HWB Transformation Grant

[Gonk]

Morning all,

 

I thought that I'd throw this one into the mix as Pembrokeshire CC are now chasing schools to agree sustainability targets etc.

 

PCC are being, as one of my local colleagues put it, deliberately minimalist with information about the process, costs and timescales.

 

How is everyone else finding the process?

 

G.

[PotNoodleTech]

Same Here. We've done everything we can early / on time given them every single bit of info they asked for, we have also been very engaging in trying to work with them, suggest options, invite meetings, inform them of what we need at the chalk face.

 

No communication from them, not replying to emails, no idea what equipment we are going to be given, how much it cost, or if it is even what we needed/asked for. No idea if the project covers internet bandwidth (as our 100MB pipe is the main issue in my school) no idea if the project covers servers, no idea when we may be getting any equipment so can't plan my departments holidays etc effectively.

 

The whole project is being handled poorly, and I know ££££££ of taxpayers money is going to be effectively wasted (due to bad purchasing decisions, consultants, etc) but, I am frankly happy to receive ANY equipment we get given after decades of austerity and under funding.

Edited March 5, 2020 by PotNoodleTech

[LukeRowberry]

Your internet will definitely be upgraded. The project is in phases and phase 1 is infrastructure. Bandwidth/switches/fibre cabling/WAPs etc. The orders for these will have already been sent to WG. The deadline for install of all of this equipment is 31st Dec. Phases 2 & 3 etc will look more at end user devices. There is a catalog available to see costings of hardware etc. To be honest the costings aren't great not a massive saving off RRP. The schools will be expected to be working towards the WG baseline standards that are on the hwb site.

[Bionic]

The deadline for install of all of this equipment is 31st Dec.

 

Is that an officially announced deadline or a rumour? Thanks.

[3s-gtech]

To give some context, we' re already at the delivery of kit stage - I'm having new switches sitewide, the cores have already come (infrastructure stage). No idea if they're bumping up our internet link speed, though I know it's capable as that was done last year. We'll be getting new WAPs next. Some schools have had servers delivered.

 

I'm mostly interested in stage 4(?), where we may get some PCs (our oldest kit).

[PotNoodleTech]

To give some context, we' re already at the delivery of kit stage - I'm having new switches sitewide, the cores have already come (infrastructure stage). No idea if they're bumping up our internet link speed, though I know it's capable as that was done last year. We'll be getting new WAPs next. Some schools have had servers delivered.

 

I'm mostly interested in stage 4(?), where we may get some PCs (our oldest kit).

 

Interesting, you seem to be very enlightened compare to us in our LEA. Also - we've been told by our LEA that Servers are not included in Wave 1/2 infrastructure. Our servers are 5 years old, and I've got new servers compared to many of the other schools! This doesn't make sense to me as servers are key infrastructure.

 

So far We've had a contractor install new fibre cables around the school - which is fantastic. No news yet on network cabs, switches, wireless or internet pipe or filtering.

[Bionic]

SLT here are holding off upgrading old PC's in our ICT suites because they think we might be given some PC's by the Local Authority as part of this project. Do we have any idea when that phase will begin?

[Gonk]

Your internet will definitely be upgraded. The project is in phases and phase 1 is infrastructure. Bandwidth/switches/fibre cabling/WAPs etc. The orders for these will have already been sent to WG. The deadline for install of all of this equipment is 31st Dec. Phases 2 & 3 etc will look more at end user devices. There is a catalog available to see costings of hardware etc. To be honest the costings aren't great not a massive saving off RRP. The schools will be expected to be working towards the WG baseline standards that are on the hwb site.

 

what I can see here is that there is a massive waste of money on the networking. PCC are a Cisco house and because HP won the tender we're stripping out 18 month old Cisco kit to replace it with HP Aurba kit. PCC have withheld the full catalogue and pricing. As they're not allowed to share it with us.

[Gonk]

Is that an officially announced deadline or a rumour? Thanks.

 

That's official.

