Banjo

I would go with the 'full fat' academic management rather than assessment user defined groups. Once the groups have been created its easier to assign and maintain pupils in those groups.

Same process to reset SA password for Express SQL as well.

From experience eportal does like it's clock speed. We have found that a higher clocked single chip works better that a 'dual chip' system of a lower clock speed when you spilt ePortal from the database.

In the battle of AM7 versus Facility Assessment; The issues I've found In a secondary school it is possible to run out of space on the Sims template! (256 or so Aspects - most hidden) No limits with Facility Sims limits the number nested if then else statements - no limits on the number in Facility Facility and Sims can show Exam results in a 'marksheet' in Facility you can edit these, in Sims you can't Import FFT results directly into Sims There are a lot more, and I could do the reverse on what AM7 can do and what Facility can't - it's a case of personal choice, on the whole I tend to prefer AM7.

If your a non FMS school and move to an academy status, then (a part from licencing) you don't have to do anything in SIMS except change the schools name. This required no input from Capita or any additional paid support that is offered along with the licencing agreement. Summer changes all that. The school name field is now 'locked down' and cannot be change without a patch - I'm wondering if this is going to be chargeable by Capita as part of the migration from maintained to academy status?

Not striclty true... Users prefer a “rich experience” IT departments prefer a “no client” solution Rich Internet Applications (RIA) meet both preferences A cloud based solution would seem to be a necessity Last few pages of the presentation. http://www.capita-cs.co.uk/SIMSConference/Documents/PlatformPrensentations/SIMS-TheRoadAhead_Phil%20Neal.pdf

I heard a rumour that a parent will be able to login once and see parental information for ' both' of their children across two separate schools within the cluster I think finance is going to be an external App

You could argue it's a seperate product, (Application & database), but it's licenced with Sims and is being marketed as PA update.

The TES are running with this story as well IT company accused of 'excessive' profits - News - TES Connect Not a good week for Capita with the outsourcing story as well http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2011/06/03/birmingham-city-council-in-showdown-over-overshoring-jobs-to-india-97319-28811517/

I thought Becta gave money (grant) to the moodle community to develop the product via the backdoor?

My understanding is that a school can move from LA to be supported direct with Capita and pay Bedford their AM, but their original licence (bought once) remains with the LA. Only when the school becomes an Academy does the licence become as issue and have to be re purchased. If the SLG was purchased after the move away from the LA then this should be transferable to the new school for the £300 admin fee.

It might be worth talking to the LA again. The LA can claim back 20% of your AM that you pay Capita on top of the support that you buy from them. Ask them if the £1500-£2000 extra they will get from supporting you (cash back from Capita) will cover the upgrade process?

How much of that £21k was training and onsite support? (~£1200 a day) Unless you are planning to use FMS then you don't really need that provision. Does your LA not help you now with upgrades or are unwilling to after you move to an Academy?

If you look at the release notes for the new build you will spot this: 1.2 Change to copyright notice To reflect our new development partnership with Patni Computer Systems the copyright information for Facility and ePortal has now changed to read: Patni and Serco Learning – Working Together © Patni Computer Systems Ltd 2011 It may be the case that Patni are putting out the releases and not Serco?

KCC are no longer buying the annual maintenance for the schools from the dedicated school grant. Annual maintenance = upgrades and patches from Capita. Schools will have to buy the AM themselves if they want to use Sims either from Capita direct or possibly KCC (explore procurement options over the coming month). The Council still holds the software licences for Sims for the schools so they don't need to purchase these again. Doesn't really mention support - maybe schools purchased this service from KCC and these arrangements go unchanged.

RM don't recharge schools when they move to academies.

Academies cannot buy a Sims licence/AM from their LA, they have to go to Capita for that. They can however buy their support from their LA and they then appear on Schools-Manager. LA's can then reclaim 20% of the annual maintenance for that academy(s) from Capita.

If the LA buys (ie negotiates an LA/bulk discount) the product on behalf of the schools and the contract has a certain value, then it needs to go through a procurement process. 99% of the LAs in the country break this rule.

The FOI request is asking for the person who 'buys' the LA MIS/LP licence (at a discount) for schools and the Capita One (LA version of SIMS) For LAs the annual maintenance that they buy for schools (Sims) technically constitutes the awarding of a new contract. If that contract is worth X amount then that LA should have gone through a full procurement exercise (every year) before that contract is awarded. If the LA does not go through the OJEU (the LA advertises and invites tenders Computing Tenders - www.tendersdirect.co.uk) process then the contract can be challenged in court and the contract set aside. The cost of changing an MIS system does not feature in the procurement process! > As far as I know only 18 MIS contracts have gone through OJEU

Do you have to pay Capita again for the intouch install if you need to rebuild your MIS server ?

The Act gives a right of access to information that is recorded in any form at the time of the request. 12. The Code provides guidance on good practice for public authorities in connection with the discharge of their functions under Part I of the Act. The main features of Part I Freedom of Information Act 2000 are: • general rights of access in relation to recorded information held by public authorities, subject to certain conditions and exemptions; If you hold the information you pretty much have to disclose it - exemptions are usally Union related for public bodies

Apparently it all falls under FOI

If only that were true :-) http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv26/banjo789/Snap2s.jpg http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv26/banjo789/Snap1s.jpg

Its seems to be common knowledge amongst MIS providers RM, Serco etc, first heard it at Bett in Jan. I've heard the same thing again from different people in the MIS community.