Haringey recommends with working hyperlinks

Dear Colleagues,

 

Oops! The hyperlinks in the previous version of the letter weren’t correct. The version below has the correct links in it.

 

Dan

 

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

 

The London Grid for Learning Trust (LGfL) is a consortium made up of all the London local authorities.  It provides broadband and associated services to almost all Haringey schools.   Having re-tendered for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services and in response to the changing funding landscape, LGfL has sent information packs and recorded delivery letters to all schools requesting that they sign new “LGfL 2.0” contracts online at www.lgfl2.lgfl.net by 28^th March 2011.

I am aware that some schools have concerns about these contracts and are uncertain about signing up, believing that it might be possible to secure a similar service from an alternative provider at a lesser cost.

This letter explains the service that schools get from LGfL and the aspects of this service that cannot be sourced from alternative providers.  It also provides answers to some of the key questions that schools have been asking about the LGfL 2.0 contracts.

What does the LGfL offer schools?

The core services you get from LGfL 2.0 (see LGfL 2.0 booklet for the full list)

·     Broadband internet connection: this is a fibre-optic service with a 1:1 (not shared) contention ratio,

·     Internet filtering: this is a version of Netsweeper that has been specially tailored for use in schools. All filtering is done before the content arrives at the school so there is no hardware for the school to maintain. Filtering does not slow down the internet service.

·     LGfL learning content: LGfL has put together a comprehensive collection of online content to support teaching and learning. There is no way of accessing this content without subscribing to LGfL. To access a content grid of curriculum learning resources, visit www.content.lgfl.net

·     Anti-virus protection: SOPHOS with auto-updating for every computer in your school and also for teaching staff’s home computers

·     Professional Email and calendar: an industry-standard Microsoft Exchange based system that provides a standardised professional email address for every member of staff, the system also includes spam filtering and content filtering

·     Safemail: an email address for the school life for every learner. The system can be configured to restrict access to send and receive either within the class, the year group, the school or unrestricted

·     Unified Sign-On (USO): this allows a single username and password to access the LondonMLE, email, content and anti-virus.  This is only possible because these services are offered by a single provider

·     LondonMLE: a specially configured version of the Fronter Managed Learning Environment (MLE) system that has a range of add-ons and a low price achieved through LGfL’s pan-London tendering

Are there any services that are only available from LGfL?

Yes, the following LGfL services are not available from alternative providers:

·     LondonMLE: is the specially-tailored version of the Fronter MLE system.  It is only available to LGfL subscriber schools (via USO),

·     USO: is the system that provides the login accounts (that end in .309) that are used to access a range of services including LondonMLE, Anti-virus, Email and LGfL Content,

·     LGfL Content: this content is only available through LGfL and it would be prohibitively expensive to buy some or all of its elements individually.

Why the five year contract?

Within its tendering for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services, LGfL has secured extremely favourable terms from Virgin Media Business (VMB).  VMB will be replacing Synetrix as LGfL’s IT infrastructure partner.

Prompted by the opportunity offered by LGfL, VMB is investing £33m building a new London regional network to serve schools. However, in spite of this huge investment, successful negotiations on behalf of London schools have resulted in no set-up charges, no installation charges, no ‘excess construction charges’, no annual core network fees (currently Synetrix is paid £1.8m pa, by LAs using Harnessing Technology Grant funding, for the regional core network which serves your school), and NO ‘Subject to Survey’ on LGfL’s prices (you would see this phrase on any and every other quote your school might receive).

To avoid schools having to pay these costs ‘up front’, they are spread over a longer term, and the longer the term the lower and more affordable the annual costs, hence five years.

What happens if I don’t sign up by 28^th March?

Your internet connection will not be just switched off. However, just doing nothing may not be the best course of action for the following reasons:

·     The deal that LGfL have secured with VMB is dependent on a minimum of 70% take up of LGfL 2.0 across London. If this isn’t met then the VMB deal will have to be renegotiated and this is likely to mean higher prices for all.

·     The existing Synetrix-provided LGfL service will end in June 2012. In order for VMB to put in place the new infrastructure by this date they need to know the details of all the sites by the end of March 2011. LGfL is responsible for securing this information, as part of the process of ensuring best value for schools.

