msi_school

Isn't there instructions on the guidance page for doing a factory reset and taking control?

What are your plans when you receive these windows laptops, will you be putting an image on them or leaving them as they are? I am leaning towards our basic image because it has a built in VPN and the pupil data will be securely backed up but I know I am going to be pressured to get them turned round quickly.

You cant replace the SIMS in these routers I asked about this and got the following responce • Can we replace the SIM in the Routers if required? No. The routers are pre-programmed with specific settings to make them work securely with the provided SIMs. Another SIM will not work with the router and using the provided SIM in another device will result in the SIM becoming barred. The administrator credentials for the routers will not be made available to allow modification during the lifetime of the programme.

I have had a few questions answered about this but no order date: • What is the make and model of the windows laptops? You may choose devices from the three options available on the ordering system. It will not be possible to give choice over the exact make and model of device. There are three computer personas to chose from, including Clamshell Windows laptop, Chromebook or Windows Tablet. Microsoft Windows based devices will be provided preconfigured with either Microsoft Windows ‘Shape the Future’ or ‘S’ mode. • What is the make and model of the 4G routers? The 4G routers are mifi style devices powered by USB but are WiFi hotspots that do not require a physical connection with the device. The SIM that is pre-installed, together with the router, are configured to only operate using a private data connection to a filtered service using the best available mobile network. We cannot provide specific make/model details as there are multiple devices from different providers being shipped. • As I understand it the laptops come with windows installed and set up to use Umbrella to implement content filtering is this correct? Please be advised that Office 365 applications will not be pre-installed as may have been previously indicated. Where your Responsible Body already use Microsoft Office 365 users will be able to use the web based versions of the Office applications (and for RBs using G-Suite, those applications would also be available). Responsible bodies that do not have their own Microsoft Office 365 or Google GSuite tenancy may be eligible for DfE funded support to set up a system (see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-technology-for-remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19#get-help-using-online-education-platforms). If a child in social care has access through their school their login and password will allow them to access that system. Where a responsible body orders their devices pre-configured, they will be set up to use a filtering system that is subscribed to the IWF watchlist for relevant categories and the Home Office restricted content. • We need to set up management of these devices before October 2020 and can do so on receipt before issuing them? Where the device is centrally managed by DfE, there is no facility for the Responsible Body to make alterations to the setup of the device - they are delivered pre-configured to a standard setup. If a responsible body has made the decision to set the devices up themselves they may can re-image the device and load any relevant software upon receipt, as it is their device. • Can we reimage the laptops with our standard image? Yes. In the ordering system you will be able to indicate that you wish to configure them yourselves. • There is no content filtering on the 4G routers? The same filter system that applies to devices also applies to 4G routers. • Are the 4G routers the USB type or the MiFi type? The form factor will be as a Mifi style device with SIM pre-installed. • What is the data cap on the 4G routers? DfE have contracted a 6 month data contract with a 3GB monthly data limit. • Are all the routers using one pool of data or is it individual? The data allowance is pooled for each responsible body and can be either transferred or topped up as required, there will be a helpdesk available to responsible body (only) for that purpose. The initial six month contract will be reviewed by DfE in due course. • If it is an individual pool of data per router can this be transferred between routers? Please see the above questions and answer. • Can we purchase additional data if required? Once a user has used all of their 3GB allowance they wil get a web page stating the Internet is no longer available. Responsible bodies will have access to check the current status of all their SIMs, allowing them to identify units that are running low (or now being used). Helpdesk options will include transferring data between SIMS and topping up data (at the expense of the responsible body). • Can we replace the SIM in the Routers if required? No. The routers are pre-programmed with specific settings to make them work securely with the provided SIMs. Another SIM will not work with the router and using the provided SIM in another device will result in the SIM becoming barred. The administrator credentials for the routers will not be made available to allow modification during the lifetime of the programme. • How long is the contract on the 4g routers? The initial contract period for the 4G Routers is six months, however DfE do have the option to review this nearer the end of the contract period. Data allowance is set per device but pooled across the responsible body so that it is possible to transfer allowance between units. There will be provision to review usage and for DfE or for the responsible body to make more data available.

I have school.lea.sch.uk and school.co.uk I like to use the .lea.sch.uk when I need to give a website or email to prove I am a school but we normally use school.co.uk as it is shorter.

I am looking at this with some of the teaching staff so they may have more ideas. I thought Classroom or SharePoint but I have not seen these in action. Their are two reasons for looking at options, firstly it is expensive over £10 000 for 3 years which means we have to look at options and secondly the lock down has changed the VLE from a homework platform to the center of teaching and learning so going forward we might want a new vision and a new platform.

I would agree that gloves are dangerous they make you feel safe, proper hand washing and cleaning is much safer.

