Update November 9th 2012
The information below has been superceded by the events of October 31st / November 1st.
If you have found this page, then you may be experiencing problems with internet access, email or both.
You may feel that your current suppliers are letting you down. Maybe we can help.
Please call us on 01455 556100 or email me mike.mcsharry@systemed.co.uk
Regards
Mike McSharry
EMBC Pricing should be available during / after the meetings at King Power stadium on January 25th. Any information will be placed here as soon as possible.
Updated 20th January 2012
We are aware that schools from different families, development groups, local authority areas and potential academy groups are interested in saving money. They are also interested in minimising disruption.
If your school is interested in this, please read the enclosed, short, pdf and get back in touch. We already have many responses. pdf for cost effective EMBC solutions
Updated 16th January 2012
Leicestershire County staff put on a session at Beaumanor Hall where they did a very good job of explaining this complex subject in fairly plain English. (Not an easy task).
The companies that have won the “Choice” elements in the sketch below have now been named, see below the sketch. We’re working on an extra web page to summarise the information from today. (See the link at the end of this page).
UPDATED 28th December 2011
Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council are holding joint presentation / discussion sessions in January. For details of dates and contact information, please check EIS, your internal e-mails or fill in the contact form on this page.
Schools in Leicestershire have received notification on EMBC changes which may take effect between April 2012 and October 2012.
What should they do and what does this mean?
It’s important to understand the information that’s there.
What is known
Schools have already paid for their EMBC connections up until April 2012. So perhaps the immediate message is “Don’t Panic!”.
Therefore, there is a window between October 2011 and April 2012 to allow schools to find more information.
Broadband connectivity and services currently provided by EMBC will, after October 2012, be provided by emPSN (East Midlands Public Service Network). emPSN has negotiated a framework of suppliers from which schools can make individual choices from a menu connectivity and services.
- You will be able to choose who your link to school is with (edge connection) KCOM, Virgin, BT, UpData
- KCOM will handle links from this to the core network
- You will be able to choose who provides your services (filtering, email, website etc) Capita(Synetrix),KCOM (plus RM), BT
This is illustrated below:
Prices have not yet been published.
“Okay. I’m a headteacher. What do I do next?”
Between November 2011 and February 2012 gather as much information as you need and can understand. There will be a myriad of potential internet specialists who have never seen the inside of a school promising you Nirvana for the cost of a chocolate bar. You will be bombarded with techno babble literature. You do all have shredders?
Local authorities will be running workshops – we will flag up any we are aware of. We will be running workshops – if you’d like to be informed when and where they will be, please complete the form below.
If you’d like someone to chat with your family of schools, please call us on the number at the top of the page.
Update November 25th 2011
For Leicestershire schools the proposed cut in funding from April 2012 (which would have meant that schools would have had to meet the full cost of broadband connectivity) is not going ahead. The proposal was rejected. Schools will still need to find the services element at approx 7/12ths of the cost of this year’s service costs.
Related Links
What do you need to consider if you want to “Go it alone”
The announcements that triggered these changes – how the government buries bad news
Additional information page (on this site) - http://www.systemed.co.uk/embc-becomes-empsn/
Legal Information: Systems and Education Ltd, Eagle House, Lutterworth LE17 4JA Reg in England and Wales 3565883
Does the company you selected place their details on their website?
They should. It’s a legal requirement for Limited Companies in England and Wales