·     The LGfL is ‘owned’ by the 33 London LAs and their schools. Its income comprises annual fees from schools plus annual ‘core’ charges equivalent to about £2,000 per school. These have been met to-date from the Harnessing Technology Grant. As this grant will cease to exist from 2011/12 onwards, the ‘core’ charges are built into “LGfL 2.0” prices. If a school contracts with an alternative supplier, it is likely still to be liable for an annual LGfL charge of approximately £6 per FTE student in addition to the alternative supplier’s charge(s)

·     The 10% subscription discount for years 1, 2 & 3 of the contract is not available after the LGfL 2.0 contract deadline date of 28^th March 2011.

Does the LGfL cost include the charge for LondonMLE?

No.  The LGfL 2.0 service does not include the cost of the LondonMLE. To find out the annual subscription charge for your school’s LondonMLE system visit: http://webfronter.com/mlewebsite/mle/menu2/Prices_and_Terms/Prices_and_Terms.html 

Can I continue to use LondonMLE if my school no longer subscribes to LGfL?

No.  LondonMLE is a specially-bundled version of the Fronter MLE. Fronter may be prepared to offer an off-the-shelf version of their MLE but this will have different functions to LondonMLE and there may be additional associated costs such as set up charges. It would also be necessary to change all staff and pupil MLE usernames and passwords as the current user identification system (called USO) is an LGfL service.

What happens if I want to exit the 5 year contract early?

The school can terminate at any time and the termination penalty is in line with that in place for LGfL services since 2002. The school would be charged for the whole of the current year at full cost plus 50% of the full cost of subscription for the years remaining in the contract. For example, a school that decided to terminate in the middle of year 2 would have to pay the full cost of subscription for whole of year 2 plus 50% of the costs for years 3, 4 & 5.

Is there anything to stop the LGfL increasing the cost each year?

In the first three years of the contract any increase in cost will be capped by the retail price increase (RPI). After this the LGfL has more flexibility, but remember LGfL is owned by you, so any increase would be subject to agreement by the schools and LAs that make up the LGfL board.

Will I get the improved Virgin Media service in April?

No.  Although the LGfL 2.0 contract will start in April 2011, there are likely to be over 2,000 schools that need to be connected across London so the upgrade in service will take place over the course of a year.  The LGfL have yet to formally release dates for installations, but it is likely that all schools will have the new Virgin Media service by the end of the Synetrix contract in July 2012.

What about multiple quotes or a process of multiple tenders?

To avoid the burden and cost of schools individually having to ask for quotes or run tendering processes, Haringey with other London LAs has undertaken an EU-compliant, fully-legal, procurement process. This is fundamentally why the LAs set up LGFL. The following detail provided by LGfL may be helpful:

"Note for Finance Officers regarding the regional procurement of LGfL 2.0 Services: This order may exceed the value of your school’s tender limits. This order is covered, for EU procurement compliance, by a mini-competition held in October 2010 by LGfL Trust on behalf of London LAs and schools under the Janet Transmissions Framework. Additional services provided as part of the LGfL 2.0 service have been procured through an EU Open Journal Procurement completed by LGfL Trust on behalf of London schools and local authorities in September 2009. The London Grid for Learning Trust is owned collectively by the London councils and authorised to procure services on behalf of LAs and schools."

I recommend that schools renew their subscriptions to LGfL services through signing the “LGfL 2.0” contract on the basis that alternative providers are not able to match the quality or cost of the LGfL offer.

If you have further questions about the LGfL 2.0 service or if you are investigating alternative providers and would like me to look over quotes they have provided then you can contact me on daniel.warner@haringey.gov.uk  or on 020 8489 5058.

Letter signed by

Dan Warner                Max Riley

 

FW: LGfL 2.0 - Supporting Schools with Registration

Dear Colleagues,

 

I know you have been receiving a lot of information about the new LGfL and I apologise for it coming out in drips! This new communication from Brian Durrant clarifies the situation regarding possible cost increases in years 4 and 5 of the contract.

