crc-ict

This is a very interesting question. I wholeheartedly agree with all the points made here about DPO being a conflict of interest for IT Managers. However unfortunately not everyone shares the view. For example, in our county, the Legal adviser for GDPR has stated there is no reason why the IT Manager or SBM cannot be DPO - they have said that it is not a conflict of interest because it is the Headteacher who has the responsibility for what and how data will be processed - basically implying that any other roles are simply making recommendations and that the final decision rests with the HT, and so it is only them who has a conflicting interest. The only other role they rule out for DPO is the Safeguarding Lead. This is very frustrating in the light of so much information from multiple sources that says we can't be DPO, but unfortunately people tend to take county's legal word as gospel and so it is very hard to argue that point. I feel that a better argument to take is that the DPO needs to be someone on the SLT in order to have sufficient influence over the policies and procedures of the school to carry out the role. Otherwise, anything the DPO tries to enforce can just be over-ruled anyway. Obviously this doesn't work if you are an IT Manager who is on SLT!

I recommend Pugh - Nathan Bennett there always sorts us out for our renewals. Great service and competitive pricing.

Got one of their free APs. No hassle whatsoever. Had to talk to the local rep once to sort out the delivery details etc, but then have never heard from them since. Used the AP to get me out of a hole when one of my Xirrus units failed, and it worked well so I have left it in place. However, recently got pricing to buy another one for another area, and found them to be very pricey - I could buy a 3 pack of UniFi Pro's for the price of one Meraki ap!

To my mind, no BETT isn't really worth the time. I question the value of it from a 2hr train ride away, so certainly wouldn't travel from the US just for it. It's a decent enough showcase, but as a techie I always feel too far removed from the curriculum side of things to get a value from a large proportion of it. It seems to be much more about the content and resources these days than the kit. I may be shot down in flames here, but I feel that many of the exhibitors are not really interested in you unless they can see that you are a 'decision maker' with the authority to sign up to large orders there and then. The CPD content is quite wide-ranging, but much more teacher-focused than anything else. That said, if you are on the teaching side, and have the power to influence strategic curriculum decision across your school, then it may well be worthwhile for you. I have to say I do find it hard to separate my feelings about BETT from the fact that I completely loathe ExCeL - it's a horrible place and a nightmare to get to due to its relative 'middle of nowhere' location and woefully inadequate transport links.

Hi, We have some of these screens here. I've just been and had a look at one of them, and it's exactly the same as yours at the top: But I get what you mean, it does look like something is missing doesn't it!

Checking on the MOTs isn't reliable though. I've seen MOTs where the tester has made a mistake in recording the miles (obviously so, like adding an extra digit, creating a vehicle with something like 750,000 miles recorded!), and there will be cases where cars have new speedometers fitted etc.

It always amazes me how budgets are set / specs are chosen based on the status of the user rather than their actual application! As most HT work centres around documents, e-mails etc, I can't understand why they always need high spec machines! I can understand good portability, and that they need a quality machine, but surely spec is not that important to their work. Other than to make them feel special of course! Given those parameters though, I'd definitely look at the Macbooks.

I would agree with that, but @mikkydoos implication was that his mate was failed for not exceeding the limit.

There is a bit of a rumour that goes around that you can fail MOD2 for not 'making adequate progress', which is taken to mean not riding fast enough. However, my instructor told me that what is meant by that is that they are looking for confident riding which takes advantage of the different characteristics of a motorcycle as a vehicle, and being assertive. It's about using your power to make safe overtakes on a dual carriageway rather than sitting behind a lorry at 50mph for example. I was told that you need to show you are not afraid to ride at the speed limit, but that exceeding it is NOT acceptable, with the possible exception of a very short period whilst making an overtake. I can't see anyone failing the test for obeying the speed limit. You might fail, however, if you were to miss a speed limit increase and keep sticking to the old limit - eg. missing the start of an NSL and keeping going at 30mph for ages. Didn't think these were serious faults, but I suppose if you do it consistently enough it'll add up to a fail. Remember if the examiner is following you on a bike (as they do most of the time unless there are problems), they aren't taking notes during the test, so the result will necessarily be based on their overall 'feel' of your riding unless there are stand-out serious faults.

I found MOD2 much easier than MOD1. MOD1 is all about technical moves, and a prescribed way of doing things. MOD2 is much more about a ride out, although obviously with someone watching you, but if you follow the rules of the road and ride safely, you'll be fine. Apart from the focus on obs, its much less about technical precision and more about generally being safe and competent at everyday riding. Put it this way, if I'd be MUCH less unhappy at having to do MOD2 again than MOD1 if it ever arose!

Sad news for the staff, but not entirely surprising. Misco have been on our suppliers list for a long time, but recently have been very wide of the mark on prices when we have gone out for quotes.

How do you find Selectamark? I have real trouble with it these days. I can never get a mark that shows up with the blue or orange gel (it seems too thin), whilst the white shows up, but is too easy to scratch off modern materials. Whatever happened to the old-school stuff that you used to see on BBCs etc when I was at school which must have etched it's way down about 3mm into the cases!

They have some 'quirks' which makes selling them to individuals unattractive. Also, I think I would struggle to get authorisation for them to go anywhere where we couldn't get the appropriate WEEE certificates etc.

