NEN – The Education Network is a learning and teaching resource providing schools with a secure network designed and maintained by experts within the educational community. A dedicated education network, it harnesses the power of broadband technology in order to provide unique content and services, delivering a personalised learning experience in the classroom and enabling users to share learning resources at every level.
Optimised for data-intensive applications (including Video Conferencing), The Education Network provides a number of unequalled advantages for schools, offering a secure and safe environment where issues such as copyright are managed and where teachers, pupils and parents can work confidently together. NEN provides a wealth of services and resources, many of which can only be accessed via a NEN connection.
NEN works with industry and the government to implement and raise standards for the benefit of learners. NEN is the impartial advisor for schools and can also achieve huge savings from aggregated procurement for the benefit of school budgets. NEN also takes the lead in providing advice and support for schools on aspects of E-Safeguarding.
Between 2000 and 2001, ten Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs) were set up under the National Grid for Learning (NGfL) initiative. Their common aim was to realise the promise of broadband technology in education, connecting all learning communities across England. The RBCs are groups of Local Authorities (LAs) that were established to provide cost effective and co-ordinated connectivity between schools and the Internet. They were responsible for rolling out broadband to all schools in their regions by 2006. This project was delivered on time, in budget and in most cases beyond specification.
During 2003, the networks they created were joined together by high speed links via the JANET (UK) network (developed originally for the Higher Education sector), creating a single and secure private network, known originally as the National Education Network (NEN), when joined with the Broadband initiatives in Learning and Teaching Scotland, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
This network means that schools can enjoy a range of broadband services without individual pupils going onto the Internet. Many Internet resources are mirrored within the network, offering faster performance to users as well as greater security. Users can also access the wider Internet through NEN’s secure gateways, with access policies managed by the local RBC. NEN ensures that all schools, colleges and universities are connected through a single backbone, enabling a high quality learning experience in a safe and secure networked environment.
Late in 2011 the National Education Network changed to ‘NEN –The Education Network’. NEN is no longer an acronym. NEN continues to support schools and Local Authorities and with the wider choice that schools have NEN are providing a wealth of support and advice. NEN also works with industry and policy makers to provide advice, standards and support that will assist schools in making the right choices in the complicated and competitive arena of broadband provision and its services.
The NEN is delighted to work with a range of commercial partners across the UK.
The ethos of NEN Partnership is to work collectively in the best interests of learners and educational establishments. Any company who is granted membership of NEN’s community or wishing to be granted partner status agrees to abide by the rules laid out in our partnership programme document. Once applications are accepted, the Partner will be listed on NEN’s website and will have permission to use NEN’s Partner logo.
Benefits of NEN Membership/Partnership
- Opportunity to meet and network with key decision makers within the education sector
- Have a voice within the industry and government (central and local)
- Attendance at NEN events
- Options to present to an NEN Members’ Group meeting
- Co-write customer case studies, published by NEN
- Have NEN member influence into new product strategies
- Forge closer relationships enabling improved understanding of tender requirements, objectives and timescales
- Use of NEN Partner logo
- Entry on membership page of NEN website
- Inclusion of code of conduct
- Inclusion of logo on NEN website with hyperlink to your website
- Discounted rates at NEN events
- Access to online forum (not for product promotion)
You can read more about our Partner Programme by downloading this information leaflet