School ICT News Bulletin No. 228 - 23/09/2013 Published by ICT Shared Services ICT at Headteachers’ Conference 26th September 2013 Come and see ICT at the conference – ICT Shared Services and some of our partners are showing some of the ICT developments we’ve been collaborating on, as well as the Computing Curriculum, and how we can jointly support school improvement. We’ll be on the mezzanine floor of the John Innes Conference Centre with Jill Duman from NIEAS to talk with you about the Computing Curriculum. BT Global representatives to discuss the Broadband upgrade options and what it means for your school. Capita who can show you how all the tools you have available in SIMS in your school can support school improvement. For example find out how you can track the difference spending pupil premium makes ICT Shared Services will be showing the Smoothwall Swurl option for local control of filtering We’ll also be showing the different types of web sites we offer to help you meet the school information regulations to promote your school. See our new simple template version released this term. E2BN (East of England Broadband Consortium) to show you the range of learning and teaching resources available to schools in Norfolk. Included as part of the package for schools on Norfolk Broadband. Find out why being part of E2BN is different from High Street Broadband Our world leading Norfolk Cloud Portal - have you used these resources in your school yet? Find out how easy it is for your users to access a vast range of free resources. All available 24/7 by logging on with a single Norfolk User ID and password. On the ICT Shared Services stand on the Ground floor at the conference, our staff will also be available to discuss any of the services we offer and any queries you wish to raise with us. For example did you know how to secure Apple ipads for different users in your school? We can show you the remote tools we are using so we can proactively, remotely manage ICT in your school to maximise systems to work when you need them, We’d also be interested in hearing about your experiences and feedback of our ICT Refresh programme to build into the new Programme which starts in April 2014. Author: Lynn Parvin Help with choosing a Smoothwall Swurl and Swurl training In last week’s ebulletin we advised that to help your school decide whether you want to use Swurl or a local on-site solution for your school we will be holding a workshop on Thursday 3^rd October from 1330 to 1600 at the Norwich Professional Development Centre to show you the functionality of Smoothwall options. Jill Duman, ICT Adviser will also cover an e-safety session at both workshops. In addition we will be available to show Smoothwall at the Headteachers’ Conference on Thursday 26^th September. Swurl training Swurl training has now been scheduled as follows: 15^th October 2013 am and pm sessions West Norfolk PDC 22^nd October 2013 am and pm sessions Norwich City Football Club 14^th November 2013 am and pm sessions West Norfolk PDC 21st November 2013 am and pm sessions Norwich PDC Booking for SWURL presentation on the 3^rdOctober and the SWURL training dates are available for booking on our website – Click on the link to book http://www.ict.norfolk.gov.uk/Training/Booking/default.asp?view=list There are no charges for any of these sessions so please book only 1 attendee per school due to limited spaces for both sessions. Author: Broadband Project Team Photocopier Purchasing Guidance This information is to help and advise all schools when looking at renewing photocopier contracts how to get the best deal for your school and avoid pitfalls. Before you commit to any changes in your current contract please see the guidelines below for different ways to confirm which suppliers are approved: To find out who the current approved suppliers are under the GPS/ESPO framework please refer to contract RM1599 on the ESPO dealing direct website. Please also refer to the latest MI Sheet which was published on the 21^st of September MI 179/12 Call the ICT Shared Services service desk on 0845 3033003 and press 2 for Procurement for guidance Before signing a contract schools are advised to contact Norfolk County Council for guidance. Why are we stressing this advice again? You may recall that a number of Norfolk schools were subject to bad practice from a non-authorised photocopier contractor leading to vast overpayments some years ago. This involved NPLaw, ICT Shared Services, Trading Standards and Children’s Services Finance to extricate schools from the se agreements. Please be aware that there is a non- approved photocopier company contacting schools and academies offering to arrange and carry out a print audit, stating they will provide a new solution recommendation based on the schools printing usage. Another approach is to offer “free” donation equipment, such as tablets, however the costs of these devices will be added to the leasing figures. Here are a few examples of the types of bad practice some unauthorised dealers do without the knowledge of the school: The supplier collects information of the school’s expected copy volumes, mono and colour. On the leasing document they leave this information blank however once the lease document is signed the supplier inputs lower copy volumes. At the end of the lease the suppler will return to the school with a large bill for unbilled copies over the volumes stated in the contract, or tempt the school into a new 5 year lease rolling the costs to the new contract. The school will then pay more and end up in a longer contract. The supplier informs the school the lease agreement is for 3 years, once again leaving the leasing document blank. School signs the document and when the solution is installed a copy of the document is left with the school but the leasing agreement has been changed to 5 years. Leaving the school unaware of the change. The supplier will offer to pay off the existing photocopier contract, however unknown to the school the remaining contract will be hidden within the payment of the new photocopier and the cost per copies, so the school end up paying a lot more than anticipated. If you have received quotes but would like assistance the photocopier quotes / contracts will be checked and bench marked by the procurement team to ensure the school is receiving best value. Author: Procurement Team Important News Items We have found recently that there has been a lack of awareness of important information we have posted on our news page at http://www.ict.norfolk.gov.uk. To assist schools with this we would like to make you aware of the ability to set up RSS feeds to our website. Once you subscribe to a website RSS removes the need for the website to be manually check it. Instead, your browser constantly monitors the site and informs you of any updates. Information on how to set up RSS feeds for our news page are located here http://www.ict.norfolk.gov.uk/page.aspx?id=716. Author: Rob Price Does your website tick all the boxes for Ofsted inspection? This term we are releasing a new simple web site template to help schools publish the information required by the School Information Regulations 2012 as outlined in MI sheet 134/12. For just £200 ICT Shared Services will create for your school a website that ensures you meet the regulations as well as providing the information the Ofsted inspector will be looking for as part of the pre-inspection preparation. ICT Shared Services will upload the website to your Norfolk Broadband Service provided web hosting with the pages for the key information all branded with your school name. Full instructions will be provided on how to update text, include links and upload pictures. Alternatively we offer our Managed Web Service Package which will deliver a complete website where you have the control to create what you want. This option is a web based content management system so you can edit it where ever you have an internet connection. Our Managed Install Package includes the 7 most common pages, with a choice of 40 designs Author: Robbie Gleeson