[LukeRowberry]

We're having new switches and WAPS throughout in the summer holidays and have already had BT out to upgrade the PSBA line. I've also ordered end user devices from the catalog and expect delivery around May time.

[Gonk]

Interesting, you seem to be very enlightened compare to us in our LEA. Also - we've been told by our LEA that Servers are not included in Wave 1/2 infrastructure. Our servers are 5 years old, and I've got new servers compared to many of the other schools! This doesn't make sense to me as servers are key infrastructure.

 

So far We've had a contractor install new fibre cables around the school - which is fantastic. No news yet on network cabs, switches, wireless or internet pipe or filtering.

 

Interestingly we've been told that the welsh government don't want servers on site in schools. The only server we should have is for WSUS apparently as WG want the PSBA used purely for browsing and not pulling massive amounts of data.

 

Its a shame that we have a SIMS server, BMS server, WDS/MDT server....

[3s-gtech]

I haven't seen anything that says they don't want servers in secondaries, but in primaries there is an inference (though I know some of them are getting new servers now anyway).

 

We were told to get our orders in for cabling early on - however, we'd had the site cabled in for a separate CCTV network 18 months or so ago, so we have OM4 everywhere already (with older OM3 and some pre-OM still in place which I'll use for the CCTV). Basically, we missed the boat by sorting that stuff out early, but I'd rather we then had some funds allocated to classroom kit (and not iPads ideally!)

 

Our LEA are sorting everything centrally (all HP Aruba stuff going in too) but they seem to be making a decent crack of it.

[Gonk]

I haven't seen anything that says they don't want servers in secondaries, but in primaries there is an inference (though I know some of them are getting new servers now anyway).

 

We were told to get our orders in for cabling early on - however, we'd had the site cabled in for a separate CCTV network 18 months or so ago, so we have OM4 everywhere already (with older OM3 and some pre-OM still in place which I'll use for the CCTV). Basically, we missed the boat by sorting that stuff out early, but I'd rather we then had some funds allocated to classroom kit (and not iPads ideally!)

 

Our LEA are sorting everything centrally (all HP Aruba stuff going in too) but they seem to be making a decent crack of it.

 

I suspect that with my LA its more a case of "we want you to use our central SAN and pay for an SLA" that a WG thing. The latest thing we've been told is that as part of the change to HP Aruba additional security will be applied to the access layer.

 

We're allegedly getting additional cabling in too, well its been promised but nothing has been confirmed in writing yet. I had a lecture about diverse curriculums when I submitted the baseline analysis of our kit and showed we we're not going to replace iPads and Macs, they're just too expensive!

 

Talking to other NMs, it seems that some LAs are making a better fist of it than others.

[MichelleC]

I thought I'd pick this up again now we've had digital disadvantage announced too. Despite the headline being £3 million for it I've confirmed with our LEA that it's not new money and that 10% of the Hwb settlement for this year will be going to digital disadvantage. When I queried with the LEA how this is going to impact the funding of their plans was told that there was going to be a 1 to 1 rollout of devices (Chromebooks) to all pupils for split school and home use anyway, so no big deal. I've got in touch with my Headteacher regarding the 1 to 1 as I suspect he knows nothing about it (judging by the conversations we had before lockdown) and I doubt he'll be impressed, I've not heard anything back yet. The LEA's plan to support Network Managers with the massive increase in devices is some more support centrally (which won't last) and CPD!

 

Getting information from the council about anything to do with this project is difficult, if not impossible. It seems someone somewhere in the council has decided how ICT in schools should be running and we're being told what it is only when the need arises. All schools were told to stop ICT spend in February but to submit their spending plans for the upcoming financial year to the council, presumably so we don't spend on something that contradicts the plan!

 

We've already had our internet pipe upgraded from 100mb to 300mb shortly before Feb half term and the deadline we were given for the switches being installed on site was 31st August. I spoke to the project manager for our LEA in January (having spent most of last year not in work I missed the initial roll out) and he was unable to give me any further details on any later phases then. I do know one of the later phases looks at audio/visual because we had a visit booked from a local audio/visual company cancelled when lockdown hit who was going to survey our existing set up.

