Managing Devices at Scale in MATs

Multi‑Academy Trusts are operating in increasingly complex digital environments. As device‑led learning is embedded across classrooms, and expectations around safeguarding, availability and accountability continue to rise, Trust leaders face growing pressure to deliver consistent experiences across multiple schools, often with limited budgets and central resources.

From laptops and tablets to specialist and shared devices, technology is now fundamental to teaching, learning and assessment. Ensuring these devices are secure, charged, available and auditable is no longer just an IT concern; it has become a Trust‑wide operational and governance challenge.

This white paper explores the shared device‑management challenges facing MATs today, how leading Trusts are responding, and what effective, scalable device management looks like in practice.

This insight draws on findings from LapSafe®’s 2026 Device Management Survey, alongside wider observation across education environments. The results highlight common sector‑level trends rather than the experience of a single Trust.

The Digital Reality of Modern MATs

Most MATs now operate across:

·        Multiple schools, phases and age groups

·        Shared device models

·        Centralised IT teams supporting distributed sites

·        Increasingly tight financial and sustainability constraints

Trust leaders are expected to standardise processes, demonstrate value from technology investments and reduce operational risk, while ensuring pupils and staff can reliably access devices when needed. As Trusts grow, inconsistency between schools becomes more visible, harder to manage and more costly to resolve.

The Core Challenge: Device Availability at Trust Scale

Despite significant investment in devices, availability remains a persistent challenge for many MATs.

Survey insights show that 51.2% of education organisations report that devices are not returned on time, making it harder for schools to ensure devices are ready at the start of lessons or the school day. Across a single school, this may cause disruption; across a Trust, it quickly becomes systemic.

These challenges are often compounded by:

·        Devices not being charged or ready for use

·        Manual sign‑out and tracking processes

·        Limited visibility across multiple schools

·        Inconsistent practices between sites

For MATs, this results in uneven experiences for pupils and staff, increased pressure on central IT teams, and reduced confidence that device investments are being fully utilised.

The Operational Cost of Manual Management

Manual device management continues to consume significant time across Trusts.

Survey findings show that over 80% of organisations spend multiple hours every week issuing, tracking, recovering or swapping shared devices. In education environments, this time is often absorbed not only by IT teams, but also by support staff, teachers and administrators.

Managing overdue devices and coordinating repairs are consistently cited as the most time‑consuming activities. Over time, this manual workload reduces the capacity for strategic improvement, proactive support and innovation, particularly for small central teams supporting large Trust estates.

When multiplied across multiple schools and thousands of devices, manual processes become a material barrier to efficiency, consistency and scale.

Device Availability, Downtime and Learning Impact

When devices fail, go missing or are unavailable, the impact in a learning environment is immediate.

Only 11.6% of organisations are able to provide an immediate replacement device, meaning lessons may be disrupted, learning activities delayed or staff forced to adapt at short notice. In shared device models, one missing or faulty device can affect multiple pupils or classes.

Device loss further exacerbates the issue. 53.5% of organisations report losing six or more devices each year, increasing replacement costs and making it harder for Trusts to maximise the value of their investments. Over time, this also contributes to sustainability challenges and unnecessary e‑waste.

Safeguarding, Security and Compliance Pressures

Shared devices introduce additional safeguarding, data protection and governance challenges.

Survey insights show that 27.8% of organisations have already experienced security or compliance issues linked to shared devices. For MATs, this raises critical considerations around:

·        Clear accountability for device usage

·        Data protection and access control

·        Safeguarding expectations

·        Inspection and audit readiness

As Trusts scale, maintaining consistent, auditable processes across all schools becomes increasingly important, particularly in environments subject to external scrutiny and regulation.

Why Automation Is Becoming a Strategic Priority for MATs

In response to these pressures, many MATs are reassessing how devices are issued, tracked, secured and recovered across their estates.

Automation in device management is no longer viewed as a convenience. Instead, it is being adopted as a way to:

·        Standardise processes across all schools

·        Reduce reliance on manual intervention

·        Improve accountability and auditability

·        Ensure devices are secure, charged and ready for use

Among organisations using automated device workflows, 61.2% describe the impact as moderate to transformational, highlighting that the benefits extend beyond incremental efficiency gains.

Measured Results from Smart Device Lockers

For MATs that have implemented smart device lockers and automated device workflows, the impact is tangible and measurable.