Dear all, I have got approximately 100 Samsung Chromebooks here which are going end of life - they are coming out of support with Google and are starting to lose their reliability. We have our strategy in place for replacement which is all fine, but I am struggling with the idea of just sending the old ones off to the recyclers for nothing - the machines are basically working although nothing spectacular. Does anyone know of anywhere that operates a recycling scheme for Chromebooks like they do with mobiles ie. where we could get a small amount of money back for each unit? I'm not looking for miracles, but with budgets as they are at the moment, even £5 a unit would be worth having to us! Already have a reliable contact for free WEEE collection, so just looking for any suggestions of any way to get a return on the old units. Thanks!

I'm sorry, but anyone who actually thinks that electric cars are a realistic and viable option for the majority of average people are living in cloud-cuckoo land. Yes, it's a nice idea, and dare I say hobby-horse, for environmentalists, but those of us living in the real world can see it'll never work until the technology improves **much, much** more. I can fill my car with diesel in 5 minutes and then travel for 600 miles. With an electric car, I'd be lucky to get 200 miles from a 60 minute 'refuel'. And in the likely scenario that I couldn't find a fast charger, that'd be more like 12 hours. Until we get serious advances in battery and charger tech, they are only ever going to be suitable for short, city journeys or an interesting curio.

While they are the only benchmark we have to go on, like all tests of this type, the scores only relate to the exact types of collision that they simulate, and good scores can be designed for without necessarily raising the safety of whole item. There are instances of people dying in Euro Ncap 5 star cars in collisions that tests simply do not represent. I have seen examples of analysis of lower-end motorcycle helmets which score well in tests because they are reinforced in the specific areas that the tests concentrate on, and are almost made of fresh air in untested areas. Surely these tests will have to evolve to properly evaluate the additional and differing risks as new technology advances - for example risks of electrocution from severed cables from 200+ volt battery packs etc.

I think I'd have some safety concerns. Having seen videos on YouTube of what happens to a punctured phone battery, I'm not sure I'd want to sit my children above 200-odd kgs of Li-ion batteries just waiting to be ruptured in a serious crash! I know sense says it's no worse than 50 litres of petrol, but something just sits uncomfortably with me.

Could probably pick up one of these for <£1000 Well, it's electric...

Great cars indeed. The Mk3 is the better 'drivers car' of the two, being slightly sweeter handling, but both are equally capable. However, TDCi Mk3's have an expensive tendency to destroy their DMF, which often takes out the starter motor too. They also tend to go through injectors. Neither of these are a cheap repair. If you look at one, and it sounds a bit like a tractor, walk away as this is the tell-tale sign of injector or DMF woes (possibly even both). TDCi Mk4's are a safer bet as they use a different, PSA engine which hasn't gained the same reputation for lunching DMFs or injectors. Apparently, the Mk4 was mapped specifically to avoid DMF problems, although this is noticeable in the lack of torque below 1500rpm compared to the Mk3 which would pull well down to below 1000rpm, although that torque at very low revs is allegedly what kills the DMF. AFAIK, Mk3's don't have a DPF, but Mk4's do. Parking sensors are an easy DIY fit on the Mk3, there are holes in the bumper behind the trim strips for the sensor heads, the strips are marked for hole positions and there is a convenient grommet behind the bumper to get the cables into the bootspace. Kits are from about £15 on eBay.

I might be wrong on this, but I think the Net2 Pro software can only be activated by approved installers?

I think it depends on you as a person. For me, no it didn't, not really. I was OK after CBT, enjoyed my 125 for a year - enough to decide I wanted to do Direct Access, get a full licence and a big bike. So I completed the course and passed the tests (which I found challenging - I never felt the whole 'big bike is easier to ride than a 125' thing), and bought a lovely Honda tourer. Although it was lovely bike, I struggled to gel with the big bike and never felt at ease while riding. After a year or so, I began to find myself struggling to reconcile the risks vs rewards from riding, and started finding excuses to avoid going out. And that was when I decided to throw in the towel with it, sold the bike and bought a sports car. I've not looked back, just regret spending £600 on the DAS course, and to be honest, regret selling my 125 which was a great bike and I actually enjoyed riding it. For me, moving up ruined riding for me.

I'd love some if there is still any going. Do a lot of hobby project soldering at home, and also a fair bit in school. Love repairing things me!

If you felt like going as foot passengers, it can be quite cheap to buy through tickets on the train to an IoW destination - that then includes the fastcat from Portsmouth Harbour as part of the rail fare. For example, it's about £15 for an adult from Havant to Ryde Esplanade. Car ferry is always expensive unfortunately!

+1 for the Varadero. Great bikes. I had one as my learner bike and as a big lad, it was a perfect fit. Most people thought it was a bigger bike. This can be a disadvantage though as other drivers tend to think you are going to be quicker than you actually are as it is is still a learner-legal 125. It IS a bit faster than the typical chinese or YBR 125 fare as it has the maximum 15hp compared to about 11hp on the chinese bikes or the YBR. But you are still looking at only a tad over 60 realistically.

You might need to modify that technique a bit for slow manoeuvres. That works OK for a launch, but if you want to move around at walking pace or less, you'll do better setting the throttle (a bit above idle, varies according to bike), then using the clutch bite to control the speed of the bike - hold throttle steady and let clutch out a but to go faster, and pull in a bit to slow down. A bike generally has a wet clutch so slipping it is fine. That's how I was trained to do the Mod 1 test exercises. It's tricky initially, but once you get the hang of it, it is fine.