 

Dan

 

From: Brian Durrant [mailto:brian.durrant@lgfl.org.uk]
Sent: 17 March 2011 23:01
To: global@lists.lgfl.org.uk
Subject: LGfL 2.0 - Supporting Schools with Registration

 

To LGfL Global List

 

Colleagues

 

Thank you again for all our support with encouraging schools to move forward with registering for LGfL 2.0. 

 

The rate of sign up continues to accelerate with another record breaking day of well over 100 – with Barnet, Bromley, Croydon and Newham all jockeying for pole position – and all at around 60 schools apiece thus far.

 

The picture however is very mixed across the region with many schools, when contacted by LGfL, reporting ‘we don’t know anything about this; no, we don’t have an access code’.

 

Accordingly the LGfL office has today sent a timely reminder, a one page letter, to all schools which have yet to sign up. (not including schools in WAN LAs, or academy groups)

 

This is attached for the information of colleagues.

 

Please continue to support your schools in whatever way you are able in this process. Thank you.

 

There are a couple of necessary refinements to the terms and conditions for LGfL 2.0 which have emerged from recent feedback (concerns expressed by schools), and these will be incorporated retrospectively into the Network Services Agreement for all subscribing schools:

 

Cancellation Terms will be aligned in principle with those which have applied for LGfL services since 2002 i.e. for termination within the initial term there is a requirement to pay 50% of the charges for the remaining unused years of the term.  For termination during Y5 or after the initial term, there is no refund of any pre-paid term but otherwise no penalty.

 

Price adjustments: Any price increase in year 2 or 3, which will only be applied if needed to sustain the services, is capped by RPI; in year 4, following a financial review, any uplift will only be applied which is essential to the maintenance of the services for schools, however any such increase in Y4 will be capped at 10% in real terms; any uplift in Y5 will be capped by RPI.  If all London schools stay, as now, with LGfL, we would expect to reduce charges in the future, but some responsible provision has to be made as this cannot be guaranteed at this stage.  Clearly it was easier to make more reliable financial predictions when the relevant funds were managed by LAs.

 

These two changes both represent improvements in the Ts&Cs from the perspective of subscribing schools, so should assist in removing a potential barrier for any who were concerned to have greater clarity on these points.

 

Regarding the Registration Portal, if any colleagues wishes to review the registration process (at www.lgfl2.lgfl.net ) the access code TRIALA permits review of Part 1, and TRIALB review of Part 2.  However at the end of Step 6 please DO NOT click on SUBMIT – as this will then close off the record and prevent access by others.  Similarly, for Part 2 (TRIALB) do not click SUBMIT at Step 10.

 

Kind regards

Brian

 

Brian Durrant

Chief Executive         London Grid for Learning Trust

CI Tower, St Georges Square, New Malden, KT3 4TE

t 020 8408 4466   f 020 8408 6014   m 078 1134 1452

 

www.lgfl.net                a school improvement partner

www.safety.lgfl.net         keeping learners safe online

www.content.lgfl.net         anywhere, anytime learning

www.news.lgfl.net              learn what is new on LGfL

      

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this e-mail is intended only for the individual, persons or entity to whom it is addressed. It may contain privileged and confidential information and, if you are not the intended recipient, you must not read, copy or distribute it, nor take any action in reliance upon it.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please inform the sender as soon as possible and delete the e-mail from your computer.

 

========================================================================
This email has been scanned for viruses and inappropriate content
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Haringey recommends....

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have copied below the letter that will go out to schools next week. It recommends that schools stay with LGfL and sign up to the LGfL 2.0 contracts before the 28^th March. It also addresses some FAQs that have come my way over the last couple of weeks. If you would like further information or would like me to visit the school to talk through the options in more detail please do let me know.

 

Finally, if you are ever going to sign up to LGfL do it before 28^th March as this will ensure you receive a 10% discount in years 1,2 and 3 –this could be a saving to your school of up to £1800!!

 

Warm regards

 

Dan

 

Dear Colleagues,

The London Grid for Learning Trust (LGfL) is a consortium made up of all the London local authorities.  It provides broadband and associated services to almost all Haringey schools.   Having re-tendered for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services and in response to the changing funding landscape, LGfL has sent information packs and recorded delivery letters to all schools requesting that they sign new “LGfL 2.0” contracts online at www.lgfl2.lgfl.net by 28^th March 2011.

