We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are R Bhowmick please sign in and let everyone know.

School software support

We're waiting for R Bhowmick to read a recent response and update the status.

Dear Shropshire Council,

Can you please provide for me the answers to the following questions:

1. Do you provide traded services to schools in your area, or do you contract this out to another party that is outside the local authority? If so, to which?

2. Which school MIS (management information systems) providers do you hold support contracts or accreditations with, and for each MIS provider:
a) What is the nature of the current arrangement (a paid contract, an unpaid accreditation)?
b) When did the current arrangement begin and when it will finish (including any extensions)?
c) If a paid contract, under what basis did you procure it (e.g. directly, through a framework, via OJEU procurement, other)?

3. How many schools do you provide MIS support services to, and:
a) How does this break down by Primary Academies, Primary Maintained, Secondary Academies, Secondary Maintained, Other (incl. PRUs, SENs)?
b) How does this break down by MIS provider?
c) How has this total changed between 2018/19, 2019/20 and this year (say as at June 1st 2018 vs. June 1st 2019 vs. June 1st 2020, or any similar convenient dates)?

4. As part of your support to schools for each of these MIS providers, which of the following activities do you carry out (I am interested in whether the activities differ between MIS providers):
a) 1st line support
b) 2nd line support
c) 3rd line support
d) Implementations
e) Data audits / cleansing
f) Regulatory / census submissions
g) Server management
h) Main data hosting
i) Data backup
j) User training
k) Provide templates / configuration
l) Analysis of data / insight services
m) Resale of the software to schools (on a commission basis)
n) Hosting or arranging local user group meetings / events

5. What was your total traded services income from schools (for all servies) in 2018/19 and 2019/20?

6. What was your total traded service income for providing schools with MIS support for 2018/19 and 2019/20?

7. What is the current amount of de-delegated funding that you levy on LA-maintained schools (either in total, on a per school level, or a per learner level - whichever is easiest)?

8. What software or digital tools (learning, safeguarding or admin) do you provide to schools under the de-delegated funding allocation?

Yours faithfully,

R Bhowmick

FOI, Shropshire Council

Dear Mr Bhowmick

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 04/09/2020.  We are
currently processing your request in accordance with the relevant
legislation.

Your request is for information about school software support.

* This is a summary only and full details have been sent to the team
providing the response.
* If you feel the information is inaccurate or requires amendment,
please notify us as soon as possible using the contact details
provided below. 

 
Please note:
 
The Council has been facing unprecedented challenges this year. Firstly,
in response to the flooding in February and now in responding to the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During this time, resources may have to
be diverted away from usual compliance or information rights work. The
council acknowledges that it can’t extend statutory timescales of requests
and everyone is doing their best to meet these. However, priority may have
to be given to other areas, eg the safeguarding of vulnerable people,
during this extraordinary period.
The Information Commissioner’s Office has blogged about their approach to
requests during this time: [1]blog
 
The Information Commissioner’s Office has released a statement about Data
Protection and the Coronavirus here: [2]statement

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Information Governance Team

Shropshire Council

Shirehall

Abbey Foregate

SHREWSBURY

SY2 6ND

 

Tel:                  01743 252179 / 252774 / 252747

Email:             [Shropshire Council request email]

Web:               [3]www.shropshire.gov.uk/access-to-information

 

 

 

[4]For information about Coronavirus click here/image below
[5][IMG]

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-an...
2. https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
3. http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/access-to-i...
4. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
5. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

James Walton, Shropshire Council

1 Attachment

Dear Sir/Madam

 

Thank you for your enquiry under freedom of information, the response for
which is detailed below, in red for ease of reference:-

 

1. Do you provide traded services to schools in your area, or do you
contract this out to another party that is outside the local authority? If
so, to which? – Yes we provide this service

 

2. Which school MIS (management information systems) providers do you hold
support contracts or accreditations with, and for each MIS provider: -
SIMS

a) What is the nature of the current arrangement (a paid contract, an
unpaid accreditation)? – Paid Contract

b) When did the current arrangement begin and when it will finish
(including any extensions)? – The current contract for Annual Entitlement
began 01/04/2019 and due is to finish 31/03/2020

c) If a paid contract, under what basis did you procure it (e.g. directly,
through a framework, via OJEU procurement, other)? - Framework

