Consistency is key
I share a lot of the concerns voiced over the future of IT provision in schools under Building Schools for the Future (BSF), especially the cost and the lack of flexibility that will result (Must do better: £45bn schools plan fails to impress).
However, we should not glorify what exists. While a lot of schools have excellent IT, some have horrendous setups that are under-invested in and not fit for purpose. These schools are failing their teachers and students, meaning that the government cannot meet its Every Child Matters agenda.
Very soon, students from the age of 14 will be able to study diplomas offered at a different institution to their host school - these locations will need to have joined-up IT for this to work. With the increased dependence on computers for assessment and examinations, standardisation is inevitable and
robust systems will need to be available for all students 24/7, hence some form of managed services will be required to replace the existing cottage industry.
Colin Small
A couple of points.
1) Yes - a percentage of schools have bad IT systems, and bad IT staff. The same goes for industry, the same goes for any department in a organisation. The situation should be remedied by cutting out the cancers, not killing the entire organism. BSF (the ICT portion) is using a blanket approach to all schools to fix a problem in a small percentage of schools. Unfortunately, the majority of schools who have superior IT services, will be caught under this too, the standards decreased. The BSF-not-so-smart bomb, is going to do far more collateral damage than is worth the problem it's trying to fix.
2) The issue of connectivity between different schools for collaboration/assessment etc. is largely handed by the current crop of RBCs, allowing schools within LAs to communicate far easier than previously. Though, again, there is a percentage of bad RBCs, those can be brought up to scratch far easier, and with less damage to education, then BSF.
Posted by: Marc Blake | Thursday, 08 May 2008 at 04:11 PM
Dear Colin...
Please.... Just because you have had a bad experience with ICT doesn't mean that all Secondary Schools are bad..
And yes most of us know about the new diplomas that require Student access 24/7 and most of the un managed schools in our area are subscribing to a VLE for this purpose..
You don't need to wipe out the ICT Support Department and triple the support costs via the BSF to achieve a 24/7 VLE..
Please remember under the BSF the Teachers become the first line of support andn the teachers have to try and solve the IT problem themselves before an ICT Tech is called out under your lovely BSF Managed Service System..
Posted by: ICTStaff | Thursday, 08 May 2008 at 04:59 PM
Yes in some schools ICT support is terrible, but that is hardly surprising given the salaries offered, that with an ageing senior staff who simply do not understand computers, and the skill and effort required to maintain and install computer systems.
basically computers for schools id the hardest of ict jobs, it is no wonder that people leave to go work elsewhere.
Posted by: joe king | Friday, 09 May 2008 at 09:51 AM
There are lots of good and bad things about BSF program, but one thing we don't have to forget is that BSF program it is not the solution! If some IT systems in schools are bad why not creating a company that goes to schools every so often helping the network managers with problems... why not setting up, manage and send experts helping IT departments in schools? Create policies in place about a standard IT in school...help those schools with IT problems...
I have doubts that putting Public sector organizations under the umbrella of a "Private sector company" is not solving any problems, is going to increase them...
Not only i think so, my managers think so, teachers in my school think so as well, so what is going on? why is the top guys not hearing us?
When i when to previous IT BSF meeting they told us that we have the opportunity to create the classrooms of the future... But if companies like RM are taking the contracts, they are going to implement their systems in place... its just more of the same...But now it will cost more money!
I am very disappointed that the secondary schools are waisting all that tax payers money...
Posted by: Jose | Friday, 09 May 2008 at 10:20 AM