Primary School Network

[Ryan233]

Well i have just starting working as a ICT manager for Two primary schools.

 

One of the schools network is a mess. No licensing in place at all. Only 1 server. Students are using .man profiles but there don't have separate accounts for each students, there have the following structure for logons

 

Year1

Year2

Year3

Year4

Year5

Year6

 

Each students logon with there year groups logon. Personally i hate it this way.Logon times for each students logon is about 3-4 minutes

 

 

The staff are using .dat profiles also have synced files.Logon times is about 6-7 minutes per staff(due to profile size), Staff have the original XP style desktop and taskbars.

 

There is no structure of networked software and normal software. there is no structure for printers. staff and students have full access to every printer and there pick the printer there would like to use from the Browse directory.

 

The first thing i have started to do is sorting the licensing issue out,as the school is in special measures with ofsted already. That has now been started.

 

Another then that why do i start?

[elsiegee40]

we only had one server until a couple of years ago... it's pretty normal at primary level.

 

Once you know what you've got and where you are, start by redirecting absolutely everything you can in the staff roaming profiles: desktops, Application data, home drives... the works! It makes SO much difference. Logon times will improve!

 

Our staff have roaming profiles and students have mandatory profiles. Even mandatory profiles can be helped by folder redirection. This thread is pretty old, but may be helpful to you too: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows/18661-creating-small-mandatory-profile.html

[elsiegee40]

In the longer term, encourage the school to allow a separate login for every pupil. Reception pupils, in my experience, have logging in (with a simple "top secret" 3 letter password) sorted in 2-3 weeks usually!

[jamesfed]

Take hardware inventory if you haven’t already (sounds like you might have already with the software).

After then maybe time for a complete rebuild of their server and a reimage of machines (with your shiny new licenced software).

 

I will say that in a primary we look after FSU, Year 1 and Year 2 do have generic user accounts (FSU, Year1, Year2) however years 3+ have their own personal accounts (mandated passwords with all of them in a list for teachers to easily get to).

 

I would take a good long look at server and backup setup, maybe time for a new server (should be able to get something very decent for a primary for less than £1000) and a decent disk to disk (if you have multiple sites) or a tape based system.

[SimpleSi]

Sound like you've come from some correctional institute based on your aversion to user freedom

 

Primaries don't need to be locked down - as the ICT Manager you should set things up the way you like and can easily support but there's very little need to restrict users unneccesarily and doing so can have a large impact on their ability to teach and work (and since they are in special measures maybe that should be a priority :-) )

 

Even dominatrix primary sys admins don't make years r,1 and 2 have their own logons - and if they do - they make the password cat or dog

 

Licensing is not a special measures issue - teaching, attainment, progression and leadership are special measures issues so don't bother the SLT with that.

 

Personally, I try to make sure new stuff is licenced but don't go on a jihad over any existing software - half the time they have licences but can't find them and half the time they don't - nobody ever dies over the issue so just let it lie.

 

Obviously, I'm from the namby pampy liberal end of treating users as people and I'm sure others will be along shorlty to recommend electrifying USB ports.

 

Good Luck BTW

 

Si

[SimpleSi]

PS One Server To Rule Them All is what us primary geeks say

[Ryan233]

PS One Server To Rule Them All is what us primary geeks say

 

I used to work at a secondary school with a 6th form too, so the only thing I know is to be strict with users ha ha.

 

The last time there were licenses brought was in 2003. Which is crazy. I thinking of trying out windows intune as a project once I try things out.

 

Thank you for everyone help

[Ryan233]

Right well today i started re-directing everything to a shared folder on the server.

 

So i have done for staff and it worked great. and i did the same thing for the students...now when students logon there are getting the re-directed stuff on the desktop!?

 

 

Any help would be great!

[Ryan233]

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