RM Date Given...

[Gatt]

I am to be assimilated into the RM Collective as of the 1st of September 2010.

Resistance Was Futile

I will become One with RM...

[bossman]

Well Gatt,

 

At least you have somewhere to go and your future is in your own hands so to speak.

 

Good luck and I hope all works out for you in the future. :)

[Gatt]

Cheers,

 

Still not 100% sure whats happening with our school - its been saved from mergin gwith one school but hrere are rumours of us merging with another one

 

In one respect, I'll be glad to be TUPEd over to RM (Internal School Politics, Proper Training!) - yet on another I'm not.. (Loss of control over my systems )

[broc]

I can sympathise with you; You get to the point with BSF where you just wish it was done & dusted..... regardless of the outcome, especially when realise you are powerless to influence what is happening....

 

It's happening this time next year for me & my team, but we are still no wiser as to what 'it' will be

[kevbaz]

Does your TUPE cover support staff? here weve been told that at the moment only teaching staff have the protection?

[Gatt]

I didnt think teaching staff were being TUPE'd - that it was nly non-teaching staff, specifically IT, but also site, cleaners and kitchen staff

[jcollings]

I don't know if it's any comfort but here are some of the things RM talk about on their website

 

Benefits

 

25 Days Annual Leave (option to buy an extra 5 days)

Personal & Company related Bonus Scheme

Staff Share Scheme

Group Personal Pension

Private Medical Healthcare

Income Protection

Life Assurance

Childcare Vouchers

Travelcard Loan

Cycle to Work Scheme

Give As You Earn (GAYE)

Employee Referral Scheme

Voluntary Dental Plan

RM also has a lively Sports & Social scene

 

I'm not sure how much I would like to move over - I guess as you say there are pros and cons. For me I'd miss the non-IT aspects of the school that I get involved with now.

 

I hope it works out well for you though mate.

[kevbaz]

I didnt think teaching staff were being TUPE'd - that it was nly non-teaching staff, specifically IT, but also site, cleaners and kitchen staff

 

is your school becoming an Academy or trust run school?

[Gatt]

Err.. Neither as far as I know...

[Face-Man]

Tupe regulations cover staff transferred from one business to another. They therefore cover ALL staff in this position. see http://www.edugeek.net/forums/bsf/47201-newby-so-what-does-bsf-single-status-mean-us-all.html

 

BSF or non BSF if somebody takes on a business and has a roll that could be described as the same as the one already in place they need to follow the regulations.

[localzuk]

If you get TUPEd, you are protected within the rules the TUPE process provide- it is not determined by the school/company, it is determined by employment law.

[Zoom7000]

Welcome abroad mate. If you need to chat about anything at all feel free to PM. Confidentiality assured!

I'll be glad to be TUPEd over to RM (Internal School Politics, Proper Training!)

 

Trust me, this is one of the greater benefits!

[Guest theeldergeek]

I don't know if it's any comfort but here are some of the things RM talk about on their website

 

Anyone know if RM frequent the Edugeek forums, or any of the other companies who are bidding do?

 

I just wonder if they are 'listening' to what those on the ground have to say rather than kicking their way onto our 'territory' with their big corporate ideas.

 

Isn't it usual when something is taken over, that despite the successes of those who have held the reins for so long, the new owner has other ideas and refuses to accommodate what has gone before?

 

I just don't get BSF.

 

My 'ICT' job is just so diverse that describing me as purely 'computers' is just so far from reality you have to see it to believe it.

 

Last week I was trudging through a muddy field looking for stolen goods (long story, some other time) and today I was reviewing CCTV footage with the Police. Last week I was filming as an observer in some engineering exams, in the not too distant future I'll be editing whatever footage is obtained on the annual school ski trip and making it into a short promotional film for the school. Tomorrow with some luck, I might get to play with computers again.

 

All falls within the general remit of my job, but when BSF hits, who's going to do it then? Will RM say "sorry, he's strictly a server technician, we don't do video" or will they just let me carry on as I do now, doing a bloody good job for the school, enjoying every minute of it?

 

Is there any direct consultation with BSF 'bidders' by those on the ground, or are our lives being mapped out at coffee guzzling board meetings?

 

BSF might be good for those interested in a career path, or career development, but what about those of us who have had a gutfull of corporate 'targets' and simply just want to get on and do something we enjoy doing so do to the best of our ability, without some snotty graduate with honours in people 'management' setting us productivity targets?

 

Am I just being cynical?

 

BSF is inevitable it would seem, but I really don't see how it is going to accommodate the diverse roles we all carry out, without question and ordinarily with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

..

[broc]

Whatever you might think about RM, it is unfair to blame them for BSF; they are one of a number of ICT suppliers bidding for contracts across England, these contracts are drawn up by LAs following strict guidelines & rules laid down by Partnership for Schools on behalf of the Government. The fact that RM seems to be winning a significant number suggests they have something more to offer schools.....