I am aware that some schools have concerns about these contracts and are uncertain about signing up, believing that it might be possible to secure a similar service from an alternative provider at a lesser cost.

This letter explains the service that schools get from LGfL and the aspects of this service that cannot be sourced from alternative providers.  It also provides answers to some of the key questions that schools have been asking about the LGfL 2.0 contracts.

What does the LGfL offer schools?

The core services you get from LGfL 2.0 (see LGfL 2.0 booklet for the full list)

·     Broadband internet connection: this is a fibre-optic service with a 1:1 (not shared) contention ratio,

·     Internet filtering: this is a version of Netsweeper that has been specially tailored for use in schools. All filtering is done before the content arrives at the school so there is no hardware for the school to maintain. Filtering does not slow down the internet service.

·     LGfL learning content: LGfL has put together a comprehensive collection of online content to support teaching and learning. There is no way of accessing this content without subscribing to LGfL. To access a content grid of curriculum learning resources, visit www.content.lgfl.net

·     Anti-virus protection: SOPHOS with auto-updating for every computer in your school and also for teaching staff’s home computers

·     Professional Email and calendar: an industry-standard Microsoft Exchange based system that provides a standardised professional email address for every member of staff, the system also includes spam filtering and content filtering

·     Safemail: an email address for the school life for every learner. The system can be configured to restrict access to send and receive either within the class, the year group, the school or unrestricted

·     Unified Sign-On (USO): this allows a single username and password to access the LondonMLE, email, content and anti-virus.  This is only possible because these services are offered by a single provider

·     LondonMLE: a specially configured version of the Fronter Managed Learning Environment (MLE) system that has a range of add-ons and a low price achieved through LGfL’s pan-London tendering

Are there any services that are only available from LGfL?

Yes, the following LGfL services are not available from alternative providers:

·     LondonMLE: is the specially-tailored version of the Fronter MLE system.  It is only available to LGfL subscriber schools (via USO),

·     USO: is the system that provides the login accounts (that end in .309) that are used to access a range of services including LondonMLE, Anti-virus, Email and LGfL Content,

·     LGfL Content: this content is only available through LGfL and it would be prohibitively expensive to buy some or all of its elements individually.

Why the five year contract?

Within its tendering for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services, LGfL has secured extremely favourable terms from Virgin Media Business (VMB).  VMB will be replacing Synetrix as LGfL’s IT infrastructure partner.

Prompted by the opportunity offered by LGfL, VMB is investing £33m building a new London regional network to serve schools. However, in spite of this huge investment, successful negotiations on behalf of London schools have resulted in no set-up charges, no installation charges, no ‘excess construction charges’, no annual core network fees (currently Synetrix is paid £1.8m pa, by LAs using Harnessing Technology Grant funding, for the regional core network which serves your school), and NO ‘Subject to Survey’ on LGfL’s prices (you would see this phrase on any and every other quote your school might receive).

To avoid schools having to pay these costs ‘up front’, they are spread over a longer term, and the longer the term the lower and more affordable the annual costs, hence five years.

What happens if I don’t sign up by 28^th March?

Your internet connection will not be just switched off. However, just doing nothing may not be the best course of action for the following reasons:

·     The deal that LGfL have secured with VMB is dependent on a minimum of 70% take up of LGfL 2.0 across London. If this isn’t met then the VMB deal will have to be renegotiated and this is likely to mean higher prices for all.

·     The existing Synetrix-provided LGfL service will end in June 2012. In order for VMB to put in place the new infrastructure by this date they need to know the details of all the sites by the end of March 2011. LGfL is responsible for securing this information, as part of the process of ensuring best value for schools.

·     The LGfL is ‘owned’ by the 33 London LAs and their schools. Its income comprises annual fees from schools plus annual ‘core’ charges equivalent to about £2,000 per school. These have been met to-date from the Harnessing Technology Grant. As this grant will cease to exist from 2011/12 onwards, the ‘core’ charges are built into “LGfL 2.0” prices. If a school contracts with an alternative supplier, it is likely still to be liable for an annual LGfL charge of approximately £6 per FTE student in addition to the alternative supplier’s charge(s)

·     The 10% subscription discount for years 1, 2 & 3 of the contract is not available after the LGfL 2.0 contract deadline date of 28^th March 2011.

