Ratio of techs to equipment

[Lee_K_81]

Hi,

 

I was wondering what other peoples ratio of technicians to PC's is? Or if there is a BECTA (or some other organisation) recommendation?

 

Equipment:

We have ~200 Classroom PC's / mobile classroom, 20 admin, 6 servers, and 57 teacher laptops to service giving a total of around 280. plus 20 Interactive whiteboards & projectors, another 3 portable projectors, 20+ printers, and ANYTHING with a plug on it, seriously - the PA system, lighting desk, video content distribution screens, all "ours".

 

Services:

We host the school website internally, and our own email via exchange server. We are in the process of implementing moodle, and also have online reg, assessment, end of term reports, etc.

 

Team:

1 Systems Manager (me) and 2 Technicians. Although one of the technicians spends 50% of his time at the other campus schools.

 

I'm trying to push for an extra technician and a comparison of other schools would be useful.

 

Thanks very much!

[ChrisC]

You're not being unreasonable, We have around 280 teaching machines, 80 staff laptops, 20+ projectors, 5 IWBs and an admin network of around 20 machines plus Sim server etc.

 

We are a team of 2, i spend a few hours a week supporting our local primary school. We are looking to hire a third technician around the summer.

 

Becta's guidelines say 1 tech to each 80-100 machines as far as I can remember.

 

Chris

[webman]

We are about the same load as you and there's 1 NM (bossman) and 1 Techie (me).

[Guest Guest]

1 NM and 1 Tech + 1 apprentise with 300ish machines, plus drama lights, any audio equipment etc basically anything that plugs into an elecy socket

[Quackers]

I have all that lee, and erm, just me. I would love just 1 extra pair of hands and now they are buying another 2 mobile it suites for me to deal with

[Lee_K_81]

Wow,

 

I have to say I think I still need another tech, as the flood of teachers / students / SMT knocking on the door is constant, but you guys really need to get some extra help too! Either that or you've managed the art of being in three places at once.

 

Why is it that it is always the IT depts that get the least amount of staff. Our finance team has two people, admin has three, Learning support has about 10, heck, even Science gets 2 techs and they only serve 6 teachers, yet because of the advances in IT it's like, "oooh, we'll get that as well.... the IT dept will be able to set it up for us, monitor, create content, ....... ad infinitum...., along side their usual tasks!"

 

Ok deep breaths

[ChrisC]

S'one of the joys of the job really, you should consider yourself empowered that people consider your skills so highly that they automatically consider you for these jobs........

 

Chris

[Disease]

400 pc's 75 laptops 14 servers 2 networks, we do all our own istallations of everything cat5 AV Whiteboards the lot, we outsource nothing.

 

NM (me) + Senior Tec (Jake) + Tec (Vacant, advert out)

[MkII]

2 of us here - 286 machines and all the jobs you describe

 

950 kids, 100 staff

 

Vanilla 2003 setup (loose 1/2 tech for RM etc )

[ChrisC]

I would be interested to find out how many students/users these networks run for?

 

Ours is about 600 students and 80ish staff

 

Chris

[Disease]

We have around 1050 Students and about 75 staff.

[StewartKnight]

200+ computers, 5 servers, usual tecchie stuff (moodle et al)

1 Technician... me!

[Nij.UK]

We have got about 150 Machines, 40 Laptops, 5 Servers and 2 networks

 

I think out pupil role is about 550 Students and about 40 Staff..

 

There is only my to run it all....

[Lee_K_81]

1 network, Vanilla MS Server 2003, XP Clients. 900 pupils, 100ish teachers, 20 or so admin staff. MIS = CMIS & ePortal.

 

We are an inner-city school. Lots of behavioral issues, vandalism of machines, attempts to access areas of pcs they shouldnt etc. Students, maliciously changing other users passwords, deleting work, *forgetting* password so they can wander the corridors for a while on the way to see us.

 

Nothing (except electrical and a bit of cabling) outsourced.

3 ICT Teachers, none of them have actual IT training, so they put a lot of demands on us when they cant figure stuff out.

[ChrisH]

I look after over 200 devices and every classroom has an interactive whiteboard and projector . All taken care of by me

I have requested some help but still waiting

[broc]

900 students, 60 teachers, 30 support staff.

 

approx 270 desktop PCs, 220 laptops, 6 servers, 45 IWB & projectors

 

1x NM (me) 2x technicians

[mortstar]

800 students, 50 teachers, 50 support staff.

 

2 x Win 2K3 servers

240 x XP machines

40 x (cripplingly slow) Win 98 machines

55 x laptops

1 x Mobile Classroom of Apple MacBooks

12 x IWBS & Projectors

35 x Projectors (in rooms without IWBs).

 

SIMS

Website

Content Filtering - in house.

 

Supported by...