Since implementation, reports show:

·        Improved audit and compliance capability (38.9%), supported by accurate, automated usage records

·        Better visibility of device usage (38.9%), enabling more effective planning and utilisation

·        Higher user satisfaction (38.9%), driven by faster, self‑service access to devices

·        Reduced IT workload (27.8%), by removing manual issuing, tracking and recovery tasks

·        Faster device swap‑outs (22.2%), minimising disruption when devices fail

·        Reduced device loss or theft (22.2%), through controlled access and clear accountability

These outcomes support greater consistency, operational efficiency and more reliable learning experiences across Trusts.

Real-World Success Stories

Ayrshire College transformed its device loan process with a student-led system that improves access, reduces IT workload, and supports sustainability goals. The college deployed LapSafe® Smart Lockers with 700 bays across three campus sites.

“It’s provided flexible learning for students and given IT more control. It’s even better than we imagined. It’s more than lockers—it’s a new way of thinking about access, control, and sustainability”- Brad Johnson, Ayrshire College

Northfleet School for Girls improved student access to devices, reduced manual processes, and improved accountability, saving 390 hours and £4,761 of staff costs with the Envoy™ Smart Locker by LapSafe.

“We no longer need to log loans and record information manually to allocate a device to a student, or chase the student to find out where the device is, the process is automated” - Richard Chilcott, e-Learning & IT Systems Manager

Aston University introduced self-service smart lockers to support flexible, on-demand access to laptops across its learning spaces. The solution enables students to work where and how they choose, while helping the university maximise the use of devices and study areas without increasing staff involvement.

“Students are incredibly positive about them. They like that they don’t necessarily need to bring their own laptop to the library but can get one of ours to work on while they are in the building, and they offer the flexibility of where they can work, such as in a group study area, in a meeting room to practice a presentation, single study desks or in the silent study area”.

Hopwood Hall College & University Centre adopted self-service smart lockers to modernise asset management and reduce pressure on library and IT teams. The solution enables unmanned deployment of devices, automated communications, and real-time tracking, supporting the college’s wider ambition to develop a smarter, more efficient campus.

“We are now able to deploy assets, unmanned and unstaffed, and track them through LapSafe®’s Onarken® platform. The library team does not have to manually go through our system, "here is your laptop", we can set it up, send them an email, and they come to collect it. Once the asset has been returned, we then get a notification. It is a straightforward process which eases staff workload.”

Merthyr Tydfil College replaced a labour‑intensive, manual loaning process with a fully automated smart locker solution. By enabling students to access devices using only their ID cards, the college has increased capacity, reduced staff workload, and expanded its device offering with confidence.

“The benefits have been twofold, the students have enjoyed having a level of autonomy in getting devices for themselves, and it encourages them to always have their student ID cards with them. Staff have benefited by always having access to devices for their classwork, and the library staff benefit with their time freed up to support learner enquiries at the desk rather than continuously issuing laptops.”

What Good Looks Like for MATs

Across Trusts, effective device management increasingly means:

·        Devices that are secure, charged and ready each day

·        Consistent processes across all schools and phases

·        Reduced reliance on manual sign‑out and tracking

·        Clear accountability and auditable workflows

·        Minimal disruption to teaching and learning

·        Better use of IT time and Trust budgets

These outcomes are driven by a clear Trust‑wide strategy, supported by intelligent automation and scalable physical workflows.

What This Means for Trust Leaders

For CEOs, CIOs, IT Directors and Operations Leads, device management is no longer a tactical issue confined to individual schools.

Key considerations increasingly include:

·        How consistently devices are managed across the Trust

·        How much staff time is absorbed by manual processes

·        Whether safeguarding and audit requirements are fully met

·        How device investments are protected and maximised

·        Whether systems can scale as the Trust grows

Addressing these questions enables MATs to move from reactive management to proactive, resilient and future‑ready operations.

Closing Perspective

Multi‑Academy Trusts operate in some of the most demanding environments, balancing educational outcomes, safeguarding responsibilities and financial constraints.

Survey insights show that while device‑related challenges remain widespread, Trusts that adopt standardised, automated approaches are already seeing improvements in availability, accountability and operational efficiency. As digital strategies continue to evolve, MATs that focus on consistency, scalability and control are best positioned to deliver high‑quality learning experiences across every school in their Trust.

Trusted Across Education

We work with education organisations operating at scale, supporting nearly all UK universities, over half of UK colleges, and tens of thousands of schools. Our experience also extends internationally, including work with TAFE Australia, the country’s largest provider of vocational education and training.

Across these environments, we help improve device availability, accountability and operational efficiency, without increasing support overhead or placing an additional burden on teams.

Full results from the LapSafe® 2026 Device Management Survey are available upon request.