 

The bid preparation process is supposed to include a consultation exercise involving the schools so one could argue that failure to consult is the fault of the LAs who it seems prefer to bring in 'expert' consultants rather than use the skills & resources they already have available in their schools.

[nicholab]

Yeah they are not offering CC4

[GrumbleDook]

We did have a really good meeting with RM the other year to get their take on the BSF process and their answer is that there is no single answer to it all .. it has to be LA by LA, wave by wave, school by school, and the place were it falls down is that they will do what they are asked to do. If the schools 'forgets' to go on about the extra bits that you do for filming then it doesn't get done (or it does, but after a bit of negotiation) ...

 

It also depends on whether the LA are going to tell the MSP that there should be no movement on changing of jobs or roles, just in case the MSP sends a bill to the LA or school.

 

It is in RM's interest (or any MSP actually) to make it work and be as flexible as economically possible. They want the return business at the end of it all.

 

I think we have already covered the possible downside of things as they affect the schools ...

[Gatt]

Allegedly, our school wont be given CC4.. (only rumours btw!)

Probably because we have a stable network running Wnidows 7/2008 R2 which everyone is happy with, and that we dont want to be seen as going backwards..

 

How true this is, and if it will even happen is unknown..

 

Not sure what the current RM deployment is (CC4 with XP?) but this could be good news for me in a way..

[broc]

My understanding is that RM are actively engaged in Sunderland BSF wave 1 schools deploying CC4 & Vista.... I believe most were 'vanilla' XP previously ......

[Guest theeldergeek]

Whatever you might think about RM, it is unfair to blame them for BSF

 

I'm not blaming them, or anyone per se, I'm just intrigued as to who gets consulted over what BSF does, will do or won't do.

 

For me, my job is almost a way of life.

 

My 'geekness' extends beyond the workplace and I thoroughly enjoy what I do, and because of that, I give 100% to the job (and then some, if that's possible) both at work, and often at home if I happen to be able to do something work related.

 

My fear is that BSF is going to take that away from me, and make me unhappy in my work with defined work areas, defined workloads, silly targets, and so on.

 

Yes, there may be training and/or investment, but if I'm not happy in the job because I can't do the job I love, then what is the point?

 

If someone from 'whoever wins the bid' actually came and spent some time with me to see how the job IS done, not how they think it SHOULD be done, I'd be very accommodating to them.

[broc]

If you were to trawl through the pages & pages of threads on the BSF forum you will find many others share your views & fears.

 

I think BSF will impose a 'corporate IT' culture on school ICT support with all the +/- that brings; for some people it will provide career opportunities where none existed previously, for others it will mean changes of responsibility & working practice that may be very uncomfortable or even unbearable.

 

As you have already identified, consultation is key to getting the right answers and in my opinion this seems to be where the BSF program is letting schools & their ICT staff down badly. The LAs will argue that the timelines are too short for full consultation; Partnership for Schools will argue the LAs & schools don't have the skills.... you have to draw your own conclusions as to why people like us are not being involved more. It has been suggested we are too involved in protecting our own interests......

[bossman]

@theeldergeek:

 

I too feel like you and a lot of others on this forum but i fear this is just the thin end of the wedge which will totally bring control initially into the LAs hands and then inevitably back into the central governments control as it is a huge political statistic and control is key.

 

I see it as the governments way of subtle change in the way children learn, eventually home access will be the key factor as the government cuts the cost of education by stealth.

 

Firstly server farms holding not only all schools data but virtual classsrooms where students login to from home under the supervision of an adult who is paid a pittance but just enough to engage them with their learning. Once a month they will visit a mentor who will decide how they are doing with their learning and give directions on how to attain better grades and help them and their adult carer manage the workload.

 

This would ultimately save the government billions as schools would not be needed and therefore neither would teachers (another massive saving for the government) so in or around the lifespan of the last BSF school built plans will be put into force which will develop these ideals.

 

What about social interaction I hear you say, well children and adults today only seem to communicate via the internet and mobile phones so nothing new there as they will take to it like ducks to water. As for adult learning that too will eventually go online to save more costs and only the rich will be able to afford private tuition.

 

I know this may seem like a pye in the sky ideal but mark my words a lot of other countries are already in front of us using the same model.

 

Australia have had similar schemes in place from a very early age when they used to teach students over a wide range via short wave radio and it worked very well indeed.

 

China, India and Japan have online learning for students as they strive to teach the masses and bring them up to speed in the modern world.

 

This is only my theory on the issue but it is founded on the business model which this country is now adopting for all it's major projects and education just like the NHS is being reformed as a massive cost cutting exercise. :)