...me - a 21 year old. Recently "promoted" from IT Tech in June after Network Manager moved to another school. However, still on same pay and no plans for any new IT support.

 

However, the SMT do want a new Learning Platform, a new external website, a new e-mail system, admin and curriculum networks consolidated into 1 - it's all quite daunting.

[tscnmuk]

600 Pupils

200 Students

55 Teachers

40 Support Staff

 

9 W2K3 R2 Servers

1 W2K3 Server

370 XP Desktops

80 Laptops

14 IWB & Projectors (+15 Standalone Projectors)

 

Exchange Server managed inhouse

Web Filtering managed inhouse

Integris MIS managed inhouse

School intranet managed inhouse

 

Me - Network Manager

Technican - Fully Employed

Technician - Apprentice with two days a week at college

[SpuffMonkey]

1400 students

180 staff

 

9x2003

Citrix

450 Desktops

150 laptops

IWB & Projectors in every classroom

Digital phone switch

CCTV system

ADT security system

Swipecards

Cashless catering

CMIS/ePortal

 

Pretty much everything in house with no external support

 

Self and 2 tired techies

[alexknight]

500 students

50 staff

 

3x2003 servers

150+ Desktops

50 laptops

IWB & Projectors in every classroom

CCTV system

SIMS

Website – in house

Content Filtering - in house

All our own installations of cabling, AV Whiteboards and projectors

Responsible for all I.T budgets and bids

Responsible for all I.T equipment procurement

Soon to include Video conferencing and multi media provision

 

Just me on about 17K.

 

Question, should 'I' have more help and an increase in salary?

[Heebeejeebee]

1050 students

65 Teachers

40 Support

 

9 2003 servers + 1 linux

300 ish PCs (XP)

100 or so laptops

Website (in house)

All our own installations of cabling/whiteboards/projectors etc (we have a helpful site manager)

IT budgets (3 at present)

Responsible for all I.T budgets and bids

Responsible for all I.T equipment procurement

34 IWB at present (13 more soon)

SIMS

PAT testing

All the other crap that comes our way (boiler settings/timings, anything vaguely IT etc)

 

 

Soon to have:

 

A spanking new £1m Virtual Reality Suite/Video Conferencing Suite that I'll be responsible for

E-reg

Cashless Dinner thingy

 

Just me and one tech who's only just been made full time. I do have a placement webdev at the moment but when he's gone - nothing I guess.

 

Loads more money please !!

 

HBJB

[Lee_K_81]

500 students

50 staff

 

.......

 

Just me on about 17K.

 

Question, should 'I' have more help and an increase in salary?

 

Alex, I would say you are vastly underpaid if you are the sole person there. Although i'm not sure what the cost of living is there, i doubt it's mega cheap. You're further south than me. They've got a really cushy deal, if you left they would need to replace you with at least 2 people who wont know the school, the staff, their quirks, etc. If you have a good relationship with the head or somebody else in authority I would suggest you hint (or be downright blunt) and tell them you're (thinking of) looking for another job as you feel under valued for the responsibility you have. If they value at all they'll try and sort something out for you.

[CyberNerd]

Responsible for all I.T budgets and bids

Responsible for all I.T equipment procurement

 

management responsibility on a technicians salary - check the Technical Competencies Framework against the pay structure provided by your LEA (ours rate management lvl 1 at about £27k). Then ask for you job to be re-evaluated on the basis that you are doing work above that you were contracted to do (?) if they say no then appeal, if they still say no then go to ACAS - if ACAS don't resolve it then go to an employment tribunal.

[john]

~600 students

~80 Teachers

~70 Support

3 IT dudes

 

20x 2003 servers

300 ish PCs (XP)

35 or so laptops

E-portal

All our own installations of whiteboards/projectors/sound systems etc (we have a great site team as well as ourselves)

20 IWB at present (6 more soon)

Facility CMIS

Reprographics stuff

Intranet & VLE when we get it finished (Sharepoint Portal)

Full Exchange Email System

Phone setup

AntiVirus

Firewall Setup

CCTV

Weather Station

 

Coming Soon to a place near my desk :

PAT testing

External website

Site Wide Message System

A Video Conferencing Setup

[Midget]

MORE staff! I can't even get in an apprentice never mind properly paid full time staff.

 

I have almost 400 machines, 5 servers and 4 PDAs

11 IT suites

~1100-1200 kids

 

edit: 35 IWBs and 40odd projectors

 

Responsibility for making sure the CCTV works as well as searching for and recoving images/videos as required.

 

and one monkey (me) on £17500 and i've been told thats the most I can earn as I have no line management (due to them refusing to hire anyone else)

 

I do all the network design and deal with all the suppliers, ordering and budget control as well as being expected to fix all the shite educational software to make it work.

 

God this thread is depressing, for me at least.