The DfE Connect the Classroom scheme is helping eligible schools in England improve connectivity by funding upgrades to wireless access points and network switches.

The programme sits alongside the wider DfE digital and technology standards, which set expectations around broadband internet, wireless networks, network switching, filtering and monitoring, cyber security, and digital leadership.

For schools, multi-academy trusts, and education IT teams, DfE Connect the Classroom funding is not simply an opportunity to replace ageing hardware. It is a chance to build a faster, more secure, and easier-to-manage network foundation that can support connected classrooms, cloud platforms, safeguarding systems, assessment tools, and growing device demand for years to come.

This is where Westbase.io and Ubiquiti can help.

DfE Connect the Classroom eligibility is targeted. There is not a universal open application process for every school; eligible schools are contacted directly by the DfE if they fall below WiFi connectivity standards.

Once selected, schools are responsible for procuring a suitable supplier whose work must meet DfE specifications. The programme supports upgrades to wireless access points and network switches, recognising that strong classroom connectivity depends on both the wireless network and the wired infrastructure behind it.

For schools that are not currently eligible, the DfE standards still provide a useful benchmark for future network planning. Tools such as Plan technology for your school can also help schools and trusts assess their current technology position and work towards the standards.

Reliable WiFi is essential for modern teaching and learning. Schools now rely on wireless connectivity for cloud platforms, classroom devices, safeguarding tools, digital assessments, visitor access, staff mobility, and shared learning spaces.

The DfE wireless network core standard focuses on performance, coverage, management, and security. It also highlights access point interface speeds, network segregation, QoS, cabling, switching, and cyber security as important dependencies.

Ubiquiti UniFi access points are designed to support modern wireless environments, including high-density classrooms, halls, offices, staff areas, shared spaces, and wider campus coverage. With UniFi WiFi 7 access points available, Westbase.io can help education partners and customers identify suitable Ubiquiti solutions for DfE-aligned wireless upgrade projects.

For best results, wireless upgrades should be planned around the school site itself. This includes access point selection, expected device density, building layout, interference, cabling, switching capacity, and heat map-led design.

Education networks need to support multiple users, devices, and services securely. Staff, students, guests, admin teams, IoT devices, CCTV, access control, and operational systems may all need network access, but they should not all sit on the same flat network.

The DfE’s core standards include cyber security, filtering and monitoring, wireless networks, and network switching, making security an important consideration from the start of any school network refresh.

Network segmentation and access control are not a substitute for a school’s statutory filtering and monitoring provision. However, they are an important part of a secure network design. UniFi can help schools separate and control network traffic, while schools continue to maintain appropriate safeguarding, filtering, and monitoring systems in line with DfE expectations.

One of Ubiquiti’s strongest benefits for education is simplified management. UniFi Site Manager gives IT teams a centralised way to access, monitor, and administer UniFi deployments remotely, while still maintaining local control of each site.

For school IT teams, this can mean less time switching between platforms, faster troubleshooting, and better visibility across wireless, switching, gateway, and security infrastructure. For MATs, multi-site education groups and local authorities, centralised management also supports more consistent network policies, remote support, and standardised approaches across multiple schools.

Once a school is selected for Connect the Classroom DfE funding, it needs to procure a suitable solution that meets the required infrastructure outcomes. Westbase.io can support education partners and customers with Ubiquiti-based solutions for funded and non-funded school network projects, including managed WiFi for schools.

Westbase.io can help with:

• Ubiquiti access point selection, including WiFi 7 upgrade planning
• network switching and PoE planning
• gateway and firewall architecture
• secure network segmentation
• centralised UniFi management
• multi-site deployment planning
• bill of materials support
• product sourcing and availability
• partner enablement and ongoing support

As an official Ubiquiti distributor, Westbase.io supports partners with access to UniFi and UISP solutions, helping them deliver scalable wireless, switching, and networking projects across education and other sectors.

For schools that are not currently eligible for Connect the Classroom funding, the DfE standards remain a valuable planning framework that we can support you to meet. A network refresh should still be aligned to the same principles: reliable wireless infrastructure, resilient switching, secure access, appropriate management, and infrastructure that is ready for future digital learning requirements.

Although DfE Connect the Classroom funding applies to England, the same networking priorities are relevant across the wider UK.

In Wales, schools can refer to the Hwb Education Digital Standards, which provide best-practice guidance to help schools understand, manage, and future-proof their digital environment.

For Ubiquiti projects, the most relevant Welsh guidance includes the Hwb Wireless Networking Standards and Hwb Router and Switches Standards. These areas align closely with the same core requirements: full-site wireless coverage, appropriate network capacity, secure access, firmware and security updates, and manageable infrastructure.

Scotland takes a different approach. Rather than publishing an equivalent technical framework for school WiFi and switching, digital education is shaped through national strategy and local authority implementation. The Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland focuses on leadership, access to digital technology, and investment in digital learning.

For schools and education partners in Scotland, the conversation is therefore less about a single funding scheme and more about aligning network upgrades with local digital strategies, infrastructure refresh cycles, and the need for scalable, secure, and manageable connectivity.

With Westbase.io and Ubiquiti, education organisations can build networks that are high-performing, secure, scalable, and easier to manage.

Whether a school has received Connect the Classroom funding, is reviewing DfE or Hwb standards, or is planning a wider network refresh in line with regional requirements, Westbase.io can help partners and education customers deliver a Ubiquiti solution that supports the modern connected classroom.

Partners: Get in touch with our team directly – we can support your education project from simple procurement through to full network delivery, including staging, installation, and in-life support services.

Education organisations: Our team can guide you through selecting the right solution. If you have an existing ICT supplier, we’re happy to work alongside them – or we can help you identify the right delivery partner from our ecosystem of experienced providers.