The Children and Young People Service, Learning SLA offers an optional package to support the use of ICT in school management and the curriculum through its IT Curriculum and Administration Support (ITCAS) centre. This package offers demonstrably better value for money for Kirklees schools than the support available from the software producers or regional centres, and offers a much wider range of facilities. In addition to school administration and management, ITCAS provides support for the ICT equipment and resources used in teaching and learning. ITCAS plays a key role in planning and implementing the local response to national initiatives which have an impact on the use of ICT in schools and provides a lead on ICT for Schools of the Future. Kirklees Ednet, the comprehensive online information resource for local schools, is managed and maintained in ITCAS.
The ITCAS service has achieved national accreditation for the quality of its in-service training provision and its role as an educational IT resource centre. ITCAS is also a member of the RMMS Premier Partnership. The Centre supports schools in the use of desktop, laptop and handheld computers and peripheral devices. It also provides access to the latest curriculum resources available. In addition to offering support for the primary and secondary phases of education, access to materials from SEMERC and ITTools is available for teachers of pupils with Special Educational Needs. In a well-equipped training room, ITCAS has 17 high specification networked computers, including a large screen monitor and keyboard. In addition to a broadband network with multi-user access to the Internet, there is a wireless network and both networks support the use of interactive whiteboards, video conferencing equipment, visualisers and other computer-related resources. ITCAS also has an extensive curriculum software library with a wide range of up to date software.
The ITCAS SLA includes the following support for the use of ICT in schools:
- Telephone Helpdesk for RMMS and SIMS between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm throughout the year
- SIMS support arranged through Capita Pennine for Secondary Schools and Calderdale LA for Primary Schools
- Telephone support for the other software commonly used in school administration and management (including Money Manager, e-profile and Microsoft Office)
- Remote support for RMMS and SIMS where the problem cannot be solved via the helpdesk
- Support for DCSF initiatives e.g. Census, RAISE on-line
- Training arranged at reduced costs in the ITCAS training room
- One-to-one training arranged by agreement
- Software specific support groups e.g. Assessment, Behaviour and Attendance.
- Application of local knowledge to support for the integration and customisation of RMMS and SIMS modules into existing Kirklees practice e.g. LA reconciliation
- Liaison with RMMS and SIMS developers e.g. for up to date information, advanced technical support and incorporating Kirklees' requirements into future releases of the software
- Attendance at National User Groups on behalf of Kirklees schools, followed by feedback to schools
- A library of frequently requested reports from the LA e.g. data collection reports for Information Unit.
- Free updates of SIMS and RMMS software
- Detailed instructions for installing new software releases and year end notes
- Advice on the purchase of hardware and software
- Discounted software offers
- Regular drop-in sessions for curriculum support
- Regular news updates on Kirklees Ednet
- Local RMMS and SIMS User Groups for Kirklees schools
- Access to the regional and national support networks for curriculum and administration software
- Access to equipment and resources at the centre (by appointment)
- Support for developing the ICT curriculum and using ICT to enhance teaching and learning throughout the curriculum
- Telephone helpdesk and e-mail access for curriculum support (term time only)
Training and consultancy
The ITCAS SLA does not include free training and consultancies. However, these are provided through the Learning Service in-service training packages. Schools which purchase one of the optional INSET packages can take advantage of reduced rates for training and consultancy in the use of ICT in schools. A full range of courses is advertised annually in the Children and Young People Service brochure and the electronic version of the brochure on Ednet. In addition to curriculum activities, training and consultancies are also now available for the RMMS and SIMS packages and other relevant office software such as financial management, word-processing, spreadsheets, data-handling software and electronic communications.
Other exclusions from the ITCAS SLA
The ITCAS SLA exclude the following:
- Operating systems and other system software (e.g. device drivers)
- Virus protection
- Networking
- Data transfer and recovery
- Hardware upgrades
- Hardware repair and maintenance
ITCAS staff (from March 2010)
- Clive Williams – Senior Improvement Manager (Strategic ICT) and ITCAS Centre Manager
- Eileen Torr - School Improvement Officer (ICT)
- Fiona Denham - Primary ICT consultant
- Pauline Hargreaves - Secondary ICT Consultant
- David Luke - Secondary ICT Consultant
- Dughall McCormick - e-Learning Consultant
- Karen Margis - Principal ICT Development Officer
- Conise Lockwood - MIS Software Support Officer
- Samantha Naylor - MIS Software Support Officer
- Kiran Buttoo - MIS Software Support Officer
- Amjad Ahmed - Web Development Officer (Kirklees Ednet)
- Hilary Stubbings/Shamim Dhorat - Administration Assistants