Debian Edu aka Skolelinux is a Linux distribution based on Debian providing an out-of-the box environment of a completely configured school network. It implements a client-server approach. Servers and clients are pieces of software that interact with one another. Servers provide information required by clients to function. When a server is installed on one machine and its client on a different machine, the machines themselves are referred to as the server and the client, by extension of the concept.
The chapters about hardware and network requirements and about the architecture contain basic system design details.
After installation of a main server, all services needed for a school network are set up and the system is ready to be used. Only users and machines need to be added via GOsa², a comfortable Web-UI, or any other LDAP editor. A netbooting environment using PXE/iPXE has also been prepared, so after initial installation of the main server from CD, Blu-ray disc or USB flash drive all other machines can be installed via the network, this includes "roaming workstations" (ones that can be taken away from the school network, usually laptops or netbooks). Also, machines can be booted via PXE/iPXE as diskless workstations or thin clients.
Several educational applications like GeoGebra, Kalzium, KGeography, GNU Solfege and Scratch are included in the default desktop environment setup, which can be extended easily and almost endlessly via the Debian universe.
Debian Edu / Skolelinux is a Linux distribution created by the Debian Edu project. As a Debian Pure Blend distribution it is an official Debian subproject.
What this means for your school is that Skolelinux is a version of Debian providing an out-of-the box environment of a completely configured school-network.
The Skolelinux project in Norway was founded on July 2nd 2001 and about the same time Raphaël Hertzog started Debian-Edu in France. Since 2003 both projects are united, but both names stayed. "Skole" and (Debian-)"Education" are just two well understood terms in these regions.
Today the system is in use in several countries around the world.