BSF regarding the future of IT technicians

[Pottsey]

“Once the big money and masses of new kit is dangled in front of the Head loyality will mean nothing..”

Surly that depends on the head. What if you’re a smaller school so instead of millions you’re talking 100k? If you already have relatively new shiny kit perhaps the head will stand up and say no managed service.

 

There has to be some heads out there that care more about IT in-house and staff over shiny new kit and a managed service.

[broc]

The funding is £1450 per student, so a really small school might go along with it, but most secondary schools affected by BSF are at least 600+ students so you are talking BIG numbers here.

[localzuk]

It would work out as less than £1m for our school, in terms of IT but we already have excellent IT in the school due to a serious amount of investment over the last couple of years. But we are in need of various buildings really.

 

So, I don't think loyalty will hold up in the end, when BSF gets down to us.

[conehead]

Unison and the NUT are striking tommorrow at Haywood and Withins schools in protest that their employment will be transfered from the Local Authority to a private employer. This is because of the intention to change them into

Academies.

 

Strike against Bolton academy|12Jul08|Socialist Worker

 

It's the first time apparently that Unison has done this in protest to a change in employer, and I think it's a protest that could be used as relevantly in a BSF situation.

 

I can't believe it's true, but I love the cheek of the sponsors of one school to turn around the entrance of the school so it faces a better catchment area.

 

Socialist Students: Teachers & school students fight academy plans

[broc]

You also have to remember that the BSF ICT 'model' adopted by your LA & schools could turn your entire ICT provision 'on its head';

 

at my school they are talking about giving every child a 'computer'; they plan upon eliminating ICT rooms too. This means that all of the desktop PCs and most of our laptops will be scrapped, to be replaced with something like wireless connected EeePCs for example.

 

Also, the BSF ICT funds have to be used to cover a lot of other costs apart from the obvious computers, things like IWB/projectors, printers, copiers, IP phone systems etc etc so it gets spread quite thinly.

[Grommit]

You also have to remember that the BSF ICT 'model' adopted by your LA & schools could turn your entire ICT provision 'on its head';

 

at my school they are talking about giving every child a 'computer'; they plan upon eliminating ICT rooms too. This means that all of the desktop PCs and most of our laptops will be scrapped, to be replaced with something like wireless connected EeePCs for example.

 

Also, the BSF ICT funds have to be used to cover a lot of other costs apart from the obvious computers, things like IWB/projectors, printers, copiers, IP phone systems etc etc so it gets spread quite thinly.

 

Cabling, containment and massive consultant fees..

 

If trunking has one data point in the ICT buget pays for all that trunking.. and DADO ain't cheap

[kevin_lane]

i just hate how the goverment can do this

 

i know some people are for this bsf thing and i know alot of people are against this and i think the goverment and lea should rethink this bsf thing through (but who am i to say that i have no "power" lol ) but i think there is going to be alot of techs who are not going to go over to this managed service and will end up looking for other jobs. and i know i wont have egg on my face it will be them becasue their not going to have enuff people to support this and they arent going to have enough people to keep traveling around to other schools and give them support,

[farmerste]

you can fight back a little, you can make sure parents are 'enlightened' about the dangers of 'wi-fi' for instance, and how those private companies they are bringing in 'don't care'

 

this may be of interest to some

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/networks/19089-wifi-power-levels-compared-mobile-phones.html

 

the above post was started by me to ask questions, and it is as far as i have got.

hope its not too far off this topic

[conehead]

you can fight back a little, you can make sure parents are 'enlightened' about the dangers of 'wi-fi' for instance, and how those private companies they are bringing in 'don't care'

 

this may be of interest to some

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/networks/19089-wifi-power-levels-compared-mobile-phones.html

 

the above post was started by me to ask questions, and it is as far as i have got.

hope its not too far off this topic

 

While I fully support anybody pointing out some of the potential problems with outsourcing through BSF, I don't think talking about harmful emissions from wireless is the most productive avenue. For one thing it's not proven that it is harmful.

 

I would rather take the approach that you are aware of the technical limitations of wireless compared to cabled PC's for heavy traffic and emphasise that your own technical team is better placed to implement the right mix based on what is needed rather than a one size fits all plan.

