PhilChambers Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 So the title may be a tad misleading but I just have a general query about what kind of free stuff you get at your schools. We have an assistant head here that somehow manages to get many gadgets for free. Some of them even seem useless. She seems to have a never ending supply of them. So far she has got us 20 Nintendo DS, 10 iPod touchs, a Wii, a netbook, some video conferencing hardware, an Apple TV and she just came to us with a PS3. Is this the same for every school or does she have some bizarre gift for getting free stuff? Most of them seem to be coming from our borough so I assume that other schools get things like these. Also, can anyone think of an educational use for a PS3?
JJonas Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 . Also, can anyone think of an educational use for a PS3? Send it here and I will let you know when I have finished my research.
Rydra Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 So the title may be a tad misleading but I just have a general query about what kind of free stuff you get at your schools. We have an assistant head here that somehow manages to get many gadgets for free. Some of them even seem useless. She seems to have a never ending supply of them. So far she has got us 20 Nintendo DS, 10 iPod touchs, a Wii, a netbook, some video conferencing hardware, an Apple TV and she just came to us with a PS3. Is this the same for every school or does she have some bizarre gift for getting free stuff? Most of them seem to be coming from our borough so I assume that other schools get things like these. Also, can anyone think of an educational use for a PS3? Please package up your borough and send it to me please. Just put it in the post, I'll sign on delivery... This is not common. In a time when we are looking at firing Teachers, TA's and support staff, the thought that some random schools are being given thousands in computing equipment sickens me. Those items could pay for one of my training courses that the school can't afford to send me on, for my server OS upgrade that I didn't have the budget for last year, or to employ some TA's for another few months. Hell, it would even go towards some of our places hiring replacements for all the techies that have left and not been replaced by SMT's.
Jamman960 Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 sounds like a very nice haul!, wish I we could get those kind of freebies I'm not sure about state schools but our EYFS department somehow managed to get a free printer, laptop and some mice/keyboards free from the Borough(we're an independent so not sure why we'd be eligible for anything atall from the borough in general). From what I gather she recieved a letter along with a few other department heads last year, most ignored it however she requested a few bits and got them. I'm guessing there are other bits availible to state schools here and there. Our accounts manager manages to get a fair amount free from viking also, are you sure its all coming from the Borough? James
srochford Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 It really is down to the individual head/deputy/whatever. I worked in a school in North Tyneside a frighteningly long time ago and the head there was very good at raising money and getting "stuff" My first day there I went to a meeting when he was trying to raise money for some new project. He'd got an agreement from (I think) BT that if he could raise £12.5k they would match fund. He then went to British Gas and said "if I can raise £6k will you match fund" and they said yes. Eventually, he'd got matched funding from a whole raft of businesses so that the school ended up having to find about £500 which then snowballed to £25k
AngryTechnician Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 I have never seen anything like that level of swag. Either she does have some incredible superpower for getting free stuff out of people, or it's coming off the back of a lorry!
Hightower Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Also, can anyone think of an educational use for a PS3? Trade it in for an Xbox 360, and start an XNA developers group with the 360 for testing
PhilChambers Posted January 28, 2011 Author Posted January 28, 2011 I thought it was a bit strange. We are having major budget issues at the moment too but this supply of freebies doesn't seem to be stopping. Not that I'm complaining. Maybe she just has a gift for this kind of thing? I don't think it is all coming from the borough but I know that a chunk of it is.
LeMarchand Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 I'll ask the obvious question: is she attractive? My experience is that the pretty girls always manage to get a lot of freebies by fluttering their eyelashes. If she's not particularly attractive, she's definitely got "the gift". Just call me "Andy"!
tech_guy Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 At my previous place of work (the local FE college) we had a guy who always seemed to be able to wangle the most amazing freebies from companies. Definitely a case of the gift of the gab and if you don't ask you don't get. The best he managed was a free week in Corfu for him and his girlfriend in the apartment of the MD of a company. Flights were 'thrown' in. Makes you sick doesn't it! So, it leads to the inevitable question: What's the best freebie you've ever had? And keep it clean!
localzuk Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Are you sure its coming from the borough and not from the back of a truck? We never get freebies here, I don't think I can remember anything like that.
jdavies Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Don't think it's that she's attractive or not but these things do appear to come in quite quietly. It's odd.
