This is a collection of useful information about the services Northern Grid offers and what to do if you want to buy a service from us, or if you want to leave us to go elsewhere.

The broadband Northern Grid provides to schools and Local Authorities is currently provided through Easynet. Our contract with Easynet will expire on July 31st 2012 and Northern Grid is going through a procurement process to identify who will provide our connectivity after this date

This means that information in the documents on this page is likely to change. To make sure you get the most up to date information heads can complete the Expression of interest document. See the Procurement briefing note for more information.

To improve cost efficiencies and increase roll-out consistency of broadband in English schools, ten regional broadband consortia were created across England, servicing 139 of the 150 local education authorities which in turn serve over 22,000 schools:

• CLEO: Cumbria Lancashire Education Online
• EMBC: East Midlands Broadband Consortium
• E2BN: East of England Broadband Network
• LGfL: London Grid for Learning
• NG: Northern Grid for Learning
• NWLG: North West Learning Grid
• SEGfL: South East Grid for Learning
• SWGfL: South West Grid for Learning
• WMnet: West Midlands Regional Broadband Consortium
• YHGfL: Yorkshire & Humberside Grid for Learning

If these regional broadband consortia did not exist, each local authority would be forced to replicate much of the organisational infrastructure and resources of a full-scale, regional consortium. Clearly, this would be ineffective in terms of overall:

Deployment and running costs:

with savings on individual projects ranging from 10-60% through economies of scale, RBCs make strong financial sense to stretch limited educational budgets.

Inter-operability and rollout efficiency:

as the nation’s over 25,000 schools work ever more closely together, interoperability has come to the fore. RBCs help schools to do this more quickly and effectively.

Consistency of systems and outcomes facilitating faster, betterapplication rollout:

to meet National Education Network targets, as well as those set out at a regional and LA level, central coordination is essential to success. Now, as these targets are further converging at a national level, cooperation in terms of secure access and consistent data structures are even more essential.

Download the full White Paper which demonstrates how the Regional Broadband Consortia (RBC) as individuals and a group consistently deliver these benefits to educational and local uthority institutions.

On March 22nd 2010 Mel Philipson, chair of the NEN Managers Group, spoke to MPs at Westminster about the work of the NEN. Her speech covers the history of the NEN and the benefits it brings.

In 2002, the Government pledged to deliver a broadband connection to every school by 2006. The English Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs) and the UK wide National Education Network community achieved this. We have not only met the Government challenge of 2002 but in many cases delivered this ahead of schedule, within budget and over minimum specifications. I’m pleased to say that we’re one of the few public sector IT projects since 1990 to have had that level of success. Our effectiveness, improvements and transformation of broadband delivery have established the NEN as a world leader…”

The NEN community provides high quality online teaching and learning resources, free at the point of delivery. We provide important links to powerful regional and national archives and cultural collections. These materials support parents in engaging with their children’s learning. Our partnerships with museums, libraries, galleries and archives provide important routes for learners, their parents and teachers. We bring art, history and culture into homes and classrooms.”

Download the full speech

Northern Grid works with several key commercial partners to ensure best value for our users.

	Easynet are Northern Grid's preferred Internet Service Provider