Service Level Agreements 2009-10

Purpose: Notification of the new Service Level Agreement 2009-10

Audience: Headteacher and School Secretary

All schools should have received a copy of the Service Level Agreement folder, via the School Courier service, for you to consider the extensive range of ICT options Education ICT Service are offering schools during 2009-10.

Also included in the folder is a copy of our 2008 Annual Report: the facts and figures, which we hope will provide you with some interesting details about our work with schools. We have also enclosed a second copy of the 2008 Annual Report, for the attention of your Chair of Governors and would appreciate if you would forward to them.

Once you have made a decision on your school’s requirements, to allow us time to make appropriate staffing arrangements for the new financial year, we would be grateful if you would return your sign-up form by 27th February 2009.

If you have any questions regarding the services or if you need further advice please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team on 01480 376655.

Hardware Price Increases

Purpose: Procurement Pricing

Audience: Headteachers, Bursar, Office & ICT Staff in Cambridgeshire Schools

Due to the current economic climate (£ versus $/€) we have noticed that many hardware manufacturers have raised their prices in this first quarter and could plan to raise them again at short notice. A big culture shock to the IT market, as over the past 15 years technology has only decreased in price. Sadly, these rises will be reflected in our prices to schools, however we continue to be competitive along with providing best value and service.

If you receive a quotation from Education ICT Service, we ask that you check the expiry date, as this might have been shortened to 7 days. We hope that prices will stabilise in the near future.

Any questions regarding the procurement of ICT hardware, please contact the Procurement Team on 01223 566456 or email sales@ict.cambsed.net

Mobile Devices and AfL

Purpose: Information share

Audience: Headteachers, SLTs, Assessment and ICT Coordinators

Monkfield Park School in Cambourne have been running an Action Research Project in the use of mobile devices for learning. The children were excited by the use of the PDAs and you can read all about the impact from the children's blog at

http://www.monkfieldpark.blogspot.com/ and select the 'comments'.

Teacher evaluation from Simon Wall: Teacher Evaluation

Previous projects, background and resources: PDA homepage if you have any plans to use mobile devices and would be happy to share your experiences, then please get in touch. Contact: maggie.dutton@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

RAISEonline update

Purpose: Latest Information

Audience: Secondary Heads and Senior Leadership Teams

Release of 2008 validated Key Stage 4 data in the RAISEonline Full Report

The Full Report for schools with Key Stage 4 results has now been updated to reflect the validated 2008 KS4 data released in the interactive reports on the 30th January.

The validated data release incorporates approved changes to the data that may have been requested as part of the DCSF Achievement and Attainment tables checking exercise for schools with pupils at Key Stage 4. This data set may not reflect the outcome of any late or ongoing appeals.

2008 data for Key Stage 3 are not currently available. For 2007 Key Stage 3 data, please refer to the 2007 Full Report, available in the archive area of RAISEonline by clicking on the blue Reports & Analysis tab, and then following the link View Archived Reports in the panel on the left.

Purpose: Dates for your diary

Audience: Headteachers, SLT, Assessment Managers, Business Managers

Please note the dates for the Primary and Secondary User Groups (PUGs and SUGs). The agenda will include latest news from RAISE, ToPP (APP) and school models, Parental Engagement, Attendance . More details will be published shortly.

Wednesday 18th March at March Library - PUGs - 9:30 - 12:30 and SUGs 13:00 - 16:00

Thursday 19th March at Buckden Millennium Centre - PUGs 9:30 - 12:30 only

Wednesday 25th March at CPDC - PUGs - 9:30 - 12:30 and SUGs 13:00 - 16:00

Please note we are unable to accept bookings over the phone. You may call to check availability on telephone 01480 376670 or email: ict.courses@cambridgeshire.gov.uk , a booking form is required, unfortunately no places can be provisionally booked.

Cambridgeshire Online Training Search

Cambridgeshire Online Training Search (COTS) is a database of training opportunities provided by the Local Authority. It can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet without the need for a password; its powerful search engine will help you to find suitable courses. Eventually, all providers will be using this database, please check the Providers list for the services currently represented. You will already find the complete listing of courses offered by CAS, CREDS, SLS, Education ICT Service, ISSIS, Cambridgeshire Youth Work and Connexions. Go to: COTS to access this service now.

ICT Service Blog and Helpline Blog

The information in this briefing is also available through our blog. This means that you do not have to wait for the fortnightly distribution; news items go online immediately. Other relevant information about ICT is posted there too. It is also possible to use the blog to comment on items and to give us feedback.

There is a link to the blog from our website or you can visit it directly at http://educationictservice.blogspot.com/ If you use a newsreader such as Google Reader, you can subscribe to the blog using the link in the left-hand column; your news reader will automatically highlight new blog items for you. If you would like to learn how to do this, contact the Helpline.

For up to the minute Helpline information, please visit the ICT Service Helplines Blog by searching for Resource id: 3750 from the Education Portal or by using this link: ICT Service Helplines Blog. You can subscribe to this blog in exactly the same way.

More ICT News on the Portal...

Do you regularly check the ICT News page on the Portal? It features all the latest ICT-related news of importance to Cambridgeshire's schools.

To take a look, simply search for resource ID: 584 from the Portal front page, or click on 'News' on the ICT Service home page (www.ict.ccceducation.net).