36Degrees Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Also, can anyone think of an educational use for a PS3? One of the pastoral support staff has suggested using a PS3 / Wii as a reward for attendance, class merits or something like that in Year 7 (to be expanded to other Year groups if it works). Whichever tutor group does the best each week gets to use the games console at lunch time the following week.
tech_guy Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Also, can anyone think of an educational use for a PS3? Yes, in the staff room with a 50" plasma.
pete Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Compulsive shoplifter or sleeping with a spotty herbert at Currys?
TechMonkey Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 We've been told we aren't allowed any freebies from companies. Makes me a sad Panda
bossman Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 We get nowt up here int North except maybe the odd stick of licorice for our troubles. But would like to see what we could get if anyone knows of the way to get things for free maybe this chaps HT would be able to enlighten us all and then we could all be get freebies for our school. @36Degrees: I suggested quite some time back to our SLT about a project which I would have liked to have managed and this was called "Golden Time". It was time given to students for exceptional work or behavior say like 5 mins for completing homework or being hard working in the class. When this time had amounted to an hour or more they could take time out from lessons at an appropriate time to them and the staff and allowed "Golden Time" in the Games room which would have the latest Games and consoles in for them to play on. We now have what they call Vivo-Miles a similar based operation which we have to pay for and just credits the students with points which they can redeem from various shops which are aligned to the project. I still think my idea would be cheaper and more effective.
jdavies Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 We can't give it away because as far as we are told it is "on loan" from somewhere. However all the other stuff that is "on loan" has never been returned, in small part to the fact we have no idea where it is coming from.
soveryapt Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 The only freebies I've had for the school are 7 HP Pro Laptops from a local firm who felt sorry for us when we had 7 old crappy fujitsu ones stolen one night .. they even did us a discount on buying the 3 additional ones to make the trolley all the same .. we offered them publicity but they didn't want it .. Other than that, we've not had much really ..
Domino Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 The only freebies I've had for the school are 7 HP Pro Laptops from a local firm who felt sorry for us when we had 7 old crappy fujitsu ones stolen one night .. they even did us a discount on buying the 3 additional ones to make the trolley all the same .. we offered them publicity but they didn't want it .. Other than that, we've not had much really .. Thats a great thing right there! strange they wouldn't want the recognition though...
Rydra Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 I've had suppliers ring me up trying to get my business that have completely failed before; they suggested giving away all sorts of things to me for free if i agreed to send them business. I'd rather they knocked off £300 off my order of laptops than send me a PS3, tickets to football games or other tacky stuff that I don't need, and according to most LEA rules now am not allowed to accept personally.
pete Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 I've had suppliers ring me up trying to get my business that have completely failed before; they suggested giving away all sorts of things to me for free if i agreed to send them business. I'd rather they knocked off £300 off my order of laptops than send me a PS3, tickets to football games or other tacky stuff that I don't need, and according to most LEA rules now am not allowed to accept personally. *places a small bet the majority were toner salesmen*
MK-2 Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 *places a small bet the majority were toner salesmen* Sees your bet and raises the stakes with "was it Millenium Computer Systems by any chance"
HallX Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 We get nowt up here int North except maybe the odd stick of licorice for our troubles. Luxury
witch Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 I suggested quite some time back to our SLT about a project which I would have liked to have managed and this was called "Golden Time". It was time given to students for exceptional work or behavior say like 5 mins for completing homework or being hard working in the class. When this time had amounted to an hour or more they could take time out from lessons at an appropriate time to them and the staff and allowed "Golden Time" in the Games room which would have the latest Games and consoles in for them to play on. Down here in the south, all the first, infant and primary schools I have ever worked in or my children attended all have 'Golden Time' which is run on a Friday afternoon - so you Northerners are running a bit behind!
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