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4 Port PoE Extender, 1 PoE in 3 PoE Out https://www.amazon.co.uk/YuLinca-Port-Extender-Waterproof-Passthrough-White/dp/B0FBVHYFYK?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&smid=A13O9J473QBHPG&th=1

For our school reliability is hit and miss. The app works most of the time, the bluetooth ID printer is not stable. I've just had to order a replacement ID card reader and for £250 + £14.95 - Total excl. VAT £264.95. Does anyone know if you can use an alternative one ?

You're absolutely right, kids will eventually snap anything sticking out of the front of a display. I highly recommend checking out ProWise TVs before you buy. They offer similar USB-C capabilities (DisplayPort and charging), and as a bonus, their TV management system is very good.

Love it!

All Chromebooks here, I don't have access to GPO. I can confirm that this setting is in Google Admin, so if your Chrome admx policies are up to date, you should see this here Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Google > Google Chrome

The policy you are looking for is called "LensOverlaySettings".

Direct updates: https://www.highamlaneschool.co.uk/news/?pid=3&nid=1&storyid=344

I've changed primary domains from sch.uk to a custom one. It was a hassle but possible. The messy part was the licenses as you need to remove Chromebook licenses and then re-add them again which involved contacting a special team. Google Support should be able to help you with this and yes this is possible.

I've always liked Qnap until I've ordered Synology and now I prefer Synology. As someone mentioned the Active backup just works for backing up Google or Office 365 environment.

My understanding is that the Digital Leader role is assigned to an IT Manager, Head of IT, or Director of IT who also holds a position on the SLT. Here is an Ai summary of Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges and DL responsibilities. Standard Category Responsibility Description Digital Leadership & Governance Appointment and Authority The role must be assigned to a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to ensure strategic oversight and high-level accountability. Strategy Development Develop and manage a minimum two-year digital technology strategy that aligns with the school’s educational and development plan. Accountability for Strategy Be accountable for the successful delivery of the digital technology strategy based on desired teaching outcomes and organizational requirements. Drive Technology Use Encourage and support the effective and beneficial use of digital technology across the school or college. Asset Register Ownership Own the digital asset register and ensure processes are established for IT support to keep it accurately updated. Disaster Recovery Planning Be responsible for integrating digital technology into the Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plans and ensuring they are tested annually. IT Support Standards Agree Service Expectations Set and formally record clear expectations (Service Level Agreements) for how quickly IT support will respond to and resolve issues. Lead Annual Review Lead a formal annual review of IT support arrangements to assess performance, check capacity, and confirm value for money. Assess IT Support Skills Assess whether internal or external IT support requires specific professional memberships or certifications (e.g., ITIL or Cyber Essentials). Cyber Security Standards Accountability for Cyber Risk Be accountable for and coordinate all activities related to conducting the annual cyber risk assessment and reviewing it every term. Cyber Incident Reporting Ensure all staff and students know how to report a potential incident and assign a person to formally report serious incidents to external bodies like Action Fraud and DfE. Cyber Awareness Plan Plan and implement a cyber awareness program to train students and staff on cyber risks and secure digital behavior. Check Data Access Work with the Data Protection Officer (DPO) to assess and secure staff access and permissions to systems and sensitive data. Filtering & Monitoring Procurement and Documentation Be responsible for procuring filtering and monitoring systems and documenting all decisions on what content is blocked or allowed. Oversee Reporting Oversee reports generated by monitoring systems and ensure staff are appropriately trained to act on reports and concerns. Review Provision Annually Ensure the filtering and monitoring provision is reviewed at least annually with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and IT support to meet safeguarding needs. Digital Accessibility Include in Strategy Identify which strategies and policies need to be reviewed to formally incorporate the accessibility needs of the school community. Procurement Criteria Ensure new and existing hardware and software are procured with accessibility in mind, supporting all necessary accessibility features and assistive technology. Lead Communication Accessibility Lead the effort to ensure all internal and external digital communications and content are accessible to all users, including those with SEND or EAL. Cloud Solution Standards Data Protection Assurance Seek assurance from cloud solution providers that data handling practices, storage locations, and contracts comply with UK GDPR and data protection legislation. Availability Targets Before entering an agreement, confirm that the cloud solution's published availability targets (e.g., 99.9% uptime) meet the school's operational needs. Procurement/Finance (Implied across standards) Budget Oversight Review all asset and contract registers ahead of the financial planning cycle to inform buying, renewal, and replacement decisions.

