5 lessons from 40 years in education leasing

This year marks a significant milestone for us. On 2nd December 2025, our parent company, the Longriver Group, will celebrate its 40th birthday!

The technology in classrooms today would be unrecognisable to someone from 1985. We’ve seen EdTech evolve from monolithic desktop computers to slick AI-powered learning platforms. However, the fundamental challenges schools and suppliers face haven’t changed at all.

Schools have always struggled with tight budgets, and suppliers are still trying to find ways to get their innovative products into the hands of the teachers and students who need them.

What has changed is our understanding of how to solve these problems. Over four decades, we’ve learned lessons that now shape every aspect of how we operate. Here are the top five:

Lesson one: Schools value device consistency

Schools are wrestling with a fundamental problem: the cost of staying current. Often they invest heavily in new technology, only to discover a few years later that their carefully-chosen equipment is obsolete.

Today’s schools face the same challenge, with many still relying on outdated hardware, software and networks. This is where the subscription model proves its worth. When schools rent rather than buy, they don’t need to deal with ageing equipment that becomes a liability. Instead, they have predictable costs and a clear path to upgrading when the contract ends. 

Schools maintain device consistency, removing the potential future headache of maintaining a mish-mash of varying makes and models. Then they get to upgrade to brand new equipment at the end of the contract term, similar to upgrading a mobile phone.

For schools affected by the end of Windows 10 support in October 2025, this matters enormously. Those with incompatible devices are facing the need to replace entire fleets of IT equipment. That’s exactly the kind of budget shock that our subscription model is designed to prevent.

Lesson two: Speed matters for suppliers

One thing that hasn’t changed in 40 years is the way schools can move slowly, but suppliers need to get paid quickly.

The gap between these two realities has always created friction. Schools need time to get budgets approved, funding applications processed, and purchase orders signed off. Meanwhile, suppliers have their own cash flow to manage, staff to pay, and businesses to run.

We learned early on that if we wanted to truly serve both schools and suppliers, we needed to bridge this gap ourselves. That’s why we guarantee to pay suppliers within 72 hours of project completion – even if the school defers payment.

Think about what this means in practice. As a supplier, you’re not waiting 30, 60, or 90 days for payment. You get your money quickly and reliably. We take on the financial responsibility, and you can focus on what you do best: delivering excellent products and service.

Lesson three: Simplicity is a competitive advantage

Over 40 years, we’ve seen countless school financing models come and go. The ones that failed always had something in common: they were complicated.

Complicated application processes and approval criteria. Complicated three-way conversations between schools, suppliers, and third-party lenders, often with constantly shifting pricing. Then a whole lot of impenetrable paperwork full of obscure terminology and hidden fees.

We developed our proprietary quoting tool to put simplicity at the heart of our business model. It takes a supplier’s existing quote and transforms it into a co-branded leasing proposal in literally seconds. The school receives a clear, straightforward proposal with a built-in response form that makes it easy to say yes.

And because we’re an approved partner on the Everything ICT framework, all UK state schools and colleges are pre-approved for our finance. Goodbye lengthy applications, and hello straightforward electronic agreements.

As a direct funder backed by the Longriver Group’s four decades of experience, we can offer this simplicity without the complications of third-party lenders or broker fees. 

Lesson four: Leasing is a relationships business

Perhaps the most important lesson from 40 years in this sector is that leasing to the education sector is all about long-term relationships. 

Schools don’t want ‘two men in a van’ haggling for their finance and then disappearing into a puff of smoke once they’ve signed the paperwork. They want a genuine partnership that can support them throughout a lease of several years. Our model of a three-way partnership between school, supplier, and funder gives schools a full package of support throughout the contract term. Suppliers commit to providing support, maintenance, and service when issues arise, and we handle the ongoing payment collection and administration side of things. From the school’s point of view, they’re covered in every respect.

This is why we’re selective about the suppliers we work with. We have strict criteria because we’ve learned that our reputation depends on the quality of our partners. To work with us, suppliers need to be established, with a provable track record and solid reputation. They must be able to commit to the full term of the leasing arrangement which can be five years or more, depending on the product. 

Suppliers who meet our standards benefit hugely from this approach, too. Taking a long-term view rather than a short-term opportunity for a one-off deal means we help suppliers open up opportunities beyond the initial sale. When the school’s contract period ends, suppliers have the chance to upsell to their latest models. And who else would the school buy from but the partner who’s been by their side supporting them with their equipment for several years already?

Lesson five: Technology moves on but the fundamentals don’t change

In 2025, as in 1985, schools want to provide their students with the best possible education. They want access to modern technology that enhances learning and they want reliable equipment that teachers and students can depend on. But they don’t have endless money.

We’ve learned over 40 years that the solution is to change the structure of the transaction itself.

By transforming a large upfront purchase into regular, affordable installments, we help schools obtain on average three times more equipment than they could afford to buy outright. That means a school with nine classrooms can get an interactive screen in every room through our subscription, even if they only have the capital budget to buy three screens per year.

If there’s a secret to our success, it’s that we’ve always focused on matching the payment structure to the useful life of the asset. Schools pay for the equipment over the period they’re using it, and this often makes so much more sense than buying outright, especially when obsolescence is a risk.

Looking forward: The next 40 years

Our 40th birthday comes at a pivotal time for the UK’s EdTech sector. The explosion in AI technology over the last few years has the potential to transform the way learning is delivered in our schools. 

The next 40 years are likely to see a significant level of change as schools grapple not only with the integration of AI, but also the cybersecurity concerns that come with a rapid evolution in technology. Strong partnerships between schools, suppliers and direct funders like ourselves will be even more important in the coming years than they already are.

So here’s to the next 40 years of helping schools afford the technology they need, and suppliers to get their products into classrooms. And a huge vote of thanks to all the schools and suppliers who’ve put their trust in the Longriver Group over the last 40 years. We wouldn’t be here without you!

Tags

• Leasing school equipment