Does the LGfL cost include the charge for LondonMLE?

No.  The LGfL 2.0 service does not include the cost of the LondonMLE. To find out the annual subscription charge for your school’s LondonMLE system visit: http://webfronter.com/mlewebsite/mle/menu2/Prices_and_Terms/Prices_and_Terms.html 

Can I continue to use LondonMLE if my school no longer subscribes to LGfL?

No.  LondonMLE is a specially-bundled version of the Fronter MLE. Fronter may be prepared to offer an off-the-shelf version of their MLE but this will have different functions to LondonMLE and there may be additional associated costs such as set up charges. It would also be necessary to change all staff and pupil MLE usernames and passwords as the current user identification system (called USO) is an LGfL service.

What happens if I want to exit the 5 year contract early?

The school can terminate at any time and the termination penalty is in line with that in place for LGfL services since 2002. The school would be charged for the whole of the current year at full cost plus 50% of the full cost of subscription for the years remaining in the contract. For example, a school that decided to terminate in the middle of year 2 would have to pay the full cost of subscription for whole of year 2 plus 50% of the costs for years 3, 4 & 5.

Is there anything to stop the LGfL increasing the cost each year?

In the first three years of the contract any increase in cost will be capped by the retail price increase (RPI). After this the LGfL has more flexibility, but remember LGfL is owned by you, so any increase would be subject to agreement by the schools and LAs that make up the LGfL board.

Will I get the improved Virgin Media service in April?

No.  Although the LGfL 2.0 contract will start in April 2011, there are likely to be over 2,000 schools that need to be connected across London so the upgrade in service will take place over the course of a year.  The LGfL have yet to formally release dates for installations, but it is likely that all schools will have the new Virgin Media service by the end of the Synetrix contract in July 2012.

What about multiple quotes or a process of multiple tenders?

To avoid the burden and cost of schools individually having to ask for quotes or run tendering processes, Haringey with other London LAs has undertaken an EU-compliant, fully-legal, procurement process. This is fundamentally why the LAs set up LGFL. The following detail provided by LGfL may be helpful:

"Note for Finance Officers regarding the regional procurement of LGfL 2.0 Services: This order may exceed the value of your school’s tender limits. This order is covered, for EU procurement compliance, by a mini-competition held in October 2010 by LGfL Trust on behalf of London LAs and schools under the Janet Transmissions Framework. Additional services provided as part of the LGfL 2.0 service have been procured through an EU Open Journal Procurement completed by LGfL Trust on behalf of London schools and local authorities in September 2009. The London Grid for Learning Trust is owned collectively by the London councils and authorised to procure services on behalf of LAs and schools."

I recommend that schools renew their subscriptions to LGfL services through signing the “LGfL 2.0” contract on the basis that alternative providers are not able to match the quality or cost of the LGfL offer.

If you have further questions about the LGfL 2.0 service or if you are investigating alternative providers and would like me to look over quotes they have provided then you can contact me on daniel.warner@haringey.gov.uk  or on 020 8489 5058.

Letter signed by

Dan Warner                Max Riley

 

Stop Frame Animator

Dear Colleagues,

 

Have a look at this. It was purchased for schools by LGfL working in partnership with the people behind Artisan Cam:

 

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/flashapps/stopframeanimator/

 

Children can create an animation on screen using the props, characters and backgrounds and it all runs in the browser so no installation needed. They are running a competition for the best animation with the prize of a  flip camera...

 

There is also the rest of the Film Street site to explore....

 

New additional features to Film Street include:

• Interactive activities, designed to encourage creative activity at home or in the classroom:

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/activities/

 

• Video-based and text-based classroom workshops:

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/workshops/

 

• Features on contemporary filmmakers and animators:
•  
•  http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/people/

 

• A platform for exhibition and celebration of young people’s work, which includes short films by young people alongside professional films and commercial trailers:

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/movies/index.php

See the press release below for more info.

