GREED

Surely just a technical wording...

This was doomed when the minister that wanted it stalled on signing the project off earlier this year.

Nice. Let me ask you, does it come as a welcome piece of news to you? Not a loaded question genuine reaction to this news (and completely aside from your opinions on my writing style)

I'm waiting for the mountain of 'I told you so's'....

I've just found it waiting in my inbox. Thanks Phil. SPDP stopped. Probably means DX is also stopped (how can you have an exchange going nowhere). No definite timescale on this.

Well, I have been proven wrong. How have you received this information Phil?

Fair enough, I'll wind my neck back in! Good shout and thanks Matt

Kinda my suggestion that there is a limited need to know basis and so my question directed to the OP was are you in this group or not. I'd be interested to know official guidance on that because my belief/recollection is there is a set group of individuals that are allowed to see the data before students, and that is not open to interpretation. In addition, people outside the group are they seeing individual or aggregated data?

At risk of being annoying for the sake of it, I take it you are an Exams officer or similar? My recollection is that with the exception of the Exams Officers, the first people to see the results in any way shape or form are the students? Hence why the embargo exists...

I agree, this is a decent feature... Aspen's VLE did this 2 years ago mind (that is, create and do this in Google Docs). Where I struggle is in the UK how wide spread this will be, with all the VLE options and relative lack of 'total Google' UK schools. Different totally to the US.

Oh no, no no no, discussing the benefits is hugely important, I am not saying the benefits are incidental at all, I am saying that as a sales pitch to end users it is a small part. Which as a supplier of a product is where the money lies!

Perhaps too you are thinking that it is the decision makers that will be more concerned with this, and you are probably right, especially the decision makers I know you and most supplier target. Perhaps more decision making groups should include a broader range of individuals including a school admin who uses the system every day. My experience, and I am sure you have your own and greater experience, says most procurement teams are unbalanced in this regard.

Well we are going round in circles, because a school teacher or even admin will not care one jot that Bromcom MIS is 50 times more memory efficient. They will care if they can do the tasks they need to do. For them it comes down to what solution has all the features they need or could ever want. Perhaps there should be a conversation about specifically that ad this has completely bypassed a feature comparison, yet has focused in details on a server efficiency comparison. I would push people to a certain MIS Survey for a good start on that! I full agree with you that an awareness of what is available is vital, and decide then if their SIMS system still meets all their needs, or does Bromcom, Progresso, Arbor, G2, Scholarpack, ISAMS, Schoolbase, 3SYS, PASSAPP, Engage, SchoolPod or another better provide those facilities and more? I'm bewildered that any conversation like this does not have any mention of the features available ad being a high priority. I think I have said before (or possibly offline), you could have the most efficient system ever made, but if all it does is store a student forename and nothing more then it is not a viable choice (silly and extreme I know by gets the point)

But... It is suiting their needs. It would be wrong to force a change, for what you have listed is a many many behind the scenes benefits that too the end user would not see. The teachers will only be concerned with the features available. Right or wrong it is the reality. If SIMS is providing everything they need, do they have to change?

When it is billed as a classroom management tool, then I am.let down. As a re brand and couple of bells and whistles on top of Drive and Mail, less so

I spoke to the Google UK Commercial chap about this a few months back. This is basically a reorganisation of exiting technologies, with a little bit of streamlining when it comes to placing documents within a group of 'Drive' folders, thats really it. I was greatly let down.

So, like everything else the government recommends. What is most chilling when you think about it is, anyone can run for an MP seat, which ultimately could lead to that individual becoming a cabinet minister or even PM... and make decisions on everything from going to war to commissioning a law like this to agreeing to a nuclear reactor in central London.... What makes such individuals qualified to make such decisions, or even if they are advised to agree to it?

Not that sort of fibre! Lol

I mean is the government calling it SEND and all documentation refers to it as such from September? From your comment I would say that is the case as all new cases follow the new SEND codes.

You want more fibre mate

Tipex? Phil, does this mean that SEND under the new banner is live from September?

That's only because his tax bill next year is enough to by all of Spain... all hail King Bernie

Well said Jeremy. Don't forget too the facility to import from your MIS Don't forget that important step Couple of darn decent tools out there to do that for Moodle too isn't there

It's his empire. He is a control freak in real life so makes sense. And if there is wide-spread corruption (like FIFA) then he may also be protecting al of that too.

Clip on all the way!