ICT Mark

[steve]

So last Friday the ICT Mark inspector paid us a visit. I say us, he never even came near the tech support office.

 

I've read the report (we got another logo) and it fails to mention ICT support at all. Plenty about leadership of ICT development and curriculum.

 

Is there a big conspiracy to down play all support staff roles in preparation for BSF when all facilities management is all outsourced?

[kylewilliamson]

IT support Staff? What's that?

[russdev]

Well mark says that need a good support system in place but to be fair you can tell if support system is working or not by visiting a school and speaking to staff.

 

What was in SRF?.

 

Russ

[leco]

So last Friday the ICT Mark inspector paid us a visit. I say us, he never even came near the tech support office.

 

I've read the report (we got another logo) and it fails to mention ICT support at all. Plenty about leadership of ICT development and curriculum.

 

Is there a big conspiracy to down play all support staff roles in preparation for BSF when all facilities management is all outsourced?

 

I had the same experience before Christmas, even though the head tried to get the inspector to talk to me. We were awarded the mark (now I have to make it fit on the school letterhead!) so everyone was happy, but the head put something into the feedback form about the assessor not consulting the technician.

[GrumbleDook]

To be honest, it all depends on what went down on the SRF. The mark mainly presumes that you have good systems in place, and looks for examples from the leadership of the school to show that ICT has a central place in the strategies at the school.

 

It is one of those things. There is still not a formal place for IT Support in *any* form of inspection. Financial management standards are only a recent thing too ...

[webman]

There is still not a formal place for IT Support in *any* form of inspection.

 

Which is why some schools have atrocious IT support which goes unnoticed which will be "supposedly" sorted by BSF, but will disadvantage those of us who provide excellent support.

[tech_guy]

Which is why some schools have atrocious IT support which goes unnoticed which will be "supposedly" sorted by BSF, but will disadvantage those of us who provide excellent support.

 

Exactly. Well said.

[Pete10141748]

Our dept. never gets consulted / spoken to by visitors / acknowledged by anybody!

The head walked in the office on Friday (well, I say office; I mean the resource room / general school dump where we were given a corner to work in ) and presented me with a bunch of new software, which I wasn't even aware was being purchased.

 

Oh, and of course, no effort was made to ask me to check it would even work with our network before it was purchased, or if we even had the budget for it (the head informed me "she'd find some money for it from somewhere". Too bad she can't find some money for the new chairs the technician and I need to cure our backpain!)

 

It seems unfair to me that any of the members of staff can purchase software / hardware etc. when they are out on trips, training etc. and yet we in the IT Dept. have to get permission from both the Head and the "budget holder" to order it and then wait around for the Fincance dept. to actually fax off the order. Last time I needed to place an order for toner it took over a week to go through!; other staff get items bought right off the bat).

 

Just the way it goes I guess. Wonder if it's the same in IT support in businesses, or if it's a school-thing?

 

Pete

[mattx]

Well interestingly enough we had a new assistant Bursar start in September, ok his office is in the upper school 2.5 miles down the road but I have yet to meet him. I don't even know his name !!

Makes me feel special that does.....

[Oops_my_bad]

So even if you have a really sh*t hot support system, and everything is working nicely, but staff hate having to go through the proper channels and pipe up to the assessor about it - could that potentially mean the school might fail the assessment?

[webman]

Too bad she can't find some money for the new chairs the technician and I need to cure our backpain!)

 

They'll soon find the money if you mention Health & Safety