Archived decisions

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Scrutiny - the role of Education ICT (EdICT)

Within Hampshire County Council, there are three main strands to a partnership which works under the generic title of Hampshire Education ICT Support and Development Services:

· Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Services (HIAS) who provide a range of services focussed on ICT as a curriculum subject, and on the use of ICT to support teaching and learning throughout the curriculum;

· Education ICT (EdICT), which focuses on the hardware and software infrastructure required to support all educational use of ICT, and on the support and development of school management and administrative systems, particularly SIMS (Schools Information Management System);

· IT Services who provide wide area communications, and services related to the Internet and corporate applications such as SAP.

Our intention is to ensure the most effective and efficient use of ICT for teaching and learning, and for management and administration - a `one-stop-shop' for schools. Our key strategic aims are to reduce the total cost of ownership of ICT through the development, implementation and maintenance of standards; and to reduce the amount of time that headteachers and teachers spend dealing with technology rather than teaching and learning.

Although EdICT operates as a business unit, we encourage headteachers - through PICATS and SICATS - to play an active role in EdICT's governance, to effectively `own' their ICT support agency. PICATS and SICATS are the Primary/Secondary Information, Communications and Technology Strategy groups. It should be noted however that schools are autonomously managed establishments, able to purchase support from wherever they choose, a factor which makes them a totally different customer base from other County Council establishments. But EdICT also plays a key role in helping to deliver the LEA's strategic leadership duties and to meet DfES targets for ICT in schools.

The majority of services to schools are purchased through a subscription based service agreement - see http://ictinschools.hants.gov.uk/edictsla2005-8.pdf . 530 schools currently purchase some level of support from EdICT. Overall, EdICT employs approximately 90 staff and has a turnover in excess of £4million.

EdICT works within Hampshire's corporate procurement policies and encourages schools to do the same. When contracts are let, for example for hardware maintenance, EdICT works closely with IT Services to ensure that schools' unique requirements are fully met.

In addition to the day-to-day support of existing systems in schools, EdICT is involved in a number of major development activities:

· The modernising of SIMS - the Schools Information Management System, updating all school systems to exploit changes in technology.

· EdICT has developed a key strategic product - EdICTNet, a local area network which is now installed in nearly half of Hampshire's schools. A new version has just been released.

· An £8.5 million project, the SWAN project, DfES funded, to install broadband communications into all schools by 2006. SWAN is an integral part of the Hampshire Public Services Network (HPSN), but also links with the emerging National Education Network (NEN) which will connect all schools.

· The development of Learning Platforms - using ICT to support the administration and management of the teaching and learning process and facilitating more personalised learning at home and in school.

David K Woodward, Head of Education ICT, November 2005