Got some good news for you. New Chromebook devices receive 10 years of updates. https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366

This simply cannot be true! Your current setup is clearly flawed because it focuses on ease of use, low cost, and simple management. You’re missing the point! The real value is in the time-sink required to maintain a complex ecosystem and the exquisite cost of proprietary software.

Op: "Recommend good Staff Chromebooks" Reply: Windows...

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus

Let me explain my previous post a bit more as there is a bit of confusion about the DDIs. UniFi Talk operates on a clear, per-number basis. The cost is £7.99 per month for each Talk number, and every number includes 3,000 pooled minutes. If you purchase multiple lines (e.g., two), your minute pool scales to 6,000 minutes. There is no limit on the number of simultaneous calls - your only restriction is the total monthly minute usage, which can be increased or removed at any time. Each Talk number can be assigned as a dedicated Direct Dial-In (DDI) to an individual user or routed to a specific group for both incoming or outgoing calls. You need UniFi Dream Machine for the Talk to work. For secondary my recommendations go to Dream Machine Pro Max, for the primary schools Pro model is fine. You can also use Official UniFi Hosting which now supports Talk phones. The price is £29.00 per month to host up to 1000 devices (network or phones) Our previous secondary school phone system (including SIP trunks, DDI rental, and maintenance) was over £2,291. We now pay £79.91 monthly (about £958.92 annually) for nine dedicated lines, which was necessary to provide unique numbers for key departments like Cover, Attendance, and HR, IT. The largest savings are for primary schools where they just pay £7.99 per month.

Yes

UniFi Phones and UniFi hosting. Primary schools ended up using one phone line which currently costs £7.99. For secondary schools this depends on how many DDIs do you need in the school. Each DDI = £7.99 In our case we ended up with 9 lines which costs us £71.91 per month.

I can confirm that the 5m USB-C cable we used in our school works well. It's currently low in stock: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BCWKYNHM I'm testing this 5m cable: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCBLFGJY. The specifications are identical, and it seems to be of good quality. When you order, I'd recommend getting extra cables, as they tend to wear out faster than HDMI cables. The two docks you've selected look good. The Anker is probably more than you need, but it's brand reputation is solid. The UGREEN dock will require a Windows Driver for the 2nd monitor to work (one monitor will work fine without the drivers) I initially tried the MOKiN docks, but I had to return them because they would freeze after a few weeks of use.

UniFi Talk

The web filter is managed by our safeguarding team as per DFE Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges requirements. Our role is to make sure that the safeguarding filter works and test it at least once a year. Thanks Greg

I love how Bromcom marketing post turned from “We’ve moved to Bromcom from Arbor and we’re loving it” to "Loving Bromcom Is Dead Easy... When Bromcom Pays for Your Opinion!" Of course there was a conflict of interest. Imagine managing a trust of 7 schools and be the decision maker of switching over to Google from Office 365. A few months later you work for Google. Not suspicious at all.

That's correct, and again "For compliance always check with your Data Protection Officer."

There is a toggle tab on the page that changes the information between Gemini Business / Enterprise and Gemini for Education The screenshot you provided is for Business / Enterprise section. You are after this page: https://support.google.com/a/answer/14571493?co=DASHER._Family%3DEducation&product_name=UnuFlow&hl=en&visit_id=638786608512339510-242624582&rd=1&src=supportwidget0&hl=en&oco=0#zippy=%2Cas-an-additional-service For compliance always check with your Data Protection Officer.

I'm confused. Where does it say that Google will use the data for training with free Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals edition ? The link that you replied to clearly says: As an additional Google Service Users without a Education Standard or Education Plus or a Gemini for Google Workspace license are subject to the Google Terms of Service and the Additional Product Terms when they use the Gemini app. However, their chats won't be reviewed by human reviewers or otherwise used to improve generative AI models.

This is incorrect. Gemini free is using 2.0 models and the paid version is using Gemini Advanced 2.0 models. With the paid version you get all the integrations to other Google products (google calls them add-ons) which makes it easier to use the AI. For example options like help me write are embedded in Gmail/Docs or there is a Gemini side panel in most of Google apps. You can find out more about this here: https://support.google.com/a/answer/14700766