RM not so bad
I support a number of schools and I personally don't think their network management software is too bad, if you stand it up against the solutions offered by other suppliers then it wins hands down.
Yes a Vanilla Windows domain environment will run faster, but without a proper, full time support staff onsite then the average primary school school wouldn't have the first clue on how to build a new WDS deployment... that and no two vanilla group policy networks are the same....
Ease of deploying cloned machines, deploying MSi's, virtual CD images, printer deployment, etc... without any fear of breaking a policy - CC4 cant be topped...
Hardware - yes, it isn't cheap, their own branded stuff does have so so reliability issues, but hardware support is pretty good at replacing duff parts. not sure where the previous poster came from with the eepc quote - rm sold those under the asus brand, and like the Acer W510 - its the best pricing currently available.
I don't work for RM and I have a raft of Microsoft and apple certificates to fall back on, so not a complete simpleton! but for one moment, imagine your mum trying to manage a domain with 60 workstations and 400 users all on 2 hours a week... bloat and cost is needed to achieve this aim!