 

3. How many schools do you provide MIS support services to, and: – due to
commercial sensitivity we are not able to release this information, please
note paragraph further below.

a) How does this break down by Primary Academies, Primary Maintained,
Secondary Academies, Secondary Maintained, Other (incl. PRUs, SENs)? – due
to commercial sensitivity we are not able to release this information,
please note paragraph further below.

b) How does this break down by MIS provider? – N/A

c) How has this total changed between 2018/19, 2019/20 and this year (say
as at June 1st 2018 vs. June 1st 2019 vs. June 1st 2020, or any similar
convenient dates)? – due to commercial sensitivity we are not able to
release this information, please note paragraph further below.

 

4. As part of your support to schools for each of these MIS providers,
which of the following activities do you carry out (I am interested in
whether the activities differ between MIS providers):

a) 1st line support Yes

b) 2nd line support Yes

c) 3rd line support Yes

d) Implementations Yes

e) Data audits / cleansing

f) Regulatory / census submissions Yes

g) Server management Yes

h) Main data hosting Yes

i) Data backup Yes

j) User training Yes

k) Provide templates / configuration Yes

l) Analysis of data / insight services

m) Resale of the software to schools (on a commission basis)

n) Hosting or arranging local user group meetings / events

 

5. What was your total traded services income from schools (for all
servies) in 2018/19 and 2019/20? –

 

2018/19 2019/20
£ £
Total
traded
services
income
from
schools
(for all
services) 3,145,265  2,595,861

 

6. What was your total traded service income for providing schools with
MIS support for 2018/19 and 2019/20? – due to commercial sensitivity we
are not able to release this information, please note paragraph further
below.

 

7. What is the current amount of de-delegated funding that you levy on
LA-maintained schools (either in total, on a per school level, or a per
learner level - whichever is easiest)? - Shropshire Council's Schools
Forum Committee Paper (5/12/2019); "Paper C - Consultation on the Central
Retention of Dedicated Schools Grant" outlines the total funding and the
funding per school levied from Shropshire's maintained schools for each
area

[1]http://shropshire.gov.uk/committee-servi...

 

8. What software or digital tools (learning, safeguarding or admin) do you
provide to schools under the de-delegated funding allocation? - The range
of services for which funding is de-delegated for is described in the
response to Question 7 and does not include software or digital tools

 

 

Following consideration of this request, we believe some information,
where indicated above, falls within exemption S43 of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 - Commercial Interests. Section 43(2) of the FOIA
provides an exemption from disclosure of information which would or would
be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including
the public authority holding it).

 

The term ‘commercial interests’ is not defined in the FOIA; however, the
Information Commissioner’s Office awareness guidance on the application of
Section 43, comments that: “…a commercial interest relates to a person’s
ability to participate competitively in a commercial activity, ie the
purchase and sale of goods or services.”

 

In determining whether it serves the interests of the public better to
withhold or to disclose the information, we believe that disclosure of
detailed information of this nature is more likely to prejudice the
commercial interests of the Council than benefit the public by its
disclosure. The Council feels that disclosure of this information could
impact on its ability to secure favourable rates for this type of service
in the future.  It is therefore our view that the public interest in
maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the
information.

 

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 this letter is a
part refusal notice to your request.  If you are dissatisfied with the way
your request has been handled, you may ask for an internal review. Please
contact The Information Governance Team, Workforce & Transformation,
Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Shrewsbury, SY2 6ND or email on
[2][Shropshire Council request email] if you wish to request a review. 

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the information commissioner for a
decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:  Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF. You can find more details at [3]www.ico.org.uk or by telephone on
0303 123 1113.

 

 

James Walton

Interim Executive Director, Resources (Section 151 Officer)

 

Finance, Governance and Assurance

Shropshire Council

Shirehall

Abbey Foregate

Shrewsbury

SY2 6ND

 

 

Email:      [4][email address]

Web        [5]www.shropshire.gov.uk

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Chief Financial Officer (Section 151 Officer): Shropshire Council

Pension Scheme Administrator: Shropshire County Pension Fund

Treasurer: Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority

Treasurer: West Mercia Energy

Treasurer: Marches LEP

show quoted sections

We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are R Bhowmick please sign in and let everyone know.