Digital transformation in a leading independent boarding school with staff on video call.

Head of Digital Learning at a leading independent school talks about how using Microsoft 365 has developed and improved teaching and learning.   Henry Exham currently teaches at a boarding school with 830 students ranging from 13-18. He joins our COO Darren Hemming to talk about how the school utilises Microsoft 365 and how it … Read more

Cloud Design Box logo on a digital screen with a smiling man in the background.

Formative’s Ryan Clark discusses the power of real-time assessments in the classroom and how this data empowers teachers to recognise learning opportunities at an earlier stage while giving students agency in their own development.   Ryan Clark joins Darren Hemming on the Cloud Design Box podcast to talk about this new approach to teaching and … Read more

Cloud Design Box logo with VR and AR learning illustration.

Ian Stuart from Avantis Education talks about the power of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality in teaching and learning. Avantis has supported teachers with classroom technology for almost two decades and now boasts a diverse range of education products, including LearnPad, ClassCharge, ClassConnect and ClassVR. In this podcast episode, Cloud Design Box’s Darren Hemming … Read more

Two men on a video call, one with headphones, in a professional setting.

The Director of Digital Learning at Lingfield College talks about the school’s plan to roll out 1:1 devices, and the challenges and benefits that come with digital transformation.  Lingfield College is a co-educational independent school in Surrey for pupils aged two to eighteen. Stefan Hagen is the Director of Digital Learning and works with his … Read more

Title image for Getting best value from Microsoft 365 for Education with Jonathan Bishop. Darren Hemming and Jonathan Bishop talking on the podcast.

In this podcast episode, we speak with Jonathan Bishop, the CEO and Executive Headteacher of The Cornerstone Academy Trust (TCAT), about getting the best value from Microsoft 365 for Education. TCAT is based in the southeast of England and comprises four primary schools. Their motto “Fortune Favours the Brave” is undoubtedly reflected in their forward-thinking approach … Read more

Title image for Moving from a single Microsoft 365 tenant to a central trust tenancy with Sacred Heart Catholic High School

In this podcast episode, we spoke with Martin Edworthy, eLearning Coordinator at Sacred Heart Catholic High School about how they moved from their school’s Microsoft 365 tenant to a centralised tenancy for their trust (The Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust).  “Working between two tenancies was becoming unnecessarily complex as our members of staff needed multiple … Read more

In this podcast episode, we spoke to Microsoft specialist and TweetMeet lead Marjolein Hoekstra about her journey with Microsoft, TweetMeets, MVPs, MSEduCentral and much more. She reveals three must-have resources designed especially for educators and school leaders. Marjolein first became connected with Microsoft after diving deep into OneNote and designing an example of what features … Read more

Microsoft 365 user adoption tips from a large multi academy trust (MAT)

In this second podcast episode with Bridge Academy Trust (BAT), we discuss user adoption tips with Mark Fuller, IT Director and how he is supporting 12 schools to embrace the tools in Microsoft 365. Bridge Academy Trust is a large MAT made up of four secondary schools and eight primary schools. In 2021, the Trust … Read more

Title image for Improving communication and collaboration at Bridge Academy Trust

In this podcast episode, we caught up with Mark Fuller, IT Director for Bridge Academy Trust (BAT) – a multi academy trust based in Essex – about how they have extended Microsoft 365 with Cloud Box to improve communication and collaboration between their 12 schools. Bridge Academy Trust is a large MAT made up of … Read more

In this podcast episode, we speak with Rachael Howarth, Vice Principal of Bradford Girls’ Grammar School about how they’re using Microsoft 365 to assess and engage students in a blended in-classroom and remote learning setting. Rachael walks us through some key ways in which they’re using Microsoft Forms, Class Notebook, Polls and Insights to increase … Read more

In this podcast episode, we speak with Stuart Carvell, Assistant Head at Eaton Bank Academy, which is part of the Fallibroome Trust about how Microsoft 365 is being rolled out across the trust and its academies and schools. “Microsoft 365 was an obvious choice for Eaton Bank Academy. Many of the schools in the Fallibroome … Read more

Cloud Design Box has been working with Wilberforce College, a further education Sixth Form College in Hull, to support them in moving to Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, through training and strategy sessions, as well as software set up and implementation. Assistant Principal at Wilberforce College Jonathan Butler recently joined us on a webinar to discuss … Read more

Breakout rooms in Microsoft Class Teams launched in January 2021, allowing teachers to create sub-meetings within the main class meeting for students to work together in small groups and discuss their learning. In this discussion, we’ve included everything you need to know about breakout rooms in Teams, from how to set them up to safeguarding … Read more

Our Office 365 User Adoption Podcast highlights real-life stories from schools, academies and Multi Academy Trusts on how they’ve successfully rolled out Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Teams to staff and students. In this podcast episode, we spoke with Rachael Howarth, Vice Principal at Bradford Girls’ Grammar School and Business Studies teacher on how they’re using … Read more

In this podcast, we spoke with James Emmet, Network Manager at Engineering UTC North Lincolnshire about how they use features in Office 365 to support students with Special Education Needs (SEN) and English as an Additional Language (EAL). “We have a high number of students who are EAL, SEN, dyslexic and have low reading ages. … Read more

In this podcast episode, we’ve taken a different approach. Instead of focusing solely on a school’s user adoption methods, we’re looking at how the process can be made easier when you have a Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) in your ranks. But what exactly is an MIE Expert and how can your school, multi-academy trust or … Read more

We’ve been asked by some schools facing part and full closure to create a podcast about delivering virtual lessons using Microsoft Teams. In this podcast, we focus on using Microsoft Teams to provide remote lessons. Darren Hemming, our Teaching and Learning Consultant, explains how these tools allow some continuation of learning, even if teachers or … Read more

We’ve spoken a lot on this blog and in our podcast about how Microsoft Teams and SharePoint transforms the classroom, from sharing class resources with pupils to improving student engagement with Digital Ink and Class Notebook. However, there are also many opportunities to use these tools to drive School Leadership Teams. We spoke with Gareth … Read more

Conversations and instant messaging are only one part of Microsoft Class Teams. Its true power shines through when teachers share their resources with their classes through the File Sharing tabs and SharePoint integration. Students can immediately access files and resources that their teachers upload and continue learning outside of the classroom. However, many teachers spend … Read more

Microsoft Teams is a great collaboration tool and can be used to extend the classroom. In our latest podcast, Tony and Darren from Cloud Design Box discuss the real benefits of using Microsoft Teams in the classroom. This time we are focusing on the conversation aspect. Communication is central to good lessons and learning in … Read more

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