Welcome Dear Reader.
I suppose I should first detail my reasons for putting my thoughts down for the world to see.
I’m a Network Manager in a large Secondary school near Brighton, East Sussex – although we are part of the Brighton and Hove LA. The school is generally considered to be improving, and working in this environment is both stimulating and fulfilling professionally.
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a government programme to refurbish all of Englands secondary school buildings, and to revolutionise the use of ICT within them by proving £1675 per student to be spent in this area.
A noble cause. There are areas of our school building that are in need of redesign and refurbishment to make them useful for todays teaching methods, and ICT is always in need of further investment to keep pace with changing technologies.
It seems that part of the BSF “deal” is that schools move away from their current ICT systems in favour of a managed service provided by a large company (such as RM, Ramesys, Sun) – effectively outsourcing their provision.
What concerns me here (at least at this stage) is the assumption that whatever ICT provision a school has in place, a manged service would be able to deliver it better, and possibly cheaper than is possible at the moment.
There is a saying that goes something along the lines of, “Strong, lightweight, inexpensive – pick any two”. Basically something has to give. The companies running these managed services have to make money from doing so, whilst keeping staffing levels in schools similar (and due to TUPE legislation, those staff will be on the same sallaries).
The potential for BSF ICT money in Brighton and Hove is enormous, and could be put to engineer a cross-authority solution that would be transformational in its effect on how learners view their “home school”. I question though if such a federation of schools is mutually inclusive of a managed service provider as BSF appears to dictate.
In this blog, I aim to document the BSF process in Brighton and Hove LA. I am heartened to see that the LA has asked for input from schools right at the start of the process, before the business plan has been drawn up, and before and output specification has even been discussed.
Watch this space to see how things progress!
Interesting line of thought that sadly stops dead in Feb 09. Wonder whether the author was gagged, sacked, or lost the will to fight?
Hi Andy
I’m still here, ungagged. There’s been no progress to report really.
Brighton and Hove City Council are still officially in wave 12 of BSF – but are still pushing to have that brought forwards.
Until we’re on the BSF program (if it still exists in its current form after the recent change in Government) there won’t be any big updates.
I’m just about to write to my new parliamentary representative to propose the Managed ICT element of BSF as a good place to start cutting the deficit.
Alex