School ICT News Bulletin No. 228 - 23/09/2013

Published by ICT Shared Services

ICT at Headteachers’ Conference 26th September 2013

Come and see ICT at the conference – ICT Shared Services and some of our partners are showing some of the ICT developments we’ve been collaborating on, as well as the Computing Curriculum, and how we can jointly support school improvement.

We’ll be on the mezzanine floor of the John Innes Conference Centre with

Jill Duman from NIEAS to talk with you about the Computing Curriculum.
BT Global representatives to discuss the Broadband upgrade options and what it means for your school.
Capita who can show you how all the tools you have available in SIMS in your school can support school improvement. For example find out how you can track the difference spending pupil premium makes
ICT Shared Services will be showing the Smoothwall Swurl option for local control of filtering
We’ll also be showing the different types of web sites we offer to help you meet the school information regulations to promote your school. See our new simple template version released this term.
E2BN (East of England Broadband Consortium) to show you the range of learning and teaching resources available to schools in Norfolk. Included as part of the package for schools on Norfolk Broadband.
Find out why being part of E2BN is different from High Street Broadband
Our world leading Norfolk Cloud Portal - have you used these resources in your school yet? Find out how easy it is for your users to access a vast range of free resources. All available 24/7 by logging on with a single Norfolk User ID and password.

On the ICT Shared Services stand on the Ground floor at the conference, our staff will also be available to discuss any of the services we offer and any queries you wish to raise with us. For example did you know how to secure Apple ipads for different users in your school?

We can show you the remote tools we are using so we can proactively, remotely manage ICT in your school to maximise systems to work when you need them,

We’d also be interested in hearing about your experiences and feedback of our ICT Refresh programme to build into the new Programme which starts in April 2014.

Author: Lynn Parvin

Help with choosing a Smoothwall Swurl and Swurl training

In last week’s ebulletin we advised that to help your school decide whether you want to use Swurl or a local on-site solution for your school we will be holding a workshop on Thursday 3^rd October from 1330 to 1600 at the Norwich Professional Development Centre to show you the functionality of Smoothwall options. Jill Duman, ICT Adviser will also cover an e-safety session at both workshops.