 

Dan Warner

 

Press Release

 

 

 

New website launches film animation competition for schools

 

An education website designed to inspire the young filmmakers and animators of the future is this week marking its relaunch with a fantastic animation competition for schools.

 

Film Street ( www.filmstreet.co.uk ), which has undergone extensive redevelopment, hopes its Stop Frame Animation competition will encourage children and schools all over the UK to have a go at creating their very own animation films.

 

The competition to create an original piece of animation is being run in partnership with LGFL (London Grid for Learning) and incorporates one of the new, exciting and fun interactive activities on the revamped Film Street website.

 

‘The Stop Frame Animator activity enables young people to use real film making techniques to create their own short animation, without the need for any expensive equipment,’ explains Film Street’s new Content Director Keith Alexander.

 

‘They can choose from a range of exciting sets, characters and props, as well as adding sound effects and capturing each movement of their animation with a virtual camera. The activity can be used at home or in the classroom and children of all ages will be able to use it.’

 

The competition runs until 26 May 20011 and anyone of school age in the UK can enter and with as many entries as they choose.

 

One winning film will be chosen from London and one from the rest of the UK. Both winners will each receive a Flip HD Digital Camera, worth more than £100 to help them to continue their filmmaking careers.

 

The Stop Frame Animator activity is only one of many new features on the new Film Street website, which now combines video, workshops and interactive activities to encourage young people to have a go at making films and animation in fun and exciting ways.

 

The new production team behind the redesign created the hugely successful ArtisanCam website (www.artisancam.org.uk), which as well as winning several national awards including a BAFTA, is widely recognized as a leading resource for introducing young people to the work of contemporary artists.

Keith Alexander hopes that by applying some of the same award-winning techniques to Film Street, it too will become an invaluable free resource for teachers and schoolchildren aged 5-14 in the UK.

“We have redesigned Film Street in a way which encourages users to have a go at creating film and animation themselves and to submit their work to the site so that other children can be inspired by their creations.   

“Our new video and interactive online content will also help teachers to use the website directly in the classroom to teach young people about the creative processes involved in filmmaking and animation. We also hope teachers will use Film Street in a wider cross-curricular way in the classroom. ”

The redesign of Film Street has been made possible thanks to funding from London Grid for Learning (LGFL) and First Light Movies.

 

Film Street is produced by Artistsatwork.org and Notion 23.

 

Ends

 

For all media enquiries, please contact Keith Alexander on 07734 214344 or email keith@artistsatwork.co.uk

Notes for Editors

1. New additional features to Film Street include:

• Interactive activities, designed to encourage creative activity at home or in the classroom:

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/activities/

 

• Video-based and text-based classroom workshops:

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/workshops/

 

• Features on contemporary filmmakers and animators:
•  
•  http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/people/

 

• A platform for exhibition and celebration of young people’s work, which includes short films by young people alongside professional films and commercial trailers:

http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/pages/movies/index.php

 

2.  Film Street was originally commissioned by Culture Online, part of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and developed by First Light Movies in partnership with CBBC, the British Film Institute, the UK Film Council and Creative Partnerships.

 

3. Currently Film Street is funded by LGFL (London Grid for Learning) one of ten regional broadband consortiums in the UK.  Film Street has received additional funding from First Light Movies.

 

Important LGfL News

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have attached two important documents relating to the LGfL 2.0 contracts. These outline a 10% discount for primary schools for the first three years for sign up before 28^th March. There is also a comparison of several alternative providers in terms of cost and service.

 

Please could you let me know if your school is seriously considering alternatives to LGfL. I am also aware that there may be headteachers out there that have either not received or not shared or considered the LGfL offer pack & contract. Finally if your school has received the pack and would like to sign up but can’t figure out how to do it please let me know and I will do everything I can to help.

 

Just to repeat what was in the letter LGfL is yours –it’s a charitable trust serving London schools, with the aim of best value, best quality and best fit for schools.

 

I will be at the PDC all day on Friday 11^th March – I have cleared my diary. If you have any questions about LGfL or would like me to talk through options or compare with offers you have had from alternative providers then call me on 02084895058.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan Warner

School Improvement Officer Primary ICT