Preparing Your School for the UK's Telephone Network Switch-Off
Protecting Critical School Communications
The UK's traditional telephone network is being permanently retired, requiring schools and Multi Academy Trusts to move away from analogue and ISDN services to modern digital communications.
While many schools focus on replacing their phone system, the PSTN switch-off affects far more than telephony. Lift alarms, door entry systems, fire alarm monitoring, emergency phones, payment systems, security systems and other critical services may also require review and replacement.
Oakford helps schools identify affected services, plan migrations and implement future-proof solutions that maintain safeguarding, resilience and operational continuity.
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What Does the PSTN Switch-Off Mean for Schools?
Many education organisations still rely on legacy services without realising it.
Systems commonly affected include:
- School telephone systems
- Reception and administration phones
- Analogue telephone lines
- Lift emergency lines
- Door entry systems
- Gate intercoms
- Security systems
- Alarm monitoring services
- Payment terminals
- Classroom emergency phones
- Caretaking and facilities systems
Without proper planning, some systems may stop working correctly as traditional telephone services are withdrawn.
Why Schools Choose Oakford
Education Specialists
For over 20 years, Oakford has supported schools, academies and Multi Academy Trusts with connectivity, telephony, IT infrastructure and managed services.
Independent Advice
Unlike many telecoms providers, we assess your entire environment before recommending solutions, ensuring no critical systems are overlooked.
End-to-End Project Delivery
From discovery and auditing through to installation, user training and ongoing support, Oakford manages the complete migration process.
Connectivity & Telephony Expertise
As both an ISP and communications provider, we understand the infrastructure required to support reliable digital voice services across educational environments.
Safeguarding First
We ensure safeguarding communications, emergency systems and critical operational services remain protected throughout the transition process.
Oakford's School Readiness Assessment
Our assessment provides schools with a clear understanding of what needs to change before legacy services are retired.
Service Audit
We identify:
- Existing telephone services
- ISDN circuits
- Analogue lines
- Emergency communication systems
- Site-wide communication requirements
- Third-party dependencies
Infrastructure Review
We assess:
- Broadband capacity
- Internet resilience
- Switching infrastructure
- Wireless coverage
- Power resilience
- Network performance
Risk Assessment
We identify:
- Critical safeguarding dependencies
- Single points of failure
- Unsupported systems
- Infrastructure limitations
- Business continuity risks
Migration Roadmap
You receive a detailed action plan covering:
- Affected systems
- Required upgrades
- Recommended technologies
- Budget estimates
- Project timescales
- Risk mitigation strategies
Hosted Telephony for Education
Modern cloud-based phone systems offer schools significantly greater flexibility and resilience.
Features include:
- Auto attendants
- Department call routing
- Multi-site support
- Voicemail-to-email
- Call recording
- Business continuity features
- Mobile applications
- Staff remote working support
- Central trust-wide management
- Reporting and analytics
Staff can make and receive calls from any location while maintaining a professional school presence.
Supporting Multi Academy Trusts
Many trusts operate a mixture of ageing systems across multiple schools.
Oakford can help MATs:
Standardise Communications
Create a consistent telephony platform across all schools.
Improve Resilience
Reduce dependency on individual sites and legacy infrastructure.
Simplify Management
Enable centralised administration and reporting.
Reduce Costs
Replace multiple legacy contracts with a modern consolidated solution.
Enable Trust-Wide Communications
Improve collaboration between schools, central teams and leadership.
Protecting Critical School Services
A successful migration involves much more than replacing handsets.
Our engineers can assess and modernise:
Door Entry & Access Control
- Reception intercoms
- Video entry systems
- Automated gates
- Visitor management integrations
Emergency Communications
- Lift alarms
- Emergency call points
- Welfare systems
- Lone worker solutions
Security Systems
- Intruder alarms
- Alarm signalling services
- Monitoring platforms
- Remote security access
Site Services
- Facilities management systems
- Building management platforms
- Monitoring equipment
- Third-party support connections
Connectivity for Modern Communications
Digital voice services rely on reliable connectivity.
Oakford can provide:
Full Fibre Broadband
High-speed internet access suitable for modern cloud communications.
Leased Lines
Dedicated connectivity for larger schools and trusts requiring enhanced resilience.
Backup Connectivity
4G, 5G, Starlink and secondary circuit failover services to ensure communications remain available during outages.
Network Upgrades
- Power over Ethernet switching
- Network refresh projects
- Wireless upgrades
- Traffic prioritisation (QoS)
- Infrastructure resilience
Future-Proofing Your School
The PSTN switch-off is an opportunity to modernise wider infrastructure and align with DfE technology recommendations.
Many schools choose to use the project to:
- Replace ageing telephony platforms
- Improve safeguarding systems
- Upgrade network infrastructure
- Increase resilience
- Improve disaster recovery capabilities
- Support flexible working
- Prepare for future growth
A well-planned migration helps schools avoid costly emergency upgrades while delivering long-term benefits for staff, students and leadership teams.
Why Oakford?
Oakford combines expertise in:
- Education IT Services
- School Connectivity
- Hosted Telephony
- Cyber Security
- Infrastructure Design
- Multi Academy Trust Support
- Project Delivery
- Ongoing Managed Services
This allows us to assess the complete technology environment rather than treating the PSTN switch-off as simply a telephone replacement project.
We help schools understand the wider impact, reduce project risk and implement solutions that deliver lasting value.
Talk to Oakford
Whether you operate a single school or a large Multi Academy Trust, Oakford can help you understand the impact of the PSTN switch-off and create a practical migration plan.
Our specialists will assess your existing systems, identify potential risks and recommend the most appropriate solution for your environment.
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