Beacon High School
with Teacher Assist
The Challenge
At Beacon High School in Islington, London, teachers and administrators faced a familiar classroom challenge:
- ✔️ Students opening unrelated websites during lessons.
✔️ Teachers needing to physically walk around the classroom to check screens.
✔️ Time wasted manually delivering resources to every student device.
- ✔️ Students opening unrelated websites during lessons.
For a busy teaching team, these small interruptions added up, reducing lesson flow and making classroom management more demanding.
The Solution
Two to three years ago, Beacon High integrated Teacher Assist into their Google Workspace for Education environment, alongside GAT+ and Shield.
Using real-time screen monitoring and the ability to push websites or resources directly to student devices, teachers could instantly see and support what every learner was doing, without leaving the front of the classroom.
The rollout took just four weeks, despite some technical challenges on both sides. Once installed, the team embraced a variety of onboarding and training options, including:
- ✔️ Live training sessions
✔️ Weekly webinars
✔️ Self-paced knowledge base articles
- ✔️ Live training sessions
Daily Use, Tangible Gains
Teachers now use Teacher Assist every day to keep lessons focused and flowing. Key benefits include:
- ✔️ Reduced time spent monitoring screens manually, freeing teachers to focus on instruction.
- ✔️ Faster delivery of resources to the whole class.
✔️ Fewer distractions from non-educational content. - ✔️ Increased student time on task and more consistent engagement across the class.
Administrators also use Teacher Assist to:
- ✔️ Identify students repeatedly accessing unsuitable content.
- ✔️ Block distracting websites in real time.
- ✔️ Enforce the school’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).
The Impact
“We’ve seen fewer students opening unrelated websites during lessons, and it’s now easier to spot those who are disengaged. It’s reduced the need for teachers to constantly patrol the classroom just to check screens.”
Filip Moryn,
IT Managed Service Lead
While student learning outcomes haven’t yet been formally measured, the school has noticed better focus, improved task completion, and more consistent participation in lessons.
Why It Works for Beacon High
Teacher Assist fits seamlessly into the school’s existing Google Classroom workflow. By making it quick and simple for teachers to monitor, guide, and support students in real time, it:
✔️ Saves time every lesson.
✔️ Supports classroom behaviour management.
✔️ Empowers teachers with instant insight into what students are doing.
Looking Ahead
Beacon High would “absolutely” recommend Teacher Assist to other schools using Google Classroom. As part of the UK Department for Education’s EdTech Impact Testbed Pilot, they are ready to share their story to help other schools see how the right tools can improve both teacher confidence and student focus.
Key Outcomes at a Glance:
✔️ Daily usage across lessons
✔️ Reduced off-task behaviour and fewer device distractions
✔️ Faster resource delivery to every student device
✔️ Time saved on manual monitoring
- What challenges did Beacon High School face in managing classroom technology or Google Workspace before using Teacher Assist?
- How did Beacon High School use GAT Labs’ Teacher Assist to improve oversight of student activity and digital classroom behavior?
- What tools or features within Teacher Assist were most useful for Beacon High School’s teachers and administrators?
- How did implementing these tools change classroom management or the learning environment at Beacon High School?
- What are the benefits seen by Beacon High School in terms of student engagement, safety, or digital citizenship?
- What lessons or best practices can other schools learn from Beacon High School’s experience with Teacher Assist?
- Propose a 5-step plan for another school to adopt Teacher Assist, based on Beacon High School’s case study.