Your thoughts? How much IT support does a primary school need?

[TomHD]

Hello all,

 

I have just taken over the network management at a primary school (100 staff, 600 students, ~250 workstations). I am contracted for 15 hours over 5 days with 30 hours to use outside of term time and I have an assistant who similarly does 15 hours over 5 days with 0 hours outside of term time.

 

How does this compare to similar sized schools/organisations?

 

I ask as I feel like I have nowhere near enough time to do the job well. I have kept the network running and 99% of users able to do their day jobs for the past couple of months but feel there is no time to develop or make what is there better!

 

Looking forward to discussing with you all.

 

Edit: To elaborate on the systems in place, we are running a 2008R2 server, using RM CC4. We have staff laptops, MBPs, iPads and some other mobile devices. We employ Papercut over a load of Kyocera printers. SIMS/FMS are used by all teaching and admin staff but all I am responsible for is updates and user management. We are responsible for keeping the CCTV system running and have just been given the responsibility of managing the key card door system which this past week has taken my assistant away from network problems to hand out cards to dinner ladies. My assistant is around to help but his role is being evolved into a TA role whilst still being around to help with major IT stuff. Each week I see him less and less in the server room and more in the classroom. All hardware is leased or supplied by RM. The network and workstations are spread over a large site of 3 seperate building. I seem to spen a fair amount of time travelling between them!

 

Cheers, TomHD

Edited September 12, 2014 by TomHD

[Joanne]

I'm in a primary school, 321 kids, 50 staff, about 90 devices. I'm in here 32 hours a week term time only. It's too much. I'm good to have around though for emergencies and researching stuff.

 

I think 30 hours a week would be realistic for that school, to begin with anyway.

[tmcd35]

All our feeder primaries are a lot smaller and make do with half a day per fortnight (often it's closer to a whole day). The largest, around 100 pupils, gets half a day a week (again normally a whole day in fact). The visits are carried out by a single technician.

 

We are a secondary school of similar size - 100 staff, 750 pupil, 250-300 computers - Without supporting the feeder schools we can make do with 1 NM and 1 Tech; we are 1NM and 2 Techs at the moment to cover feeder support. All of us are employed full time.

[foofighterjim]

It all depends on exactly what is being used and what is expected of it (and of you). Based on the numbers you provide however I would expect at least: 1 person full time (term time only) to keep things running to a satisfactory state.

 

Just my 2p worth anyway.

[TomHD]

I forgot to mention the support needed by the teaching staff! I'm forever being called to scenarios like "my laptop won't do Internet!" to only find they are trying to log onto a WiFi that doesn't belong to us. From the replies so far it sounds as if my contracted hours are a little low.

 

Thanks for the responses so far guys, much appreciated.

[sparkeh]

Hey that's exactly same size as here - I'm full time but still doesn't seem like enough time

[sallys1305]

i work at same size primary (650 children 60 staff) 30 hrs 42 wpy - I manage sims, cashless catering, electronic communication to parents, iPads & chrome books, online registration for online software for children and atm don't gave anywhere near enough time to learn all the new stuff and support all the older devices plus staff training and a bit of teaching. Just my view

[TomHD]

Forgot to say that the school has 2 full time Caretaker's, when I found out I LOLed

[SYNACK]

I get six hours a week for bigger schools with more devices, count yourself lucky.

[Quackers]

We support 4 primaries (we are a high school), we don't allocate time as thats what the previous contract was with the LEA, its not really what our primaries want. A Tech for once a day every 2 weeks or half a day every week was useless to them. Instead we go up at least once a week, do a brief check see if anyone grabs us, then return to the high school. If they ring with an issue we go over, try to respond and be onsite within 30 minutes (thats not in the contract thats just an internal aim) so they feel like they have somebody they can get when they have an issue and not have to wait days or even weeks for something to be fixed. Plus they wanted people they could just bounce ideas off instead of phoning a help desk and getting a ticket just for a simple question/idea.

[witch]

I do 15 hours pw in a 460 student middle school with a little bit of outside support for 2hrs once a month. And 15 hours pw in a 350 student junior school.

I only support computers/laptops/netbooks/printers/whiteboards etc. No SIMS, no cashless catering, no door locks etc.

I spend almost all of my time fixing immediate issues which are impacting on teaching and learning.

 

It is OK in the Primary but in the Middle School there is no time for changes or trying to make things better. For example we have decided to take the netbooks off the domain and I have been tasked with doing this - it will take at least 6 hours which will, in reality, take a couple of weeks or more as I am always being called away to firefight.

[Alkaline]

I do schools about half that size now, and they get two days a week each.

 

After a year or so when everything is ticking over this will most likely drop to one day a week each.

 

So I would say you need 3 days a week here.

[synaesthesia]

I look after a couple of schools, one is half a day a week, the other half a day a fortnight. There is a member of staff at each site who, although not technically proficient has enough common sense about them to continue things should problems arise (plug things in when highly paid teaching staff feel that a mains lead is beyond them etc) or contact me if the need arises. A list is left for my visit (usually!) and I can deal with things easily then. One's a primary and the other is a 3 form entry infant/nursery, both with probably circa 200 pupils and 20 staff.

 

Quite often there is little or nothing to do (other than the usual health checks, clean projectors etc when required, pop round and see everyone, chinwag for a while!) visits are cut short and time banked which is used in holidays (or before in case of out of schedule problems) for improvements and larger projects.

 

Again, IT is never a one size fits all thing and everyone has their own requirements, so flexibility is a must.

Edited September 13, 2014 by synaesthesia

[hardtailstar]

School one 25 hours a week, about 40 staff, about 200 devices, not enough time to do all the work

school two 5 hours a week, about 40 staff, about 100 devices, just about enough time

school three 3 hours a week, about 15 staff, about 100 devices, currently not enough time but that's because things are being upgraded from XP!!

[JackCPickup]

Depends on school and staff needs, some of our schools get 6 hours a week, some get 3 hours every 3 weeks and tick over just fine.

[edutech4schools]

I am self employed and look after 5 primary schools. A few of these are half day visits and I keep Friday free for extra / emergency work. I do look after everything from the websites to Sims and do all the server work. I have been doing this for a while now and could probably fit in another school or 2.

[Oaktech]

I've just moved into a similar sized school and I'm not rushed off my feet with support, but it's a full time job unpicking the mess the previous NM made. I'm contracted 37 hours a week term time only.

 

Once I'm done straightening out backups and group policy, I've got a server migration project, and then an infrstructure refresh, and then getting the school back onto desktops (this is feedback from the staff, not just me imposing my will on them!) so I have a fair bit to do.

[edutech4schools]

and then getting the school back onto desktops

What are they using now?

[Oaktech]

They are using laptops, but the laptop ports are taking a beating from the constant plug/unplug. The feedback is that they would like fixed desktops permanently plugged in arranged in such a way that they can face the class while using them.

[DanTheLacky]

Speak to the school about it, I would personally rather have one person there 30 hours a week than 2 people there for 15. Primary schools very rarely have full timers, usually have a contract with someone and then help from local high schools (as a few people here have said already).

I honestly wouldn't hold out for much more than 30 hours a week, term time ownly.

[witch]

Wish I had help from the local high schools. I never hear anything from either of them

[SYNACK]

Wish I had help from the local high schools. I never hear anything from either of them

 

I'm glad my local high schools don't get in my way, I've seen what they do...

[mikkydoos]

Depends how much hand holding you are prepared to do m8.

 

"Will you change my batteries" springs to mind.