Rochdale Primary Schools Learning Platform

[thegrassisgreener]

The company which won the bid to provide the learning platform for every primary school in rochdale was

UNISERVITY

UNISERVITY LINK

What do you lot think?

[Dos_Box]

INCOMING!!

[paulpmp4]

Great company, excellent support. Have found them very receptive to new ideas and development. They have been around about 10 years. They also have Portsmouth.

[antoeknee]

I think they have won the bid in Oldham as well

[thegrassisgreener]

My guess for the future is that Rochdale - The Impact Partnership (aka the EDIT Team) will support primary schools in Rochdale and Oldham - Unless someone can stop tham gaining the Monopoly........to be continued

[krtek]

Apologies for the pseudonym with which I chose to register some time ago.

My name is Dave Cattlin, Information Systems Manager with Rochdale's EDIT team. The team operates within the IMPACT partnership www.theimpactpartnership.com and provides an integrated range of ICT support services (hardware, infrastructure and MIS support) to Rochdale schools.

The selection of a preferred solution provider was made during the last term by a panel consisting of school representatives and LA advisory staff which was supported with input from BECTA and from officers of the IMPACT Partnership. My particular role was to inform the decision making process from an MIS integration / technical perspective.

At all stages leading to the selection of an integrated VLE / remote access / communications network offering colleagues in Rochdale's primary, nursery and special schools were informed and encouraged to participate in the decision making process.

I would like to reassure anyone reading this forum that the solution under development is to meet the identified needs of Rochdale schools (a principal focus is an improved Rochdale Schools Intranet) and that at no point in the selection process have I been aware of any discussions relating to the implementation of the solution in any other LA.

The selection of the preferred supplier, made just before Christmas, is merely the first step in a process leading to the implementation of the integrated suite of systems required to support the identified needs of those working in Rochdale schools and in line with the Harnessing Technology agenda. There are many paths to be chosen and decisions to be made and I would welcome any opportunity to discuss with any affected party their particular aspirations for the project.

I can be contacted on Rochdale 365676 or by e-mail to dcattlin@edit.org.uk and I look forward to working, in an open and honest partnership with LA and school based colleagues, on the development and implementation of these exciting new systems which will see Rochdale schools continue to be best placed to maximise the benefits of their investment in ICT in raising achievement and opportunity for all pupils within the borough.

On the Rochdale / Oldham issue raised above, I would comment that the EDIT team exists to deliver best value in supporting Rochdale LA and its schools. Oldham schools receive their MIS support direct from Capita and there are no proposals for the EDIT Team to deliver MIS support to any school not currently supported. The Rochdale schools WAN makes use of corporate infrastructure which precludes us offering technical services to any school outside the borough.

With best wishes for 2008

Dave

[beeswax]

...and a happy new year to you Dave.

you caught us on the hop with *EDIT* Uniservity. 8O Though it looks better than the one I thought it would be. What about the secondary schools? Or are you still a mushroom on this?

As far as I know Oldham secondary schools have gone with StudyWiz

Are all the primary schools falling into line with LEA recommendations?

[krtek]

Hi the zbbbzzzuuuu (sp?)

All propsective bidders, whilst the main focus of the tender was in the primary sector, were asked to submit per pupil and per solution costings for secondary schools and all did.

I am not sure if I am able to share the submissions with you directly (commercial confidences and all that) but if your school is interested in coming on board, please register the interest by dropping me an e-mail.

I am sure that it makes a great deal of sense for a secondary school to share a VLE, collaborative working and remote access solutions with its feeders and would be delighted to do all I can to support you towards this.

In terms of take up, we have no monopoly and schools are free to do what they will. I do understand that the LA has committed to fully fund the intiative in year one and that elements of it are to be made available to all sectors (replacement intranet and so on) without charge. We may therefore anticipate all schools having access to the solution from April although to what extent the facility is used from day one is open to some informed speculation.

Regards

Dave (technically on leave until Monday)

[beeswax]

As you know, I'm just a humble techie and don't have that much influence on our head. Interesting news about secondary schools. I wish something would be sorted to be honest.
Does Uniservity do all those things we require of a VLE? Parental Access, SIMS access etc? Does it sit on a platform like MOSS 2007, or is it bespoke?

Zbysiu (mentally on leave since 1983)

[krtek]

Zbysiu

I think it best if you give me a call next week

Regards

Dave

[antoeknee]

Last I knew about Uniservity they were working on MIS integration (particularly SIMS).

[paulpmp4]

MIS Integration is compulsary of all platforms by 2010. I have spent a lot of time with teachers and technicians who are concerned about various VLE platforms. Everybody seems to be worried about the features they don't have yet instead of using the ones they do. Also I have spoken to a lot of technicians who are asking very techie questions. If the LA has done their job properly, the service will be managed and the techies will hardly have to get involved at all. A good supplier /platform is all about the learning and not much about the housekeeping technology.

[JT270678]

If the secondaries want a true secondary school solution then look at SharePoint as this offers you the flexibitiy required in secondary schools.

Federations like Shireland in Sandwell are a fine example to look at.

[olcinm]

UniServity's product which is actually called cLc connected Learning communities is I believe a dot Net 2 application and so will take any web parts that don't require sharepoint. Capita are currently developing their web parts to run on dot Net and not require Sharepoint. This is a development that UniServity have advertised at BETT 2008 but some web parts for SIMS may require Sharepoint for example if they involve interaction with scheduling services in MOSS.

Do you really know what you need of a VLE? If you look at Moodle functionality most other VLE's can't touch it for specific functions.