Lost our Harnessing Technology Grant?

[SimpleSi]

Just read this on the latest CLEO newsletter

The annual bills for your school’s CLEO service for 2009-10 will be issued in the summer

term. The bills remain based on the £790 + £3 per pupil principle, with a small increase to

cover the Local Authorities’ increase in charges due to RPI.

Prices have been held to this principle following agreement by both counties School Forums

to retain the Harnessing Technology grant within the Local Authorities, to enable regional

projects to support schools to be delivered jointly under the CLEO project.

 

Does this translate to "CLEO schools have lost the Harnessing Technology Grant this year"

 

And I'd like to know how the "agreement" was made - was it at a poorly attended meeting?

 

Or have I mis-interpretted this?

 

regards

Simon

[plexer]

Yup the school forums decided to allow the lea to keep it to ofset the cost of providing your internet connection by the looks of it.

 

Ben

[GrumbleDook]

A growing practice designed to reduce admin, give better value for money on large purchases and also annoy people that don't get to see LA factsheets on a regular basis.

 

Try to ask one of your schools if they can show you the weekly / fortnightly missive that the LA kick out to schools ... most LAs have them and it will give insight into things like this before finding out about it third hand via CLEO.

 

I would suggest other people in other LAs do the same (not just for CLEO information but other RBCs, etc).

[Ric_]

@SimpleSi: This is the same as last year's arrangement AFAIK.

[SimpleSi]

@Ric

 

In what respect is this the same as last year? (unless its a typo?)

 

Last year (this present financial year) we (primaries) received £1000 + £3.78/pupil (IIRC).

 

AFAIK, CLEO tried to hold onto it but the members of the consultative committee at the time fought them off

 

Sadly, this year it doesn't look as if they managed to do this and millions of pounds have been retained centrally.

 

Schools used to get ring-fenced ICT money - then it was split into 60/40 into DFC and SDF grant with ELCs staying ring-fenced. So in a lot of cases the DFC portion went into buildings Then the fence was wll and truely taken down by turning it into Harnessing Technology - and now that's gone as well

 

I know of many schools who have spent nothing on ICT development except the Harnessing Technology Grant and was even told by one head - not one of mine - of a scheme to get around spending even that on ICT

 

 

Si

[GrumbleDook]

This is one of the reasons why funds get grabbed centrally ... too many schools not using the money for what it was designed for and then not giving the right resources to ICT as a result. It does hit those that are more switched on too though ...

 

Big things get paid for centrally and then schools as meant to be switched on enough to have a sustainable plan for IT in the year on year budget. Hard to do for many primaries ... especially small ones. Working in clusters sometimes helps.

[SimpleSi]

This is one of the reasons why funds get grabbed centrally ... too many schools not using the money for what it was designed for and then not giving the right resources to ICT as a result.

 

I'd hate to think that's the reason - I'd prefer to think it was a centre's self-interest

 

regards

 

Simon

[SimpleSi]

Anyway - I was just checking in case I'd mis-interpreted the bad news

 

@gd - No point in going 10 rounds with you - I'll just lose

 

regards

 

Simon

[Sylv3r]

I get a little disapointed when I read things like this.

 

Some schools do waste this kind of money on useful gimmicky things or software that they will never use whereas others (i'd like to include my school in this), base all purchases on an e-Learning development plan. And monitor the use of whatever has been purchased through monitoring and evaluation purposes linked to the development plan.

 

The one I don't always trust is central purchases via the LA - we have so often in the passed been "bought" something that the school will never use, already has something in place or does not suit the needs of the school or the students within the school - centrally purchased CfP laptops to name but one scheme.

[Ric_]

Anyway - I was just checking in case I'd mis-interpreted the bad news

 

Sorry Si, I'd mis-read which grant it was

 

Last year, only part of the grant was held back as can be seen in the following (nicked from here):

 

In line with DCSF guidance, the LA consulted with the Schools’ Forum and proposed to centrally retain funding to continue to support the delivery of the CLEO Broadband Project whilst also devolving to schools an equivalent cash value to that previously received under Grant 122. This proposal was subsequently agreed by the Schools’ Forum for 2008/09 and will be reflected in your August Standards Fund update. As a result, school CLEO subscriptions1 will therefore not increase and will remain at £790 per school plus £3.00 per pupil for 2008/09 (see enclosed correspondence relating to Harnessing Technology CLEO Developments).

 

AFAIK, there have been no [official] announcements about any funding within Lancashire [yet] - the timely fashion that these come out usually make them well into April at the earliest!

[SimpleSi]

@ric - is anyone from your school on the comittee?

 

If so, could you find out if CLEO have retained it all - they publish minutes of the meetings but the last I can find was mid-year 2008.

 

regards

 

Simon

[Ric_]

@SimpleSi: I'm afraid we aren't priviledged enough to be on such important committees

 

I would suggest having a word with someone at the ICT Centre but I suspect you will just get 'nothing has been announced yet' reply that is all too common.