Computer firm has school contract extended in Leeds

LEEDS City Council has extended its information and communications technology (ICT) contract with RM Group to include four more schools.

RM was appointed as the strategic ICT partner for the council's "building schools for the future" programme in May last year.

The initial contract covered 14 new schools but the extension involves four recently-built institutions.

RM, which has a market cap of around 197 million, works with Learning Teaching Scotland, the Scottish Government's teaching agency, to create "Glow".

The Glow programme will link 800,000 pupils and teachers around Scotland via a single computer network, allowing them to share classroom resources and work together online.

Tim Pearson, RM's chief executive, said: "Being chosen to provide ICT for a further four secondary schools – outside of the BSF programme – reflects the very positive reputation we're developing in the city".

The UK government's BSF aims to re-build all of England's 3,500 state secondary schools during the next 50 years. Around 10 per sent of BSF funding is ring-fenced for ICT.