Setting the standard for a flagship campus
Setting the standard for a flagship campus
Client:
Barnsley College
Project
Explore how Crescent Purchasing Consortia member Barnsley College has set a new standard for teaching & technology at its flagship SYIoT campus, combining SMART Technologies with a consistent, scalable AV infrastructure. This project has been shortlisted for Collaboration within Education at the CPC Excellence Awards 2026…
The Client
Backed by over £21m in funding from the Department for Education & partners, the establishment of The South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT) marked a significant milestone for the region, kite-marking the high-quality, higher-level technical education & training provision in the region. One of only 21 IoTs nationally, this is a major investment and recognition of the region’s higher education provision. SYIoT provides high-quality training and qualifications in engineering and manufacturing, digital, construction, healthcare sciences, science, and media. Qualifications and courses are designed and delivered with local and national employers. This gives students of all ages & backgrounds the practical skills & technical knowledge they need to stand out in the job market and provides employers with the reassurance that the training their staff receive can be applied directly to their business.
The Project
As part of the £16 million redevelopment of Barnsley College’s University Centre campus, now the home of Barnsley’s South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT), the College sought to standardise and modernise its interactive teaching technology. Previously, display technology varied across campuses, with multiple brands including BenQ and Philips. This created inconsistencies in user experience, training and support. For SYIoT, the College wanted a unified, future-ready solution that would simplify management, enhance collaboration, and deliver a consistent digital teaching experience. The College went out to tender in June 2025 via the Crescent Purchasing Consortium framework, with a deadline of the grand opening in September. As the longest-serving AV supplier on the framework and winner of Supplier of the Year at the 2025 CPC Supplier Excellence Awards, we have a proven track record in delivering high-quality, partnership-led education projects. Having previously completed a UC meeting room for the College, we were already a trusted partner and well positioned to collaborate with SMART Technologies and Loxit to develop a tailored solution that standardised both the digital experience and the supporting AV infrastructure across SYIoT.
The Solution
Following several demonstrations and strategic discussions - including direct engagement between SMART Technologies and Azhar Iqbal, Director of IT - the College committed to the SMART ecosystem, recognising the value of its cloud-based management platform and NFC-enabled user profiles. We supplied and installed over 20 Smart interactive displays throughout the SYIoT facility including MX series in teaching classrooms and RX series in specialist IT labs.
Key SMART Features
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Centralised device monitoring, remote updates, software management and content deployment across all displays.
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Staff can instantly access personalised settings and content by tapping their ID card, creating seamless, secure, and flexible teaching workflows.
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Integrated whiteboarding, wireless device sharing, and multi-user annotation enable interactive and engaging learning sessions.
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The MX series is optimised for general teaching environments, while the RX series delivers enhanced durability and responsiveness for high-use or technical lab settings.
Stafford Lund, Sales Manager at Roche, commented: “It’s great to work alongside SMART Technologies on the installation of the new MX and RX screens here at Barnsley College. The SMART portfolio, with its NFC login and cloud-based management, is perfect for the College, and we’re excited to support them as they roll out more SMART solutions across their campuses in the future.”
Dan Nicholson, Channel Manager at SMART Technologies, added: “We were delighted to support Barnsley College with the SYIoT project, delivering MX and RX displays that enhance teaching and collaboration. We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership and helping the College expand SMART technologies across their campuses in the future.”
SMART’s cloud platform reduces IT overhead and ensures consistency across rooms, while NFC functionality supports flexible, secure teaching and collaborative learning. While the SMART ecosystem standardised the digital experience, equal focus was placed on the physical infrastructure supporting each space, delivered through a standardised lectern approach.
Standardised teaching, built around the lectern
Central to delivering a consistent teaching experience across SYIoT was the specification of the Loxit Control media lectern in every space. Acting as the physical hub of each classroom, the lectern brings together AV control, connectivity and secure equipment storage into a single, unified solution - ensuring that every room not only looks the same, but performs the same.
Compact in footprint yet flexible in design, the lectern accommodates either 14U or 16U of rack-mounted equipment, allowing each space to be configured without compromising on accessibility or performance. Natural ventilation is built into the design, removing the need for active cooling while maintaining reliability and reducing long-term maintenance costs.
Constructed from durable sheet steel with a high-quality powder-coated finish, the lecterns provide both longevity and a professional aesthetic across teaching environments. Lockable, fully removable panels (keyed alike) give engineers quick and consistent access for maintenance, supporting efficient servicing across the entire estate.
Inside, integrated cable management and optional power distribution ensure each lectern remains clean, organised and installation-ready. This attention to detail simplifies installation, servicing and future upgrades, reinforcing the long-term scalability of the solution.
Most importantly, the lectern plays a key role in standardising the user experience. With a consistent control panel layout and interface across every room, teaching staff can move seamlessly between spaces with no retraining or adjustment - supporting a true “walk in and teach” environment that underpins the wider SYIoT digital strategy.
This combination of compact media storage, secure integration and a familiar control interface has strengthened both staff confidence and operational efficiency across the campus. It has also laid the foundation for further rollout, with additional spaces adopting the same lectern standard as the college continues to expand and refine its AV estate.
The result is more than just a piece of furniture - it’s a core part of a standardised teaching environment that supports consistency, usability and long-term scalability. By embedding this level of detail into every space, the project demonstrates how the right combination of technology and infrastructure delivers lasting impact across an entire campus.
Partners
A True Partnership Approach
Beyond the technology itself, delivery and collaboration were key to the project’s success. Azhar Iqbal, Director of IT at Barnsley College, explains: “We have used Roche as our AV partner. They worked with us to carefully plan installation around our operational needs, and their flexibility in deploying the screens was a real differentiator. It felt like a genuine partnership rather than a traditional supplier-customer relationship - and that’s something we’ve really valued.”
Through close collaboration with the building contractors, installations were carried out in carefully planned phases as each floor became ready. Because we operate with our own fully trained, in‑house installation teams, we’re able to maintain complete control over every stage of the process. This structure gives us the freedom to adapt quickly, respond to unexpected changes, and accommodate more challenging or demanding schedules without compromising quality. Our flexible and highly coordinated approach ensured that all works were delivered efficiently and on time for the SYIOT opening.
Immediate Impact in the Classroom
The benefits were quickly realised by both staff and students. Dan Walsh, Learner Support Technologist, commented: “So far, the boards have already proven invaluable. They are a fantastic resource to have in our classrooms here at Barnsley College University Centre.”
Emily Birchall, Digital Pedagogy Team Leader, added: “It’s really engaging and exciting to see students using the SMART screen from their phones and tablets, then coming up and interacting with the board directly.”
By standardising on SMART, Barnsley College has:
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…providing a consistent and intuitive experience for both staff and students.
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…through cloud-based control and centralised updates.
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…allowing staff to quickly access their own settings and content
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…through interactive tools and multi-user functionality
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…for future campus expansion and further learning spaces.
The combination of device integration, standardised infrastructure and interactive tools has created more dynamic and collaborative learning environments across SYIoT. The success of the SYIoT installation has already led to further rollout, with an additional 10–15 SMART displays installed in one of the College’s sports centres - demonstrating confidence in both the technology and the partnership approach. Building on this success, we have further projects in the pipeline at the College which will continue to standardise AV technology, enhance digital pedagogy, and extend the benefits of SMART technologies and Loxit lectern solutions.
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