Connect the Classroom: Wi-Fi and switching, delivered to DfE standards
Connect the Classroom is the DfE-funded programme that brings school networks up to the department's wireless and switching standards, so connected teaching works reliably in every room. We are an experienced delivery partner for the scheme, from survey to handover, and we deliver a complete solution that meets the DfE wireless network standards. We are ready for the 2026 Programme.
Connect the Classroom, in plain terms
Connect the Classroom is a government-funded programme that improves internet connectivity in schools by upgrading wireless access points and network switches to the Department for Education wireless network standards. The goal is dependable Wi-Fi that works throughout the building, not only in parts of it, so connected teaching is reliable in every room.
The Department has committed a further 325 million pounds through to 2030, following 215 million pounds invested between 2021 and 2025. The DfE sets eligibility, allocates the funding, and publishes the standards the work must meet.
Schools procure their own supplier, and that supplier must deliver to the DfE specifications. That is our role: we design, install, and hand over a complete, standards-compliant solution.
Ready for the 2026 Programme
A further 325 million pounds is available through to 2030, with eligibility and selection criteria set by the DfE. Final claims for this round must reach the DfE by 26 February 2027, so survey and design need to start early. We are ready to survey, design, and deliver, drawing on more than seventy-five Connect the Classroom projects already completed.
Talk to us about your schoolIs your school in scope?
Schools receiving targeted support through the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme are eligible for Connect the Classroom. The DfE contacts eligible schools directly and provides funding where a school falls below the wireless connectivity standards.
If you have been contacted by the DfE, or you think your Wi-Fi falls short of the standards, we can help you scope the work and choose the right solution.
What to expect from the upgrade
The DfE wireless network standards define what good looks like. A compliant Connect the Classroom upgrade delivers:
- Wi-Fi 7 as a minimum, the standard the DfE has set for the 2026 programme
- A full, reliable signal throughout the school buildings, and outside where required
- A solution that centrally manages the wireless network
- Security features that stop unauthorised access
- Designed from a site survey, installed with minimal disruption, and handed over with full documentation
From your DfE letter to a live network
If your school or trust has had a Connect the Classroom letter from the DfE, the process from there is straightforward, and we guide you through all of it. The eligible work is funded through the programme, so it does not fall on your school budget.
Talk to our team
Tell us about your site and your requirements once your DfE letter arrives.
Survey, design and proposal
We survey and design to the DfE standards, then send you a proposal.
DfE adviser confirms
Your DfE adviser confirms the pricing and specification align with the programme.
Order and purchase order
You return a signed order form and a purchase order.
We deliver
We arrange the site visits, final design, installation, testing, and handover.
Already have an ICT partner?
If you already work with an ICT supplier who cannot access the Connect the Classroom scheme, we can work alongside them. We bring the programme pricing and the delivery capability, so you keep the relationship you have while still accessing the funded upgrade.
Keep your current supplier
We deliver the funded Connect the Classroom work directly, or in partnership with your existing ICT partner, whichever suits your school.
One accountable partner, survey to handover
We deliver Connect the Classroom directly for schools and trusts, and as the ICT sub-contractor for principal contractors, aggregators, and delivery partners. Either way you get a single accountable team for the design, the installation, the configuration, and the handover.
What we deliver
The full scope: DfE-standard Wi-Fi and switching, central management, secure authentication, and a documented handover.
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How we deliver
Our process from eligibility and survey through to commissioning and handover, worked around the school day.
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Projects
Examples of Connect the Classroom deliveries across primary, secondary, college, and trust settings.
ViewA complete, DfE-standard solution
Our offering is a complete solution that meets the DfE wireless network standards. We are vendor-flexible and specify to the requirement, not to a single catalogue. Historically we have partnered closely with HPE Aruba, and we provide whatever the programme or the school requires.
The main platforms we deliver are HPE Aruba, Ubiquiti UniFi, and Cisco Meraki. We recommend and install the one that best fits the building, the budget, and the wider school estate.
HPE Aruba, Ubiquiti UniFi, Cisco Meraki
Whichever platform we use, you get a centrally managed, secure wireless network that meets the DfE standards, designed from a survey and fully documented at handover.
Connect the Classroom: your questions answered
What is Connect the Classroom?
Connect the Classroom is a government-funded programme that improves internet connectivity in schools by upgrading wireless access points and network switches to the Department for Education wireless network standards.
Who is eligible for Connect the Classroom?
Schools receiving targeted support through the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme are eligible. The DfE contacts eligible schools directly and funds those that fall below the wireless connectivity standards.
How much funding is available?
A further 325 million pounds is available through to 2030, following 215 million pounds invested between 2021 and 2025. Allocations and selection criteria are set by the DfE, and final claims for the current round are due by 26 February 2027.
Does the school choose the supplier?
Yes. Schools procure their own supplier, and the work must meet the DfE specifications. Medhurst Communications delivers to those specifications, directly or as a sub-contractor to a delivery partner.
Which Wi-Fi equipment do you use?
We specify the right platform for the school: HPE Aruba, Ubiquiti UniFi, or Cisco Meraki. The solution meets the DfE wireless network standards in every case.
What does a school get from the upgrade?
Full, reliable wireless coverage throughout the building and outside where required, centrally managed and secured, designed from a survey and handed over with complete documentation.
Delivering a Connect the Classroom upgrade?
Tell us about your school or trust and we will explain the design, the programme, and how we work around teaching.