Manage Right - Clear & Effective IT Solutions
IT Support for Education
Manage Right works directly with school leaders, headteachers, business managers, and governors, to make sense of your IT obligations and help you meet them without the stress or the jargon.
Experienced Education IT Support
The Manage Right founders have over 30 years experience working within the education sector, in school IT, senior leadership, and at Multi-Academy Trust level.
Schools face a level of IT scrutiny that most organisations never have to think about. DfE standards. Cyber Essentials. Safeguarding obligations. Ofsted readiness. And usually, no dedicated IT person to hold it all together.
That’s where we come in.
We offer fixed-price audits that give you a clear picture of where you stand, and ongoing Virtual IT Director support for schools that want a trusted expert in their corner without the cost of a full-time hire.
DfE Technology Audit
Who is this for?
This is for headteachers, business managers, and governors who want to understand their school’s IT position before an Ofsted inspection, a MAT review, or a budget conversation. It’s also useful if you’ve recently had a change in leadership and want to get a baseline picture of where things stand.
FAQs
Find direct answers to common questions about our DfE Technology Audit
Want to learn more? Contact us and we’ll help you move forward.
How long does the audit take?
The on-site or remote assessment typically takes a day. Your written report will follow within five working days.
Do we need to prepare anything?
No significant preparation is needed. We’ll ask for a few basic details in advance, things like your broadband provider and device inventory, but we handle the rest.
Will this help us with Ofsted?
Yes. The DfE Technology Standards are increasingly referenced in Ofsted’s school improvement conversations. Having an up-to-date audit demonstrates that your school takes its IT governance seriously.
Can you help us fix the gaps you find?
Yes. The audit is standalone and independent, but if you’d like support implementing the recommendations, we’re happy to discuss that separately.
Cyber Essentials Audit
Who is this for?
Headteachers, business managers, and governors who want to understand their school’s cyber security posture, whether you’re thinking about applying for Cyber Essentials certification, preparing for an inspection, or just want peace of mind.
FAQs
Find direct answers to common questions about our DfE Technology Audit
Want to learn more? Contact us and we’ll help you move forward.
Is this the same as getting Cyber Essentials certified?
No. This is an independent audit against the Cyber Essentials framework. It gives you a clear picture of where you stand and what you’d need to do to achieve certification, but certification itself is a separate process with an accredited assessor. We can advise on the right next steps once the audit is complete.
Do we need Cyber Essentials certification?
Schools aren’t currently required to hold Cyber Essentials certification, but the DfE’s cyber security standards for schools are closely aligned with the framework. Many MATs and local authorities are also starting to require it of their schools.
How long does the audit take?
The assessment typically takes half a day, with a written report to follow within five working days.
Copilot Readiness Audit
Who is this for?
Headteachers and business managers who are considering deploying Copilot, or who already have it enabled and want confidence that it’s been set up correctly.
FAQs
Find direct answers to common questions about our DfE Technology Audit
Want to learn more? Contact us and we’ll help you move forward.
We haven’t deployed Copilot yet. Should we still do this?
Yes. This is the right time to do it. Getting your environment in good shape before you enable Copilot is much easier than trying to remediate issues after the fact. We already have Copilot running. Is it too late?
We already have Copilot running. Is it too late?
No, but it’s worth acting promptly. The audit will identify any risks in your current setup and tell you what to fix.
Does this cover our safeguarding obligations?
Yes. Safeguarding-relevant configuration is a specific focus of the school version of this audit.
Virtual IT Director: Expert IT leadership for your school. Without the full-time hire.
What is the Virtual IT Director
Day-to-day IT support keeps the lights on. But it doesn’t help you plan your next device refresh. It doesn’t join up your data governance, your safeguarding responsibilities, and your technology strategy. It doesn’t give you something credible to put in front of governors. A Virtual IT Director does.
The experience behind this service spans over 30 years working across education, in school IT, senior leadership, and at Multi-Academy Trust level. That means we understand your world from the inside. We know what it’s like to sit in an SLT meeting and field questions about cyber security, EdTech budgets, and DfE compliance in the same breath. We know how school procurement actually works, what governors need to hear, and where the gap between IT support and IT strategy tends to open up.
We work alongside your leadership team on a retained basis, attending relevant meetings, reviewing your IT strategy, helping you navigate procurement decisions, and making sure your school’s technology is working in service of your educational goals rather than just ticking boxes. We speak to governors and parents in plain English. We translate the technical stuff so you don’t have to. And we make sure nothing important falls through the gap between your classroom devices and your DfE compliance obligations.
Who is this for?
Schools that don’t have a dedicated IT lead in their senior leadership team, and want someone who can fill that gap without the cost or commitment of a full-time appointment. Particularly relevant for single-academy trusts, maintained schools, and smaller MATs where strategic IT oversight tends to fall to whoever has the least-full diary.
FAQs
Find direct answers to common questions about our DfE Technology Audit
Want to learn more? Contact us and we’ll help you move forward.
Is this the same as IT support?
No. This is strategic and advisory. It sits alongside your day-to-day IT support, not instead of it. If you don’t currently have IT support in place, we can help with that too through our school support plans.
How much time does it involve?
That depends on your school. We’ll agree a structure that works around your academic calendar and review it regularly.
Can we use this alongside an existing IT support provider?
Yes. We’re happy to work alongside any existing provider and act as an informed, independent point of oversight on your behalf.
What makes this different from a standard IT consultant?
Most IT consultants come from a technology background. The experience behind this service comes from inside education, from managing school IT, sitting on senior leadership teams, and working across multi-academy trusts. 30 years worth of IT experience in education, ready to assist you and your school. That’s a different conversation to the one most IT providers can have with you.
Let’s talk
Typical response
Within one business day, with practical guidance rather than a sales script.