Free IT Budget Planner Tool for Schools and Colleges

Build your estimated IT budget

Enter your current numbers or use the defaults as a guide. The planner calculates recurring annual costs, annualised refresh funds, contingency and cost per pupil.

1. School profile

School type

Number of pupils/students

Number of staff

Classrooms / teaching spaces

2. Recurring support and services

Managed IT support per month (£)Helpdesk, onsite support, strategic review, procurement and escalation.

Extra project / consultancy days per yearUseful for migration work, network changes, audits and holiday projects.

Project day rate (£)

Broadband / leased line per month (£)

Backup internet / 4G/5G per month (£)

Telephony / VoIP per month (£)

3. Cyber, safeguarding and cloud

Cyber security per staff user/month (£)Example: endpoint protection, MDR, awareness training, dark web monitoring.

Filtering & monitoring per month (£)

Cloud / server backup per month (£)

Microsoft / Google / core licences per month (£)

Other software subscriptions per month (£)

MIS integrations / reporting / admin tools per month (£)

4. Annualised refresh planning

Staff laptops / desktops to support

Average staff device cost (£)

Staff device lifecycle (years)

Pupil/shared devices to support

Average pupil/shared device cost (£)

Pupil device lifecycle (years)

5. Network and classroom technology

Wireless access points

Average AP replacement cost (£)

Wireless lifecycle (years)

Network switches

Average switch replacement cost (£)

Switch lifecycle (years)

Classroom AV / displays annual fund (£)

Cabling / cabinet / fibre annual fund (£)

6. Contingency

Contingency percentage (%)Recommended for ageing infrastructure, unknown cabling, emergency work and price changes.

What should a school IT budget include?

A good school IT budget is not just a list of licences. It should show the true cost of keeping teaching, learning, safeguarding and administration systems reliable, secure and properly supported.

Managed IT support, onsite support and escalation
Broadband, leased line, backup internet and firewall services
Filtering, monitoring and safeguarding systems
Cyber security, MFA, endpoint protection, awareness training and backup
Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, cloud platforms and software licensing
Wi-Fi, switching, cabling, cabinets and UPS refresh
Staff devices, shared pupil devices and classroom technology
Project work, audits, migrations and holiday implementation windows

This free planner is designed to help schools, colleges and MATs move away from reactive IT spending and towards planned refresh cycles.

For best results, combine this calculator with an IT asset register, network audit, cyber security review and a clear roadmap agreed by your SLT, IT lead, governors or trustees.

Frequently asked questions

Is this budget planner suitable for primary schools?

Yes. Primary schools can use it to estimate support, filtering, backup, connectivity, Wi-Fi and device refresh costs. Adjust the default device, access point and support figures to match the size of your site.

Can secondary schools and colleges use it?

Yes. Secondary schools and colleges should increase the figures for pupil devices, Wi-Fi access points, switching, cyber security, filtering and project days to reflect larger sites and higher device density.

Why does the planner include refresh reserves?

Without a refresh reserve, schools can be forced into emergency spending when devices, Wi-Fi, switches or servers fail. Annualising refresh costs gives finance teams a clearer picture of the true cost of IT.

Does this replace a full IT audit?

No. This planner gives an estimate. A full IT audit should review your network, safeguarding systems, cyber security, backup, licensing, device age, server/cloud setup and support model.

Can Elmdale IT help build a 3 or 5 year school IT roadmap?

Yes. Elmdale IT Services can review your current setup and create a practical roadmap covering support, cyber security, Wi-Fi, switching, devices, cloud, safeguarding and project priorities.

This calculator provides planning estimates only. It is not financial advice and does not replace a full technical audit or procurement exercise.