Is moodle Becta approved?

[reggiep]

I have just found out that our LEA (Wirral) has just picked Uniservity as our VLE.
I'm a bit gutted as I have been using moodle for years.
Anyway it turns out that Moodle is not Becta approved so it couldn't have been considered when choosing one.
Does anyone know any different or are their LEA using moodle?
All the schools are meeting next week to marvel at Uniservity so I just want to know the facts before I go there and make a fool of myself!

Thanks

[jcollings]

Our LEA has provided Moodle as their VLE solution. We aren't using it though as a group of schools have gone for a Sharepoint solution provided via Shirelands Learning and LP+

[Diello]

Becta didn't approve Moodle as it doesn't fit in with the 'financial stability' criteria... daft as it sounds...

However, just because your LA uses a certain VLE, doesn't mean you have to - we're sticking with Moodle!

[russdev]

No vle is approved companys are approved and there are people on approved list who will sell youi moodle support and hosting if you wish..

Russ

[zag]

Becta didn't approve Moodle as it doesn't fit in with the 'financial stability' criteria... daft as it sounds...

However, just because your LA uses a certain VLE, doesn't mean you have to - we're sticking with Moodle!

Exactly

Just because LA's try and get us to use these expensive vle's doesn't mean you have to, they are just providing a service to schools who dont have the facilities.

We use a local sharepoint and moodle here and its far better than the LA provided solution.

[GrumbleDook]

I seem to be doing an amount of myth busting at the moment.

No single technology was approved or thrown out by Becta when they put together the Learning Platform Framework. They chose companies that met certain criteria which include financial stability and proven delivery of Learning Platforms.

There were some suppliers that applied that were using Moodle ... the companies were not chosen, it was not Moodle that was not chosen. There are some of those on the Learning Platform Framework that will now include Moodle as an option (mainly because the Moodle web parts for Sharepoint work!)

However, an RBC can choose to host Moodle for you as well, as CLEO and EMBC are doing (more examples are available) and this should be looked at as an option.

Finally, it is the school's choice of what Learning Platform you go for ... there are set targets from DCSF that have to be met with regards to online portfolios, anytime access to online learning and parental access as part of real-time progress reporting. As long as you can meet these then your LA cannot force a school to do anything. In fact the LA can only whinge at you anyway ... it is OFSTED that will have the final say.

Have you looked at the options of using both? Personally I don't think there will ever be a *single* platform to use ... and it is more about how we set up interoperability between the different available systems. It does raise questions about efficiency and economic sustainability ... but no solution that works for a school should be ruled out.

So ... just to repeat ... Becta did not ban Moodle, they did not fail to approve Moodle ... quite a number of people in Becta really like Moodle and have plenty of examples of where it works and makes a difference. However ... the big boys who are on the list are those that provide solutions that agree to hook into different things ...

I haven't heard from CrispinW for a bit but he could explain more about the political ins and outs about what happened about the Learning Platform framework ... and he is also a really good person to talk with about interoperability.

[CyberNerd]

Carry on with Moodle, as previously mentioned there is no ban.
Our LA school improvement team chose uniservity too - but even they use moodle internally: East Sussex School Improvement Service - eCPD
Uniservity was chosen not because it is any good - or because the LA expect us to use it - but because they got a grant to buy it.

[reggiep]

Overall it doesn't look like the end of my moodle days then.

Thanks for all the replies, it's obviously a topic that a lot of you have an interest in.

Reg

[conehead]

The financial stability element of the companies is a big issue, even from the ones on the BECTA list, that's why the LEAs have generally gone for those on it, even then there are a few that struggle on some of the financial benchmarking tests that is done at LEA level.

Uniservity seems to be getting a lot of contracts, but it's probably due to the training and the apparently strong support system they bundle into their package. A lot of teachers here are getting 2 days training introduction. I have a list of criticisms I could make, but instead I'll put forward a couple of potential benefits.

If the majority of schools including Secondary Schools within an LEA take it up, then pupil transition from Primary to Year 7 could finally have a tool that means there is some continuity, and linked work between the two school systems for pupils.

Assessment through eportfolios is a great idea, again something that can move with the child, and be available to children that are not always in school is a great bonus.

Of course this all could be done with Moodle, probably better, but for the benefits I've mentioned it requires a critical mass of schools all using the same software.