Structured cabling system for Birmingham schools

AMP Netconnect, part of Tyco Electronics, has supplied a structured cabling system for one of the most advanced data and voice communications systems used in any British school.

AMP Netconnect, part of Tyco Electronics, has supplied a structured cabling system for one of the most advanced data and voice communications systems used in any British school.

The installation, at Cockshut Hill Technology College in South-East Birmingham, is part of a GBP 250,000 order covering a number of schools under a public private partnership scheme.

The school is one of a number in the Birmingham area linked under a Birmingham Council supported scheme known as BGFL (Birmingham Grid for Learning), which provides high-speed links between the schools as well as to the Internet.

Cockshut Hill Technology College is a fully developed nine-form entry 11-19 mixed comprehensive with 1600 pupils.

The new cabling system is part of a multi-million pound rebuilding project incorporating a new science centre, refurbishment to the technology suite and a new sixth-form centre.

The school's recently awarded technology college status has allowed extensive re-equipping of the computing facilities on offer to students.

The cabling system, based on an AMP Netconnect Enhanced Category 5 horizontal cabling system with a fibre backbone, provides over 2000 outlets, each of which can be used for telephones, fax machines or video conferencing as well as PC connection.

This means that every one of the school's 1600 students can be online.

The cabling systems were installed by AMP NDI (Netconnect design and installation contractor) TIS (part of the Dodd Group).

A key challenge in implementing the project was the fact that installation had to be done in school holidays, and most of the system was successfully installed and commissioned within a 6-week timeframe in the 2001 summer break.

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