Free School Meals from HELL

[ALR]

Hi Guys,

 

I am posting here as a last resort as I am at my wits end. We have been unable to download our Free School Meals data from our LA so far this Academic Year because our uplink to the LA's broadband consortium was terminated - we have gone elsewhere - and the download client for the FSM data no longer functions. The support staff at the LA tell me the client will NOT work with any other broadband connection.

 

I have, therefore, asked for an alternative. The two presented were a GCSx address or having the details posted. I am struggling to get anyone to tell me "To get a GCSx address you need to..." and I have called several communications companies and they have all gone "a what address?". I've got our catering staff/student services staff screaming at me that they have no FSM data and the Local Authority has adopted the attitude of "Tough! You terminated the connection" (they will happily reconnect us for over £5k p.a. of course even though we would only use the connection for FSM)

 

My questions are:

 

1) Does anyone know whose responsibility it is for said Free School Meals data being delivered? Is it our responsibility as a School to ensure the data is delivered or is the Local Authorities responsibility to make sure we receive said data?

 

2) I know what GCSx is but does anyone know how I go about getting a connection/meeting the CoCo standards?

 

Any light being shed upon this dark and dingy subject would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers,

ALR

 

 

I am now going home to Google how to tie a noose....

Edited September 20, 2012 by ALR

[matt40k]

How do they normally send the file? AnyComms? Could they send it via S2S?

 

GCSx - I'd doubt you'll be able to meet the requires to get an address.

[penfold_99]

CoCo Compliance coverd the LA not the school as you only need CoCo to access central government information.

 

Here is a white paper in it Code of Connection (CoCo) compliance demystified

 

AFAIK there is an statutory obligation on the LA to supply this information to schools and vice versa. I know schools outside of LA connections are still able to get FSM data as the LA open up ther firewall.

 

You can always play hard ball and request the data on paper/cd/dvd or engraved on stone slabs and have it delivered by secure courier.

[PhilNeal]

Only the LA is able to supply FSM info which comes from a government database. The government does not allow schools to receive this information directly even if they are an academy.

[GrumbleDook]

As the information is about children in difficult circumstances, children at risk, can identify families that are vulnerable (as well as a good number who are simply in a terrible place due to a variety of reasons and need extra help) it has to be treated with appropriate care ... hence why there can be a lot of hoops to jump through (and justifiably so) ...

 

However, it would be rare for an LA not to have an alternative route ... but it might not be talked about.