PfS Chief Executive calls for seamless ICT integration

11 June 2008

The Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools today called on ICT industry players involved in the Building Schools for the Future programme to re-double their efforts in identifying and implementing a way for schools, local authorities and other agencies involved in education and the well-being of young people to collect data about students in a “write once, use many times model”.

Speaking at an education summit in Birmingham, Tim Byles said that with around half of all local authorities in England now engaged in the BSF programme it was becoming increasingly important that a Schools Interoperability Framework as a national standard for schools’ data interchange was adopted without delay.

He told delegates: “The main industry players in this field need to respond to the growing expectations and understanding in schools of the need for powerful information management tools that work in an environment where students are increasingly mobile and where information about online and offline learning needs to be gathered, processed and presented seamlessly.”

He added: “We are challenging the ICT industry, through the recently revised ICT Output Specification, to develop and provide systems which will enable diverse applications within the education and wider children’s services sectors to interact and share data efficiently, reliably and securely, regardless of the platform hosting the applications.

“In the context of BSF such systems could, when appropriately configured, enable transfer of data from schools and other educational establishments, almost in real time, to local authorities and up to government departments and agencies - and of course from these diverse organisations back to the school. In addition, within individual schools, information about students using library cards or cashless catering can be immediately populated with key information they require to operate effectively, having a real impact on time and access to data.

“Becta has championed the adoption of the Schools Interoperability Framework (or SIF as it is known) as a national standard for schools’ data interchange, and has led the way with a pilot in Birmingham last year. I applaud their work to date and look forward to working with them further on this issue, and as the BSF programme accelerates and school leaders get to work in their new ICT-rich school environments, we have to make sure that they have all the tools at their disposal to ensure that the commitment translates into something that is meaningful and which works on the ground.”

He told delegates that Northgate have done this already, with the Coviscint software to collate and present information from different systems; and that there is great potential offered by the conceptual work being done by Microsoft in response to demands from Academies such as New Line Learning in Maidstone and BSF local authorities such as Kent, Knowsley and Sandwell.

Tim Byles delivered the keynote speech at the Schools of the Future Summit on Wednesday 11.

Notes to Editors:

1. A full copy of the speech by Tim Byles can be found on the PfS website.
2. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. BSF will provide world-class teaching and learning environments for all pupils, teachers and communities in England.
3. Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the delivery agency for Building Schools for the Future. PfS was established in April 2004 as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), and is operated and funded under a joint venture between DCSF (formerly DfES) and Partnerships UK. 
4. A total of 13 BSF schools are now open nationwide from Newcastle in the north to Bristol in the south: Bristol Metropolitan College (April 09); Ifield  School, Kent (March 08); Michael Tippett SEN School, Lambeth (Feb 08); Sandon High School, Stoke (Feb 08); Birches Head, Stoke (Oct 07); Elm Green, Lambeth (Sept 07); Bristol Brunel Academy (Sept 07); Sixth Form, Haringey (Sept 07); Oxclose, Sunderland (June 07); Chaucer, Sheffield (Oct 06); Bamburgh, STaG (Oct 06); All Saints, Newcastle (Sept 06); and Solihull Centre for Inclusive Learning (May 06).
5. Recent developments include a comprehensive review of the pre-procurement and procurement processes for BSF and proposals to accelerate and streamline activity.  Key outcomes from these initiatives include:
    - Six-month reduction in pre-procurement timescales coupled with more robust preparation in advance of joining the programme;
    - Proposed two-month reduction in procurement phase timescales, delivering up to £250m savings;
    - Acceleration of a number of local authorities originally due to join BSF in 2008 – 2009 with a fast-track start date this summer; and
    - Launch of a public consultation looking at the order in which those authorities not yet in the programme will start their BSF projects.

Media Enquiries:

Amy Leonard, Communications Director, Partnerships for Schools: 07960 116966 or Nicky Old, Senior Communications Manager: 020 7273 0031.