Buildings for the Future Lessons Learnt – Lessons Shared

1. Buildings for the FutureLessons Learnt – Lessons Shared Nina Woodcock

2. What is Becta? • Government lead agency for technology in education • Leading the national drive for effective use of technology in learning • Co-ordinating and leading the e-strategy (Harnessing Technology) • Working in partnership with DCSF, DIUS, other agencies and key industry partners

3. Our vision A world where technology and innovation enable learners to achieve their potential

4. My background • Originally a teacher (secondary science) • Worked for an ICT training supplier • Have been at Becta for over 5 yrs in a range of roles • Now Head of Capital Building Programmes

5. Governor of a secondary school - rebuilt last year

6. Opened new building in November 2007www.brockington.leics.sch.uk

7. Key messages • It is never too early to start planning • You can’t do it all on your own • Keep a very careful eye on the budget • There is plenty of help and advice available

8. Why do you need to consider ICT early? • We are transforming learning not just putting up buildings • ICT has the potential to; • change the way we learn (and teach) • enable personalisation • allow learning to take place off-site and outside school hours • New ways of learning and teaching can have a profound effect on the design of spaces in the school and the way we use technology in those spaces • Changing the design later can be very expensive

9. Starting early • Important to be involved in discussions with designers/architects from the outset • at least 3 or 4 yrs before new school opens • If you are a BSF school ensure you get involved with the LA’s plans at earliest opportunity • Don’t start with specific technologies – start with your vision for how technology will improve learning and teaching • Don’t leave it too late to engage the ICT supplier

10. Preparing for increased use of ICT What can you do now? • Making best use of current investment • learning platforms and online learning space • MIS e.g. pupil tracking and reporting to parents • fully utilising existing ICT resources • Change management • preparing staff for new ways of working • training, exemplars, ICT champions, ‘sand-pit’

11. Self-review framework • A model for self-review, helping schools to assess where they are now in their use of technology and plan for improvements • Promotes a national standard for ICT and enables progress towards the ICT Mark • All schools should make use of the self-review framework • Particularly useful in helping to develop vision and strategy ahead of a major change

12. Elements of the self-review framework Curriculum Impact on Learning Learning & teaching Professional development Assessment Resources Extending opportunities for learning Leadership and management

13. Moving towards a managed service approach • A managed service usually includes: • Helpdesk (logging incidents and telephone support) • Technical support staff (on site and mobile) • Hardware maintenance and application support • System and desktop monitoring • Remote hosting • Disaster recovery • Asset management

14. Benefits of a Managed Service • School staff can concentrate on reaping the benefits of ICT (learning, teaching, management) • Lessens the impact of losing experienced staff • Guarantees high levels of service (availability, reliability) • Improves processes by using best practice standards • Better cost control – true costs are clear and can be measured against benefits • Transfers risk

15. Preparing for a Managed Service • Understand how much current support for ICT is costing (TCO) • Introduce best practice processes (FITS)

16. Understanding Total Cost of Ownership All the costs associated with • purchase • implementation • operation • maintenance Including • user training and self support • formal support and maintenance • consumables • hardware, software, network infrastructure

17. ICT Investment Planning Tool • Simple spreadsheet planner • Developed by Becta and Local Authorities • Informs ICT investment decisions in schools • Provides : • calculation of true current cost of ICT systems • calculation of likely future costs • comparison with costs of a managed service • Available to download from the Becta website

18. Framework for ICT Technical Support (FITS) • Based on ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) • Covers the four main aspects of technical support provision • reactive • proactive • change • strategic

19. Benefits of using FITS • Tried and tested processes, adapted to school environment • Provides ready made templates, checklists and downloads • can be used as they are or personalised • Separate administrative and technical tasks • helps assign resources appropriately • Protects teachers from getting too involved in technical support issues • Helps measure technical support requirements and costs • Helps prepare staff for managed service approach

20. Supporting the building project • Don’t under-estimate how much time it will take • There will normally be some professional support supplied (e.g. by LA/Sponsor/DSCF) • At school level you will need someone to be the key link to the overall project manager/director, design and construction companies, ICT supplier • If asking senior staff member(s) to take on this role you must release them from other tasks

21. Additional support • Becta’s Capital Buildings Programme team can provide some direct support • For BSF, Partnerships for Schools have a team of Education ICT Advisers • For many projects additional ICT consultancy may be required • depending on existing resources/capacity of the LA or sponsor • this can be procured from Becta’s Consultancy Services Framework Agreement

22. Budget issues • Particularly an issue with ‘one off’ new builds (Academies and One School Pathfinders) • There is a formula for calculating the ICT budget BUT the money is not ring-fenced • If the construction budget is overspent the project manager will look for savings elsewhere (especially the ICT budget) • Be very clear from the outset what is and isn’t in the ICT budget (e.g. CCTV ‘out’ but music keyboards ‘in’)

23. Is it all worth it? • http://www.p4s.org.uk/library/bsf_voices_djanogly_and_hadley.jsp#Wow

24. Further information from Becta • Capital building programmes www.becta.org.uk/schools/capitalbuilding • Self-review framework www.becta.org.uk/schools/selfreview • FITS www.becta.org.uk/fits • Investment planner www.becta.org.uk/schools/leadership (follow budgeting, financial planning)

25. Further information cont • Becta Procurement Frameworks www.becta.org.uk/schools/procurement • Becta Technical standards www.becta.org.uk/schools/techstandards • Partnerships for Schools (for BSF) • www.p4s.org.uk • NCSL BSF Resources • bsf.ncsl.org.uk

26. ICT Excellence Awards 2008 • seeking out the best and brightest schools that are using technology to help learners achieve and to benefit the whole school community • closely aligned with Becta’s Self-Review Framework and the ICT Mark • Includes a ‘support for schools’ category

27. ICT Excellence Awards 2008 • Find out more, view 2007 winners, and enter online at www.becta.org.uk/excellenceawards • Don’t miss the deadline of 30 April 2008

28. Thank you Any questions?