Applying for Funding

[Bankesy]

Hello

 

I'm probably posting this in totally the wrong place but it seemed like the least specific\technical area.

 

Does anybody know if there is such a process as being able to apply for additional funding if it's going to be used on network upgrades? I'm trying to justify\afford ripping out all of the switches\cabling and having it put back to a modern day standard (£25,000).

 

Strange request I know but any advice would be good.

[FN-GM]

I would be interested also. One of the primary schools pretty much needs new everything apart from Switches, Wireless and Server.

 

They don't have the funds (or claim to have) and the kit they have now is causing real issues.

[Bankesy]

See I've started something now : )

 

On a similar note I do remember the site team at my last place going through this process of applying for a fraction of funds available but I don't know the details and obviously that was for buildings maintenance.

[GrumbleDook]

If you are an LA school then unless there is magic pot at the LA (as part of school extensions, etc) then you are unlikely to have any extra external money.

 

At that point you are in the same situation as all the academy and free schools ... applying for additional funds is an internal thing and you have to justify the spend to SLT.

 

Your IT should be based on a model of sustainability. This means that everything has a life expectancy and should be replaced at some point ... whether due to risk of hardware failure, lack of support or warranties or simply the need for different / improved functionality.

 

This applies to all assets, including your infrastructure.

 

If you are running at CAT3 then you can justify the upgrade. If you are running at CAT5e, then unless you need to guarantee gig to the desk or are having serious issues, then the cabling may not need much work. Fibre runs between cabs is the usual improvement that is needed, often to improve the design of the network and add resiliency as well as speed improvements.

 

In the present financial situation though ... you might find that it is a choice between this and the combine cost of replacing those 2 ageing servers, the refurb of 2 ICT suites and that training you wanted ...

[FN-GM]

With out primary situation, it was recently in special measures and converted to an academy and got new management. There had been no spending on IT at all for 6 years or so. We have a replacement plan in but replacing the whole school is obviously costly and something that would be difficult to achieve in one swoop. For this year school has funded the cost to replace networking kit, servers and WIFI. Edited May 20, 2015 by FN-GM

[Bankesy]

I think though applying for additional funds internally without being able to suggest where the funds might come from could be fruitless as management would surely just point to the numbers already produced.

 

I've just been reading about how Devolved Formula Capital funding or Pupil Premium funding can be used to justify these projects here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations and here https://schoolleaders.thekeysupport.com/administration-and-management/la-funds/funding-for-facilities-and-site-development/ict-equipment-sources-of-funding

 

I agree that every aspect of the network should have a set lifespan but this can be very difficult to stick to when you take over somewhere new and find out the age of different equipment and that the previous network manager has not stuck to those timespans leaving a number of things due for renewal at once.

 

Some our switches are still running at 10/100 and not all of the cabs have fibre.

 

My last place underwent academy conversion even though it was a good school but still the money that was thrown at the network was unbelievable and I suppose this is the only way really to implement mass projects that have an immediate impact for everybody.

[beancole]

Devolved capital should be for IT and site maintenance. It needs to be saved up for a few years to make major changes.

 

I have applied for many many many! grants and received some of the nicest get F%£$ed letters......

 

2 avenues for IT funding I have found is Big Lottery fund they will give you up to 10 grand but they expect that you match every donation. The other avenue I found was the Jimmy Saville foundation. They have a massive pot of money that is in no way (barring name) relate to Jimmy Saville, its all money raised by fun runners etc. The money comes through a 3rd party solicitor so no name on your schools bank statement. That said our head just ignored the email when I sent it to him lol.

 

The sad thing is no charity is willing to give any money for Infrastructure costs or IT hardware.

[Bankesy]

My case for using Pupil Premium is being heard at the moment.

 

Had a lovely walking tour of the school with the Deputy Head looking at all the cabinets and explaining why the switches\cabling need upgrading plus which areas would benefit from having data points installed.

[fiza]

My case for using Pupil Premium is being heard at the moment.

 

Had a lovely walking tour of the school with the Deputy Head looking at all the cabinets and explaining why the switches\cabling need upgrading plus which areas would benefit from having data points installed.

 

Can you use Pupil Premium for something like that? I thought it was purely for spending on the PP students themselves ie One to One tutors or Laptop scheme.

[Steve21]

Can you use Pupil Premium for something like that? I thought it was purely for spending on the PP students themselves ie One to One tutors or Laptop scheme.

 

We've always been told it can be used for anything that progresses those students as a whole, so if IT is holding them back (in that scenario it would count).

 

If for example they have ipads already and don't use those computers, it wouldn't though.

 

Steve

[fiza]

We've always been told it can be used for anything that progresses those students as a whole, so if IT is holding them back (in that scenario it would count).

 

If for example they have ipads already and don't use those computers, it wouldn't though.

 

Steve

 

The definition of PP is : The pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.

 

I cant see how you could justify an upgrade to the network as raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Its not targeted at them, its a whole school provision. If having a better network raised the attainment of disadvantage pupils then surely it would also raise the attainment of their peers hence the gap would remain.

