2024 Year in Review: Empowering Schools with Lightspeed Systems

As 2024 draws to a close, we’re reflecting on a transformative year for Lightspeed Systems and the schools we serve. This year, our innovations have helped school communities navigate safety challenges, improve classroom management, optimise budgets, and meet complex compliance demands—all while keeping student success and equity at the forefront. Here’s a look back at some of our most impactful achievements and updates. 

Lightspeed Digital Insight: Clarity in EdTech 

Schools face increasing pressure to make data-driven decisions about their tech investments. With Lightspeed Digital Insight, we delivered actionable analytics to help schools optimise resources and stay compliant: 

• Compliance Tags: Added additional tags for our applications to ensure clearer visibility into which apps comply with local and international regulations.
• Role-Based Access: Expanded visibility across schools and MATs to foster cross-department collaboration.
• Internet Access Map: Provided county-level insights into digital equity gaps, helping schools plan for better access in underserved areas.

These innovations ensure schools and organisations can maximise the impact of all money spent on edtech.  

Lightspeed Filter: Smarter, Faster, Safer 

We continued to make Lightspeed Filter the most comprehensive solution for web content filtering, ensuring students can explore online safely and productively. This year, we: 

• Introduced SafeSearch Category, enabling schools to easily block non-compliant search engines automatically.
• Simplified IT workflows with SmartShield IP-Based Policies, reducing costs and complexity for BYOD environments.
• Enhanced device-based management for lab settings, allowing IT administrators to map student emails to device serial numbers.

By focusing on proactive updates, we’ve ensured Lightspeed Filter adapts to modern challenges while remaining easy to use for administrators. 

Classroom Management: Empowering Teachers 

We understand that technology in the classroom should make teaching easier, not harder. That’s why we designed new tools to save teachers time and foster student engagement: 

• Teaching Team: Simplified collaboration with the ability to assign multiple teachers – like co-teachers and substitutes – to monitor and refocus students in real time. Customise permissions for each co-teacher.
• Pre-Class Organisation: Teachers can now group students and apply web rules before the lesson begins, ensuring a smooth start to every class.
• Enhanced Troubleshooting: Quick insights into student screens help resolve tech issues before they disrupt learning.

These updates are about more than technology—they’re about giving teachers more time to focus on what they do best: teaching. 

Lightspeed Alert: A Safety Net for Every Student 

Student safety remained a top priority in 2024. With enhancements to Lightspeed Alert, we helped schools stay one step ahead in protecting students from harm: 

• Added Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian-Creole Monitoring to expand detection capabilities for digital behavior across diverse student populations.
• Launched a Tip Line, offering an easy way for schools to identify and address potential safety risks early.
• Introduced Email Quarantine (in early access), giving administrators better oversight of email communications to prevent inappropriate or unsafe exchanges.

• New CPOMS Integration: Lightspeed now integrates with CPOMS, combining digital monitoring insights with incident management tools to enhance student safety and support. Read more.  

These tools aren’t just about monitoring—they’re about fostering a culture of proactive care. 

Mobile Device Management: Simplified and Streamlined 

Device management is essential to a school’s digital ecosystem, and this year, Lightspeed MDM became even more efficient: 

• Declarative Management: Updates for Apple devices reduced the complexity of managing apps and settings.
• Return to Service: Retained Wi-Fi credentials during device resets, saving IT teams time when preparing devices for new users.

Compliance Made Easy 

Navigating government compliance can be overwhelming, but Lightspeed’s tools made it simpler: 

• Lightspeed Systems became one of the first companies to achieve the the UK Safer Internet Centre’s Accredited Filtering Provider Status: This accreditation comes at a crucial time for filtering and monitoring within UK schools, with an increased need to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to support student wellbeing. Read more.  
• We ensured KCSIE compliance with all of our solutions, meeting the latest 2024 release of the government standards. This further helps UK schools and colleges to ensure their students are safeguarded from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material. Read more.  
• We supported schools to meet UK Digital Leadership and Governance Standards by making it easy to build out a contracts register of licenses, subscriptions and a school's approved edtech applications.

With these tools, schools stayed ahead of changing requirements while focusing on their mission: educating students. 

Looking Ahead 

As we celebrate the successes of 2024, we’re already planning for an even brighter 2025. From expanded safety features to more tools for improving digital equity and compliance, our mission remains clear: to empower schools with solutions that drive meaningful change. 

 Thank you for trusting us to be part of your journey. Here’s to another year of innovation and impact!