[3s-gtech]

It makes sense that this money will come from the transformation grant - it ties in to stage 4 (user devices) where schools can cycle out older kit. The schools need to have something to give out in the first place though...

[Olliekai]

Cardiff Council here. All data given, no coms received. We need new servers and were told not to buy our own as this funding would provide them.

 

Finally chased a response. The money is to be spent on WiFi

[Olliekai]

Interestingly we've been told that the welsh government don't want servers on site in schools. The only server we should have is for WSUS apparently as WG want the PSBA used purely for browsing and not pulling massive amounts of data.

 

Its a shame that we have a SIMS server, BMS server, WDS/MDT server....

 

I think the WG want to push all schools into using Hwb and move away from own servers and networks entirely.

[3s-gtech]

Our LEA has spent on wired networks (including cabling), servers (servers mainly for secondaries) and UPSs, with wifi coming later. I think any money trickling down to laptops etc will be very limited.

 

The issue with moving away from onsite tech to Hwb alone is it would require 1:1 devices to work properly, and this fund won't even tickle that idea. They know it, so we've kept the local infrastructure.

[Olliekai]

The grant money is just another attempt to force use of Hwb. Our LEA told schools that the money came with the condition we would use hwb.

 

Also although it was billed as to improve IT in schools in wales, it’s primarily being spent on switches and internet infrastructure, because it’s actually just to make using hwb easier.

 

I’ve heard rumours that the dream is to have no servers in schools and to have all machines joined to the hwb azure domain.

[3s-gtech]

With the last of the deliveries through, we did get a decent number of laptops (plus docks for teacher desks). There was zero inference of Hwb use needing to increase within our LEA. Its use has increased, but not for core services here.

[Olliekai]

With the last of the deliveries through, we did get a decent number of laptops (plus docks for teacher desks). There was zero inference of Hwb use needing to increase within our LEA. Its use has increased, but not for core services here.

 

I’ve asked hwb. They have said that they prefer schools use it but there’s no requirement to do so.

[PotNoodleTech]

Hey All. Hope all is well around wales.

 

There is clearly substantial political pressure from WG to LEAs to push HWB as much as possible. I mean WG doesn't want HWB to appear to be a failure. 50% of schools in wales not using it does appear to be less than successful.

 

There are three main issues for us:

 

1. Our existing google and office365 tenancies combined with our 1:1 Chromebooks are SO embedded in our daily lives now that moving to HWB would be a massive task. Back in 2019, we were promised that some kind of "transfer tool" was being worked upon when I raised this issue at a WG and Google seminar. Unfortunately, that tool does not seem to have materialised.

 

2. HWB is a technically inferior combination of Office 365 and Google tenancies, a cut down "light" version. You don't have the full features of office 365 or google in there, and worse, delegated access to schools technical support staff does not seem to be something that is felt to be important or required. Why would I cause massive amounts of work and stress for all my staff (and pupils) to manually move our entire two tenancies to an inferior cut down system?

 

3. Performance. For some reason - HWB is significantly slower in every area than non HWB tenancies. Google is slower logged in to HWB than it is on google, same with office365. Why would I again move my school to an inferior performing system? I want to move forward and increase performance, not decrease it!!

 

Overall the case to move to HWB is weak from where I am sitting.

[3s-gtech]

WG have started to issue Chromebooks to schools.

 

These come with Enterprise Management Licenses and are pre-tied to Hwb.

 

The Admin interface in Hwb Google Workspace allows you to de-provision them.

 

I don’t see a downside.

[Olliekai]

Hwb is all one Tennant so that probably explains speed.

 

It also means we won't get more control. It's just not set up that way.

[Optimus]

The Admin interface in Hwb Google Workspace allows you to de-provision them.

 

Where about is the setting to deprovision hiding then.. I don't seem to have that option!