[Steve21]

The definition of PP is : The pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers.

 

I cant see how you could justify an upgrade to the network as raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Its not targeted at them, its a whole school provision. If having a better network raised the attainment of disadvantage pupils then surely it would also raise the attainment of their peers hence the gap would remain.

 

The grant may be spent by maintained schools for the purposes of the school; that is to say for the educational benefit of pupils registered at that school, or for the benefit of pupils registered at other maintained schools; and on community facilities, for example services whose provision furthers any charitable purpose for the benefit of pupils at the school or their families, or people who live or work in the locality in which the school is situated

 

Just what the business manager said while talking about school funding before, that it's a pot that doesn't need to be spent individually on those students but to further them all. e.g. You can't blow it on a day trip to theme park, but new books/equipment etc that they will use it can be.

 

Steve

[Steve21]

Examples:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-education-of-disadvantaged-children/2010-to-2015-government-policy-education-of-disadvantaged-children#appendix-2-pupil-premium

 

School accountability for the pupil premium

The pupil premium is paid to schools as they are best placed to assess what additional provision their pupils need.

 

The DfE website explains that it is up to schools to decide how to use the funding, as they are best placed to assess what additional provision their pupils need.

 

Backward logic I agree, but apparently it's like that

 

Steve

[JRowley]

With out primary situation, it was recently in special measures and converted to an academy and got new management. There had been no spending on IT at all for 6 years or so. We have a replacement plan in but replacing the whole school is obviously costly and something that would be difficult to achieve in one swoop. For this year school has funded the cost to replace networking kit, servers and WIFI.

 

Would leasing suit your more immediate needs? I have no experience myself but you may want to explore the possibility of leasing some of the equipment you need desperately and then saving up to purchase other kit.

 

Also as above, Pupil Premium can be used in this circumstance provided it's not already being spent elsewhere.

[beancole]

Leasing in schools is a dodgy area. There was something a few years ago that banned some types of lease agreement that schools were partial too. (vague post apologies but I can't remember the ins and outs but it's a googling head start)

[elsiegee40]

As a governor, I need to be able to show how PP spend has directly affected the progress of PP students. If it happens to have benefitted all that is great. I am not sure that I could justify using it on network infrastructure... I doubt progress would improve much for such a large spend

[Steve21]

It depends how much you're asking to spend I guess but it's certainly usable, but some do as long as it can be slanted towards improving the PP goals. (Again not saying I agree but it's how they seem to run)

 

http://www.breakspeare.herts.sch.uk/documents/pupil_premium_2013-2014.pdf

 

All Breakspeare students’ Pupil Premium has been targeted in developing IT infrastructure and accessibility across the school. The grant has been allocated to purchase 2 Interactive White Boards, 5 iPads, 4 computers and to improve IT network in the school. These improvements have been particularly targeted towards the classes who have a higher proportion of the students eligible for Pupil Premium.

 

Steve

[Oaktech]

I've spent PP previously, to replace a wireless infrastructure where I argued successfully that the previous 11mb 3com system was not suitable to serve the needs of the laptops that had been bought specifically to benefit the PP/SEN pupils.

 

It can be done, but the case has to be strong enough to (at least around here) stand up to some pretty serious scrutiny by various committees.

[localzuk]

Leasing in schools is a dodgy area. There was something a few years ago that banned some types of lease agreement that schools were partial too. (vague post apologies but I can't remember the ins and outs but it's a googling head start)

 

Leasing is allowed - so long as it is a operating lease. Ie. you don't own the kit at the end. Their used to be a rule, for one edition of the rules, that stated schools couldn't have any lease over 3 years without the approval of the Secretary of State, but that rule was eliminated. So 5 year leases appear to be acceptable now too.

 

Leasing is definitely a good option for some schools. Many bursars and business managers don't like them though, as it commits them to spending money every year for the life of the lease, which they can't scrap in an emergency if necessary.

[GrumbleDook]

Ooohhh yes ... Lease not loan.

When running Laptop schemes it was not unknown for some schools to providing a HP scheme for parents to buy. There were ways round this, such as the parents being able to purchase 'refurbished' kit from the lease company as write down of assets, where the kit was the original laptop (some providers did make it a refurbished unit though).

 

It is an interesting area so make sure you get advice to show that the scheme is both legal and ethical.

 

Leasing is a good way of spreading payments, and on some deals it can work out cheaper (e.g. the additional cost of the lease is less than the interest you get from retaining the capital in the bank as 'surplus') ... a good Business Manager will be aware of these tricks.

[Wubbalubbadub]

Not sure how old this post is but with my governor hat on i can say that every school is paid per student... so if your schools is telling you that they don't have enough money it tends to mean that they are not putting enough funds aside for IT. (generalising of course!).

 

As for funding I have taken to writing to local councillors, districts get a pot of around 7-9K which they can help local projects with.. you wont get much.. but something towards a big purchase... i asked for help towards a 3D printer and got a result....

 

There is also the option of writing to local business's if you can convince them that your helping local talent (In there field) then why wouldn't they want to help out?! Oh and a nice tax write of for themselves to!