[broc]

you can fight back a little, you can make sure parents are 'enlightened' about the dangers of 'wi-fi' for instance, and how those private companies they are bringing in 'don't care'

 

this may be of interest to some

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/networks/19089-wifi-power-levels-compared-mobile-phones.html

 

the above post was started by me to ask questions, and it is as far as i have got.

hope its not too far off this topic

 

I don't think this is particularly off topic; WiFi is an integral part of almost every new BSF school design. It saves money by reducing cabling costs and enabling smaller school buildings with no ICT rooms.

 

The students will only be exposed for maybe 5 years, staff who spend their whole life working in a school could be exposed for a lot longer.

 

I suspect someone somewhere could put a cost on abandoning WiFi in BSF schools vs the risk that there may be some future successful litigation from relatives of people who die as a consequence of exposure to radiation from WiFi.

 

If they did I suspect it would be cheaper to stick with Wifi

[conehead]

The students will only be exposed for maybe 5 years, staff who spend their whole life working in a school could be exposed for a lot longer.

 

I suspect someone somewhere could put a cost on abandoning WiFi in BSF schools vs the risk that there may be some future successful litigation from relatives of people who die as a consequence of exposure to radiation from WiFi.

 

If they did I suspect it would be cheaper to stick with Wifi

 

WfFi as the asbestos of the 21 Century? a fair point about potential long term exposure as quite a few teachers have died of asbestosis.

 

Also as you say, if you crunch the numbers I suppose the chances of proving liabilitythat the school wireless caused you harm in isolation to any effect your home wireless and any other exposure source you may encounter, are very slim.

[conehead]

Strike Action Against School Privatisation (from The Bolton News)

 

It seems the main worry for teachers here is their employer and terms will change, I wonder if that's why teachers don't come out in force about BSF, as it's only the support staff that get "re-deployed".

[conehead]

Very interesting development at Heywood today, the teacher's union took a case to the High Court and have managed to get the change to an Academy stopped for at least a year as they argued there hadn't been full and clear consultation.

 

With all the smoke and mirrors going on with the BSF bids I think it could be a possible bargaining gambit by the Unions to make sure everything agreed is fair and above board before deals are signed.

 

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/boltoneducation/boltoneducationnews/2396147.Strike_action_against_school__privatisation_/

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Bolton School Strikes Wins Against Academy- For Now

 

After a successful strike Tuesday, July 15 and further action in the pipeline as well as a legal challenge, the council have backed down from closing Heywood school, Bolton and reopening it as a privatised academy in six weeks' time.

 

NUT members voted 95% in favour of a rolling program of strike action and Unison members also voted to strike with a high turnout and Yes vote. Alongside a legal challenge, coomunity campaign and the strikes at fellow Bolton school, the Withins, the council has backed down- for now, though they are still proposing the school close in a year's time. We are determined to stop this!

 

This shows strike action and a strong campaign works. We must press our advantage to see off all academies and for national strike action against privatisation.

 

Bolton NUT secreatry statement July 17

 

"At 12.45 this morning, with two hours notice, unions were called in to hear from the Director of Education that Bolton Council had now decided not to challenge the NUT's Judicial Review of the consultation process at the Hayward school and that the Academy would be put back to 2009.

 

This humiliating climbdown was greeted with cheering in the staffroom and elation at Withins.

 

We consider this to be a major setback for the council, giving us time to begin to organise in the new term. Both Hayward and Withins are now side by side.

Edited July 22, 2008 by conehead
added link

[kevin_lane]

sounds like good news

 

im a memeber of a union and if i could i strike and im pritty sure the rest of my fellow workers would too and my boss would but deep down i'd feel i'd be letting a service down for the school but i would do it too make a point too the school as well as too the local goverment and local council and it would be awsom if ALL it support managers / any one who works on our level tech wise yea to say right we have had enuff we want more money and no bsf etc i would love too see how they would all cope. just to see the look on their face. big hype here but this country would be screwed if you think about it everything and everyone relise's on people like us to fix things and to sort their stupid problems out. we are not just like a peice of meat that gets pushed around