Case Study: King James Academy achieves blended learning for all with RM Education and Google Workspace

How one Academy school embraced Google Workspace, introduced Chromebooks for all pupils, used RM Unify to glue it all together, and now see blended learning as the future for education in this country

King James I Academy, a medium-sized academy and sixth form in Bishop Auckland, had long valued technology but needed a more modern, reliable way to support teaching and learning, especially as it began issuing Chromebooks to pupils and later faced the demands of remote learning during the pandemic. Working with RM Education, the school looked for ways to connect devices, applications and users more simply while keeping both Microsoft and Google tools available.

RM Education implemented RM Unify as a single sign-on portal alongside Google Workspace, Chromebooks, and supporting infrastructure including RM-designed server and remote access solutions. The result was a rapid move to blended learning, with every student having a Chromebook by the end of September 2020 and access to remote learning tools that supported learning at home and in school. The school reported a jump from around 40% to 97% of students having a working Chromebook within 3–4 weeks, improved staff and parent confidence, and a model of “inclusion for all” that the academy now plans to keep developing.

King James Academy

Pete Grimshaw

Network Manager