Case Study | Outwood Grange Academies Trust

A 3-year appointment to deliver Cat6a structured cabling and fibre backbone infrastructure across one of the UK’s largest multi-academy trusts — as an Excel Approved Installer.

ABOUT OUTWOOD GRANGE ACADEMIES TRUST

Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) is one of the UK’s largest and highest-performing multi-academy trusts, comprising over 40 schools across Yorkshire and the East Midlands. Founded by principal sponsors Sir Rod Aldridge and the Wakefield-based Outwood Grange College, the Trust serves more than 30,000 pupils and employs around 4,500 staff.

OGAT has a strong track record of school improvement, regularly turning around underperforming schools and maintaining high standards of educational outcome. With a growing estate of primary and secondary academies, the Trust’s digital infrastructure must be robust, consistent, and future-ready — capable of supporting modern digital learning, high-speed connectivity, and the increasing demands of cloud-based educational platforms.

ICT SOLUTIONS: DATA CABLING CAPABILITY

ICT Solutions is an Excel Approved Installer — a nationally recognised accreditation awarded only to installers who meet Excel Networking’s rigorous standards for quality, training, and workmanship. This status enables ICT Solutions to offer a 25-year product and application warranty on structured cabling installations, providing clients with long-term assurance and peace of mind.

ICT Solutions’ cabling division specialises in:

• Cat6a structured cabling — supporting 10 Gigabit Ethernet over distances up to 100m, future-proofing networks for bandwidth-intensive applications including 4K video, cloud platforms, and wireless access point backhaul
• Fibre optic backbone infrastructure — single-mode and multimode fibre for high-speed, low-latency connectivity between buildings, server rooms, and distribution points
• Full end-to-end project management from survey and design through to installation, testing, and certification
• Compliance with ISO/IEC 11801, EN 50173, and BS 6701 standards
• Minimal disruption scheduling suited to educational environments, with works phased around term times

THE CHALLENGE

Managing the network infrastructure across a 40+ school estate presents a unique set of challenges. Many of the schools joining the Outwood Trust do so from a position of underperformance, often inheriting legacy or poorly maintained IT infrastructure. The Trust required a cabling partner who could:

• Scale across a large estate – Consistent, standards-compliant installations across 40+ schools of varying age, size, and condition across two regions.
• Legacy infrastructure replacement – Many sites had aged Cat5e or earlier cabling unable to support modern bandwidth requirements, wireless density, or PoE+ powered devices.
• Minimal disruption to learning – Works must be carefully phased and scheduled around school timetables, examinations, and holiday periods to avoid impact on pupils and staff.
• Long-term warranty assurance – The Trust needed confidence that installations would be backed by manufacturer-level warranties covering both product and labour.

WHAT ICT SOLUTIONS DELIVERed

• Cat6a Structured Cabling Rollout – Full installation of Category 6A (augmented) copper cabling throughout school buildings, supporting 10GbE to the desktop and future-ready PoE++ for wireless access points, IP cameras, and smart building systems.
• Fibre Optic Backbone – Installation of multimode and single-mode fibre optic cabling between buildings, comms rooms, and MDF/IDF locations — delivering high-speed, resilient backbone connectivity across every site.
• Excel Approved Installation – All works carried out under ICT Solutions’ Excel Approved Installer status, ensuring full access to the Excel 25-year product and application warranty, protecting the Trust’s infrastructure investment for the long term.
• Survey, Design & Project Management – Each school receives a dedicated pre-installation survey and network design, with full project management covering scheduling, contractor coordination, and minimal-disruption delivery around school hours.
• Testing, Certification & Handover – Every cable run is tested to TIA-568 / ISO 11801 standards using Fluke DSX test equipment. Full certification reports and as-built documentation are provided at handover for each site.
• Phased 3-Year Programme – A structured multi-year delivery programme allows the Trust to prioritise sites, manage capital expenditure effectively, and continuously improve infrastructure across the estate without a single large-scale disruption.

EXCEL APPROVED INSTALLER – WHAT IT MEANS

• 25-Year Warranty Product & Application
• Certified Technicians Factory-Trained
• Rigorous QA Every Run Tested & Certified

Excel Networking is one of the UK’s leading structured cabling manufacturers. Their Approved Installer programme is awarded only to companies that meet stringent quality and training standards. As an Excel Approved Installer, ICT Solutions can offer OGAT the full 25-year system warranty, covering both materials and workmanship, on all qualifying installations. This removes long-term risk from the Trust’s infrastructure investment and ensures ongoing accountability.

WHY OUTWOOD GRANGE CHOSE ICT SOLUTIONS

Following a competitive tender process, ICT Solutions were appointed as the Trust’s preferred data cabling partner. The decision was driven by several key factors:

• Excel Approved Installer status — providing the Trust with access to the industry-leading 25-year warranty and confidence in installation quality
• Proven experience in educational environments — understanding the unique constraints of working in live school settings
• Technical depth across both copper and fibre cabling disciplines
• Competitive and transparent pricing structure aligned to a 3-year framework model
• Strong project management capability, with the ability to coordinate complex, multi-site programmes efficiently
• Full end-to-end service — from initial survey and design through to certified handover documentation