Network Transformation at St Mary Redcliffe & Temple School
About customer
St Mary Redcliffe & Temple School (SMRT) is a Church of England voluntary aided secondary school and sixth form located in Redcliffe, Bristol.
The school educates approximately 1,800 students aged 11–18 and is widely recognised for its academic ambition, diverse student community, and strong local reputation.
Serving families across the Greater Bristol area, the school is heavily oversubscribed and plays an important role within the local community. Its sixth form alone hosts around 700 students and offers a broad range of academic pathways.
With a growing reliance on digital learning platforms and connected devices, the school requires reliable, high-performance network infrastructure to support modern teaching, collaboration, and administrative operations across the campus.
Challenge
St Mary Redcliffe was operating on a legacy network infrastructure that had been in place for more than a decade. Over time, the hardware and network architecture became outdated, unreliable, and increasingly prone to faults.
Frequent network outages disrupted lessons, interrupted digital learning tools, and caused frustration among both students and staff who depended on stable connectivity throughout the school day.
The IT team faced the greatest pressure. Much of their time was spent troubleshooting issues, replacing failing hardware, and managing performance bottlenecks instead of focusing on strategic improvements or innovation.
It became clear that the existing infrastructure could no longer support the school’s digital ambitions, and a modern, resilient network solution was urgently required.
Overview
St Mary Redcliffe partnered with Misco, alongside Juniper Networks (an HPE company) and networking specialists Node1, to deliver a full campus network transformation. Wireless and cabling surveys using heatmap technology identified coverage gaps and informed the new design. Misco then deployed a Juniper network powered by Mist AI, providing automation, analytics, and simplified management for the IT team.
Misco managed the full implementation, including removal of legacy hardware, installation of new infrastructure and cabling, and configuration of wired and wireless systems. Most work was completed within one week to minimise disruption to teaching, with final checks during school holidays. The result is a future-ready platform delivering reliable connectivity across the campus and a modern system that reduces manual IT tasks.
Solutions
Full Network Modernisation
As part of the full network modernisation, Misco delivered a complete infrastructure refresh built around Juniper networking technology powered by Mist AI, designed to provide high-performance, scalable connectivity across the entire school campus.
Core Network Infrastructure
The network core was upgraded with six high-performance Juniper EX4400 switches.
These switches provide high-speed 10Gb connectivity, forming a robust backbone for the school’s network.
Edge Network Infrastructure
To support connectivity throughout classrooms, offices, and teaching spaces, 43 edge switches were deployed.
These switches deliver the appropriate mix of Power over Ethernet (PoE) and standard connectivity to support access points, devices, and classroom technology.
Wireless Infrastructure
The project also included a comprehensive wireless upgrade to deliver fast, reliable connectivity across the campus.
Juniper AP24 indoor and AP64 outdoor access points provided high-density wireless coverage capable of supporting large numbers of simultaneous student and staff devices across indoor and outdoor learning environments.
Outcome
Reliable Connectivity
The new network provides fast, stable connectivity across the entire campus, ensuring that students and staff can access digital learning resources without disruption.
Simplified Network Management
The Mist AI management platform offers an intuitive interface with improved visibility and monitoring capabilities, enabling the IT team to manage the network more efficiently.
Reduced IT Workload
With improved stability and intelligent automation, the IT team spends significantly less time troubleshooting issues, allowing them to focus on strategic improvements.
Future-Ready Infrastructure
The new environment is fully supported, warranty-backed, and scalable, providing a resilient platform capable of supporting the school’s technology needs for years to come.
“We chose Juniper to provide a modern AI-driven network, giving the school a platform that supports both its current needs and future growth. This solution ensures that students and staff can connect and work easily while providing the IT team with a network that is far simpler to manage.”
– Mark Groom, Senior Technical Consultant, Misco