long-term support from the same trusted technicians.
THE CONCLUSION
Removing Tech Barriers to Empower Teachers and Improve Student Outcomes
The move to Support IT has completely transformed Sherwood Primary School's technical landscape, eliminating previous IT frustrations through super-organised, highly competent service. By maintaining a trusting relationship with consistent, reliable technicians, the school has ensured ongoing operational efficiency. Ultimately, implementing this new, efficient ICT structure has profoundly reduced teacher stress, saved valuable time, and cut costs. By removing technological barriers, Sherwood Primary School has empowered its staff to remain wholly focused on what matters most: delivering high-quality education and improving student learning outcomes.
READY TO GIVE US A TRY?
Claim Your 15% Savings & No-obligation Discovery Meeting Today!
Give us just 15 minutes to show you how much your school can save. We will audit your current spend in the background, provide a plain-English proposal detailing the full audit report, and handle 100% of the transition with zero disruption to your staff.
If we can't save you 15%, you keep the full report at zero cost.
Phone: 0800 72 7877
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.support-it.co.nz
Address: A13 16 Saturn Place, Rosedale, Auckland
