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Re: [LUG] linux in schools - did some probing



Don't know who Brian Sussex is, but his 'official line' on ICT in schools is
somewhat different to the reality that I have come across in real
Devon schools.

His position is "Senior Education Office" check outi
<http://www.devon.gov.uk/eal/scomis/team.htm>

They each have a budget for Classroom and Administration IT and get
funding from a couple of things. They can spend it on what they want,
but that is a woolly area.

Yes this is a very woolly area, as usually the teachers and pupils who
actually use ICT resources have almost no say in what is purchased.

If the kids made the decisions they'd want games consoles.
Also many subject teachers tend towards either disinterest or
insisting on very specific software, irrespective of if it
will co-exist with anything else (frequently with little
understanding of licencing issues...)

Often this is done on the basis of the head's or the ICT coordinator's
whim.  Management wise schools tend to be highly polliticised, with
progression up the management ladder based on lenght of service
rather than an aptitude to do the job well.

The same goes for LEA's, possibly to a worst extent since they
have no equivalent of a body of governers...


There is some existing Windows software which runs schools finances
and pupil information (sickness, absence, etc).

This is the standard SIMS (School Information system) or SCOMIS (School
Management Information system).  This is 'DOS' software kludged to look like
a windows application.  However access to these systems are usually

It's also something designed for a standalone machine and highly kludged
to "work" with a network. Even the supposedly new SQL based bits can't
manage some rather fundermental things.


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