School Provide Own Broadband

[Guest monkeyx]

I am looking for advice from any schools that have managed to claw back funding from their LA for providing broadband connectivity and related services.

 

Regards,

 

Tim

[Trapper]

I was under the impression for state schools we couldn't run our own internet line, and it had to be managed by the LEA.

[john]

I was under the impression for state schools we couldn't run our own internet line, and it had to be managed by the LEA.

 

You can do but there is no guarentee that you will get any funding back that the LA may take from you for the central service, and obviously you are on your own and could loose out on various services they bundle with it.

 

We have members on here that have broken away from RBC provision, or are investigating it so it is possible.

[FN-GM]

I was under the impression for state schools we couldn't run our own internet line, and it had to be managed by the LEA.

 

We have our own line....

[Sylv3r]

As John mentioned above - I would seriously doubt the LA will provide any funding back if you decide to opt out of their services. I think if you do choose to go to another provider you will have to take the hit with the top sliced funding that the LA keeps.

 

Each LA is different of course, but the money kept from your school helps subsidies the costs for all other schools.

[plexer]

If the agreement in place between schools and leas say that the lea will use the Government funding to proccure and provide broadband provision etc... centrally then you will be very unlikely to get money back to be able to finance and thus it would have to come out of the schools budget effectively paying twice for the same service.

 

Ben

[featured_spectre]

I am looking into it, BT have said we can have 100MB connection, £1000 per year (£4000 less than we pay currently), but with that there is no filtering, so the saved money could go on a smoothwall box!

[Dos_Box]

Remember though, if you go it alone you must still meet the BECTA standards for filtering, connection and other criteria. Also, removing yourselves from JaNET also removeslots fo previously free online resources that you were eleigable for.

[GrumbleDook]

It varies from LA to LA, but round here it hasn't been done for the last 3 years (money devolved to schools) so no claw back has been possible anyway. The 2 schools who have opted out have not had any money. The Academy group which has also opted out (3 academies, one a former CTC was never connected, the second was a rebuild on a different site and they didn't want anything to do with the LA and the third is still connected but have opted to move to the same provided as the other two academies in the group) also receives no money.

 

I do know one of our schools who may opt to go their own way so I have asked them to give a complete break down of how they will deliver similar services as that from the RBC and what the costs (in hardware, licences, time and training) is likely to be ... not too sure if they will release it publicly though ... as some of the decision is also political.

[FN-GM]

I am looking into it, BT have said we can have 100MB connection, £1000 per year (£4000 less than we pay currently), but with that there is no filtering, so the saved money could go on a smoothwall box!

 

£1,000 do you have any details please?

[featured_spectre]

I haggled like a beast! I told them Virgin offered a similar deal, and Virgin offered me a deal when I told them BT were involved.

 

All in the art of haggling!