In addition we will be available to show Smoothwall at the Headteachers’ Conference on Thursday 26^th September.

Swurl training

Swurl training has now been scheduled as follows:

15^th October 2013 am and pm sessions West Norfolk PDC

22^nd October 2013 am and pm sessions Norwich City Football Club

14^th November 2013 am and pm sessions West Norfolk PDC

21st November 2013 am and pm sessions Norwich PDC

Booking for SWURL presentation on the 3^rdOctober and the SWURL training dates are available for booking on our website – Click on the link to book http://www.ict.norfolk.gov.uk/Training/Booking/default.asp?view=list

There are no charges for any of these sessions so please book only 1 attendee per school due to limited spaces for both sessions.

Author: Broadband Project Team

Photocopier Purchasing Guidance

This information is to help and advise all schools when looking at renewing photocopier contracts how to get the best deal for your school and avoid pitfalls.

Before you commit to any changes in your current contract please see the guidelines below for different ways to confirm which suppliers are approved:

To find out who the current approved suppliers are under the GPS/ESPO framework please refer to contract RM1599 on the ESPO dealing direct website.
Please also refer to the latest MI Sheet which was published on the 21^st of September MI 179/12
Call the ICT Shared Services service desk on 0845 3033003 and press 2 for Procurement for guidance

Before signing a contract schools are advised to contact Norfolk County Council for guidance.

Why are we stressing this advice again?

You may recall that a number of Norfolk schools were subject to bad practice from a non-authorised photocopier contractor leading to vast overpayments some years ago. This involved NPLaw, ICT Shared Services, Trading Standards and Children’s Services Finance to extricate schools from the se agreements.

Please be aware that there is a non- approved photocopier company contacting schools and academies offering to arrange and carry out a print audit, stating they will provide a new solution recommendation based on the schools printing usage. Another approach is to offer “free” donation equipment, such as tablets, however the costs of these devices will be added to the leasing figures.

Here are a few examples of the types of bad practice some unauthorised dealers do without the knowledge of the school:

The supplier collects information of the school’s expected copy volumes, mono and colour. On the leasing document they leave this information blank however once the lease document is signed the supplier inputs lower copy volumes. At the end of the lease the suppler will return to the school with a large bill for unbilled copies over the volumes stated in the contract, or tempt the school into a new 5 year lease rolling the costs to the new contract. The school will then pay more and end up in a longer contract.
The supplier informs the school the lease agreement is for 3 years, once again leaving the leasing document blank. School signs the document and when the solution is installed a copy of the document is left with the school but the leasing agreement has been changed to 5 years. Leaving the school unaware of the change.
The supplier will offer to pay off the existing photocopier contract, however unknown to the school the remaining contract will be hidden within the payment of the new photocopier and the cost per copies, so the school end up paying a lot more than anticipated.

If you have received quotes but would like assistance the photocopier quotes / contracts will be checked and bench marked by the procurement team to ensure the school is receiving best value.

Author: Procurement Team

Important News Items

We have found recently that there has been a lack of awareness of important information we have posted on our news page at http://www.ict.norfolk.gov.uk.

To assist schools with this we would like to make you aware of the ability to set up RSS feeds to our website.

Once you subscribe to a website RSS removes the need for the website to be manually check it. Instead, your browser constantly monitors the site and informs you of any updates.

Information on how to set up RSS feeds for our news page are located here http://www.ict.norfolk.gov.uk/page.aspx?id=716.

Author: Rob Price

Does your website tick all the boxes for Ofsted inspection?

This term we are releasing a new simple web site template to help schools publish the information required by the School Information Regulations 2012 as outlined in MI sheet 134/12.

For just £200 ICT Shared Services will create for your school a website that ensures you meet the regulations as well as providing the information the Ofsted inspector will be looking for as part of the pre-inspection preparation.

ICT Shared Services will upload the website to your Norfolk Broadband Service provided web hosting with the pages for the key information all branded with your school name. Full instructions will be provided on how to update text, include links and upload pictures.

Alternatively we offer our Managed Web Service Package which will deliver a complete website where you have the control to create what you want. This option is a web based content management system so you can edit it where ever you have an internet connection.

Our Managed Install Package includes the 7 most common pages, with a choice of 40 designs