We have been using Doddle as a VLE for nearly three years and with the renewal coming up I am looking at options for the future. Generally we have been happy with Doddle but there are some pros and cons: Pros Worked well for three years pupils, staff and parents are all reasonably happy parents set up their own accounts and doddle manage them content provided all ready set up for use Cons cost no control or view of parent accounts difficult for pastoral staff to view pupils inflexible set up separate set of credentials Can anyone recommend options for VLEs? Thanks Mike

I tested some of the 100e models last year with windows and found out that Lenovo do not support PXE booting on this model

Thank you @PeterH That worked, lucky we only have a handful of staff in school, this could have been a disaster under normal circumstances. I am now off to catalog all my certificates and their expiries.

Hi My NLS certificate has expired in Direct access, can someone point me to instructions on creating a new one. I have generated a CSR and I believe I now have to generate a certificate from this request in the certificate authority MMC snap in but when I submit a new request I get the following error: The request contains no certificate template information. 0x80094801 (-2146875391) Denied by policy module 0x80094801, the request does not contain a certificate template request attribute I can see the template in certificate template but I cant join the dots Mike

I was a bit gun shy after breaking all of this on Tuesday so I did not want to go into any wizards I was not 100% sure of, I spoke to one of the engineers at Warwickshire Education Services (Thanks Sam) and he worked out that we needed to set up the A Record. This has now resolved the issue. THis was not a fun two days I recommend you have backups of everything including your backups and keep a good record of your external DNS settings because most providers dont.

Thank you for your replies, I just needed an A record for the domain on the certificate. Mike

Can anyone help me I have broken the External DNS for my Microsoft Direct access install. I have had a bit of a double whammy on my Remote access set up, the certificate is due to expire today so I ordered a new one which has been emailed to an address on the domain we use for direct access but do not have email set up for, I looked at the DNS records on the domain to get Office 365 set up and I must have clicked restore to default because all the records have gone. I have since got Office 365 set up but I don't have any of the DNS settings I need for Direct Access, The internal server is working but the clients can not connect to our network. I assume it is just one A record that needs setting but I don't seem to be able to find any guidance on this part of the set up, can anyone advise me please? Mike

I have been doing some cross referencing today maximising and minimising SIMS and it takes several seconds to redraw the SIMS application on my Haswell i5 with 16GB RAM and a Samsung EVO Pro SSD. There are problems with the database but the application is also dog slow.

We do two here one for user areas and one for shared areas, at my last place we did two, one for staff one for pupils. The latter was a better system because I could get down time on the pupil server quite easily. The reason for the split at both schools has been to make the back ups smaller.

Full-Time, Permanent Contract 37 Hours per Week, Term-Time only + 2 Weeks at summer results (40 weeks total) Salary Band I, Points 17-20 (starting on Point 17 - £23,116 actual term-time salary) This is a great opportunity for a dedicated and conscientious person. North Leamington School is a fantastic place to work and develop and we’d love you to come and join us! Opportunity We are seeking to appoint a professional and efficient Data and Exams Manager to lead our Data and Exams Team. You will lead on the management of data, produce reports and statistical returns using a range of computer software packages and web-based platform such as SIMS, SISRA, FFT-Aspire, as well as providing line management support to the Exams Officer. We are looking for someone who has good ICT skills, but most importantly someone who is committed to providing a high standard of accuracy in their work and who is able to lead and work as part of a team. What You Offer · You will be able to work independently, as well as part of a team. · You will be able to lead others, and develop a highly effective team. · You will have the ability to remain calm under pressure, work to tight deadlines and be able to prioritise tasks accordingly. · You will understand the need for confidentiality. · You will be accurate and reliable. What We Offer · A fantastic, state of the art school in which to work, with exemplary relationships at all levels, and outstanding outcomes. · Access to staff wellbeing services provided by our sickness absence insurance company · Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme · First class commitment to developing individuals and working with others to reach their full potential Experience of working in an education setting is desirable but not essential. Most of all we are looking for the right candidate to fit in to our school and be able to pick up the role quickly. If you wish to be part of this outstanding Learning Community, please complete our application form and submit to [email protected] North Leamington School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Post Deadline: Monday 23 March 2020 (09:00am) Interviews are expected to take place soon after the post deadline https://northleamingtonschool.warwickshire.sch.uk/index.php/about-us/vacancies/9-jobs/1201-vacancydataman

I read this as you had dropped the price to £20, I was about to order a bazillion! then reading comprehension spoiled it

Thank you both for your suggestions, I have passed them o to the Head of Computing

Thank you @wagnerk this will be a level two qualification so it doesn't not need a UCAS point.

Our Head of Computing has just asked me if I know of any IT qualifications he can deliver in place of Cambridge Nations IT, it does not have to be progress 8 and we are hoping to deliver this to our lower ability students.

Are you running dedup? It can take a while for the garbage collection process to work.

If you have 40+ projectors to replace on a schedule get a couple of suppliers to quote you for the job and they will be able to find the projectors that work at this throw length for you.

We use direct access and keep them on the domain, this way we have full control and by forcing the users to save to the network we have backups.

I can confirm that, I have had that problem before. The shortest lease time I have seen on DHCP other than for testing is an hour for a Coffee shop so a reboot should not cause any major problems. Setting up a failover pair is very simple but be sure that you copy all the settings across, the wizard misses a lot of them.