[Wylug-discuss] Linux in schools - Orwell High School

[Nigel Metheringham]

I don't normally forward stories onto the list, but this one has a
number of elements of interest to WYLUG folks.

Full story at the register:-
	http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/19/oss_school_switch/

First couple of paragraphs follows, and theres an appearance by long
time WYLUG denizen Mike Banahan of GBdirect.
        UK tech specialist school pioneers open source switch
	By John Lettice
	Published Tuesday 19th October 2004 12:14 GMT

        a Felixstowe school has taken advantage of the UK government's
        Specialist Schools Initiative to implement a switch to Open
        Source software as its chosen capital project. Under the
        Initiative Orwell High School, which was recently granted
        Specialist School for Technology status, qualifies for a
        government capital grant of £100,000 and £129 per pupil per year
        over four years.

        In order to achieve Specialist status a school has to put
        forward a detailed plan to raise standards in technology, maths
        and science, pass a submission process and raise at least
        £50,000 in sponsorship. Having successfully done so Orwell's
        funding amounts to approximately £500,000 over four years, while
        the capital project is a complete overhaul of the school's ICT
        infrastructure and refurbishment of its technology facilities.
        As a Technology school, you could say it's therefore walking the
        talk.

        The notion of an Open Source switch arose in conversations
        between deputy head John Osborne and Andy Trevor of Ipswich-
        based Total Solution Computing. As Trevor had recently been
        discussing Open Source implementations in schools with Mike
        Banahan of GBdirect (relation - see below* for Register
        declaration of interest) and Open Forum Europe, a plan emerged.
        At the time an upgrade to XP for the school would have meant
        replacing 50 or so PCs, and Osborne estimated that costs would
        be around £25,000 plus a licensing spend of approximately
        £13,000 a year. This was well outside the budget, and open
        source started to look like a more effective use of resources


--
[ Nigel Metheringham           Nigel.Metheringham at InTechnology.co.uk ]
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