Hi Ian In message <20020707073610.SRTY23840.mta03-svc.ntlworld.com@there> Ian Lynch wrote:

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Actually our County LEA (Hampshire) are scoping a project to produce a complete learning system to try and incorporate everything from SIMS (or similar) integration and online courses, class setting management and learning system management. They have someone looking into lots of the standards to help with this including AFAICR XML, SOAP, eGIF (??) etc.. I remember it was said that a browser interface was going to be definite, which makes me think they are after using open standards. Can't remember the guys name but I think he was the author of PenDown? for the RISC OS platform. I think their intention is to put together a specification andthen put it out to tender. It may involve working with other authorities and could well lead to something quite big?

The reason I mention this is because there was discussion here of a possible open system to challenge SIMS and there may be some people who'd like to keep their eyes open for this. As far as I am aware there is no online material to look at as yet.

Colin,

I'm currently supporting ICT strategy with Southampton LEA on 3 PFI schools and we now have several sites including a CLC with substantial desktop Linux installations. We have developed web based electronic registration and plan to develop a complete environment ourselves based on free software, it will just take time because we try and develop a new application off the back of each major installation so that the next ones gets more free applications. Usually the savings in software licences are sufficient to generate the next application which makes a lot more sense than paying for licences for ever. We can also get a high degree of integration between existing windows systems and Linux. We are about to do a primary school in Portsmouth, waiting for building work to be completed. I would be interested to know more about the Hampshire proposals. Is Martyn Wilson still the IT adviser?

Yes he is but its David Woodward head of IT for Hampshire that is driving this forward. Having looked back at the scoping document its leaning more towards the curriculum delivery buts it does need to take over school management really. The organisation doing the scoping is SOCITM http://www.socitm.gov.uk/ and the author is Peter hunter see http://www.socitm.gov.uk/public/consulting/whoweare.asp I had a contact from someone up in Manchester regarding this who is involved in a school management system based on open source. Is this the same open source project, can't recall the name - he said it wasn't exactly memorable ;-). This really needs to be done. Schools have got to see the benefits. I'm about to spend £10 000 on mickeysoft licences. no choice I'm afraid. But it should be about the last until we need to upgrade, We're reaching saturation with 1:5 computer to pupil ratio. Good luck. All I can do really is to remind the head and the bods at Hampshire that open source is out there. I'm afraid I can't change our school to it in any form for at least 3 years now. What will be vital is the support. We use navaho for web/email and the support is second to none. The support for SIMS is terrible in comparison. I suppose some of it is just numbers and size but I bet a lot of it is that SIMS + Windows is so buggy and cludgy. -- Colin McQueen : Using an Acorn StrongARM Risc PC Web Domain : http://www.mcqueen.uk.net/ BSc Zoology + Oceanography : PGCE : MSc in CBL/T