EdIS Newsletter Winter 2024

After an extensive procurement process, the EA was pleased to announce that a contract for the Strategic Partner and School Management System (SPSMS) has been awarded.

The Education Information Solutions (EdIS) team confirmed Fujitsu Services Limited as the new Strategic Partner alongside their key subcontractor Bromcom as provider of the new School Management System (SMS).

The new SPSMS contract will replace the current EN(ni) contract which ends on 31st March 2025. The SPSMS service will provide an end-to-end fully integrated and interoperable IT and School Management service that places learners at the heart of the solution.

The coming year will see a transition of all services from the current provider, Capita, to Fujitsu. Work on the new SPSMS contract has already commenced, with the initial focus on replacing the current SIMS service with the new SMS from Bromcom.  

EdIS will continue to keep schools fully informed and involved in this very important transformation as work progresses. 

EA Chief Executive, Sara Long, met with Head of Fujitsu UK and Ireland, Anwen Owen, to sign the SPSMS contract in December.

The first two EdIS Spotlight videos have been released! The first focuses on the Teacher Devices project showcasing over 21,000 Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus devices being distributed to teachers across Northern Ireland.

Thank you to Tor Bank, Dundonald, for showcasing how the school have been using the devices to support the learning experience for children and young people as well as facilitating online collaboration with pupils, teachers and families.

The second EdIS Spotlight encourages schools to make the move to digital by preparing and submitting SEN Annual Reviews on EA Connect.

It demonstrates the benefits from the perspective of a Principal, a SENCo and a parent user. The promotional campaign will run throughout February and March.

We would like to extend our gratitude to Sperrinview Special School, Dungannon, for inviting us in and taking part in the EdIS Spotlight.

Click the images to watch the latest episodes of EdIS News presented by Senior Project Manager, Carl Jones, discussing the Wireless Rollout; and PMO Manager, Rebecca Davidson, focusing on the benefits of the NAACE framework.

Further developments to EA Connect were deployed to enhance user experience and streamline processes across several EA services.

Admissions

Pre-School and Primary applications for September 2024 opened on 9 January and closed on 26 January.

We had 45,142 applications for Pre-School and Primary with 22,365 submitted in week one.

Post Primary applications opened on 30 January with 8,607 submitted, to date.

Transport Services

To support parents deciding on Post Primary Schools for their child’s Admissions applications the Transport Eligibility Checker launched on EA Connect on 30 January. To date, over 2,200 checks have been submitted.

Further Education Transport

Since its launch in August 2023, 98% of all FE transport applications have been processed online. Recent development enables students to track the status of their own applications through EA Connect.

Recent survey feedback reported that most users (97% College Staff and 91% EA Staff) prefer to verify FE transport applications using EA Connect noting ease of use, greater efficiency and quicker processing.

SEN Annual Reviews

• 9,500 SEN Annual Reviews have been scheduled/ completed on EA Connect by schools since September.
• Over 99% Year 7 Transfer Annual Reviews completed on EA Connect are now processed.
• 672 Schools registered for SEN Annual Reviews online.

Watch the Digital SEN Annual Reviews Spotlight video.

We're investing in a next-generation Case Management System (CMS) to replace the current Education Management System (EMS) used by many services across EA. ADA will seamlessly integrate with the new School Management System. Together, these systems will upgrade our data management to ensure a single source of truth for every child’s record across EA and schools.

After consultation with EA staff, the new Case Management System project has been renamed as Aligned Data Access (ADA).

The new ADA logo highlights inter-connectedness and synergy, as well as pioneering the spirit of Ada Lovelace, co-inventor of the Analytical Engine and the world’s first computer programmer.

Lovelace envisioned the future through intricate patterns of algorithms and laid the foundations for the digital age. EdIS’s ADA is the analytical engine making data management smarter and more accessible.

Thank you to Data Analyst, Rory Dunne, who provided the winning suggestion in renaming the Case Management System competition.

A token of appreciation will be winging its way to Rory in the NWTC soon!

EdIS and the Innovation Forum brought NI school leaders and education professionals together for the first time to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence in classrooms and learning environments.

Watch videos of the presentations including the keynote address from Mairead Pratschke, University of Manchester. With thanks to EATV.

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, work is underway to replace the financial management solutions for schools currently provided by C2k, FMS and Pegasus Opera. The new solution will provide financial management and payroll processing services for the Voluntary Grammar and Grant Maintained Integrated Schools.

• In November 2023, a survey was issued to all 50 Voluntary Grammar schools and 38 Grant Maintained IS, achieving a 95.5% response rate.
• An option analysis of recommendations on future provision was produced by the working group and will be used alongside the user feedback from the survey to inform the project planning.

Retrospective bookings have consistently declined each month, representing just 2% in December 2023.

This reflects the commitment to sourcing supply teachers safely through NISTR, compliance with booking protocol, and fostering positive changes in user behaviour when sourcing, contacting and engaging with supply teachers.

• 100% of schools are using NISTR
• 17,000 average bookings made per month by schools
• 98% of Compliant bookings
• 5,000 Supply teachers are engaged per month

Work has begun to provide a library management solution for schools.

The new solution will replace the current corporate and school-facing library management systems to streamline library management and encourage literacy skills and a love of reading.

In January 2024, a survey was issued to all schools seeking user feedback, and a Working Group including school representatives meets regularly to the inform the project planning.

In preparation for the transition of services to Fujitsu, it is essential that all staff remove any data and files that are no longer required. Your actions will aid compliance with GDPR regulations and align with the current DE and C2k Acceptable Use Policies. Staff should review and take action on the following areas:

• Users’ Home Folders
• Shared Resources
• Private folders
• Staff folders
• Cloud storage including One Drive and Google Drive

Refer to EN200 for guidance on accessing Home folder, Private folder, Shared and Staff folders.

By the end of January, a key milestone was achieved with 70% of all WiFi Access Points (APs) installed 3 weeks earlier than scheduled.

This equates to over 17,000 WiFi APs and 660 schools complete, which is 58% of the school estate. There are 360 Primary Schools to install from March onwards and the team continue to install over 1,000 APs per month.

This indicates that we are on schedule to finish toward the end of 2024, possibly in October/November. Following the success of the summer installs in 2023, we will continue to prepare for similar summer push, to ensure the maximum number of APs are in place for schools starting the 2024/25 term.

Great progress has been made on installing PSSN Broadband in schools! 70% are already

up and running, and that number will reach 80% by mid-February. The team remain on schedule to complete all schools by April.

• LAN rollout is making strides with 40 switches installed the week commencing 5th Feb.
• 11 schools are already enjoying the benefits of the new EdIS Meraki Wireless, with the aim of all schools being equipped by the end of August, in time for the new academic year.
• We continue to engage with schools regarding connectivity of mobile devices including the Surface Pro's and are truly encouraged by the positive feedback received so far.

Just2Easy (J2E) along with C2k celebrated Safer Internet Day (SID) and the

launch of their new SID resources by holding the first Just2Easy Digital Leaders training event in St. Mark’s High School, Warrenpoint, on Friday 2nd Feb.

Just2Easy were supported by sessions from C2k, the PSNI and The Simpson Family (2.4 million TikTok followers) who delivered a strong contextual message on how to use social media safely. Look out for information on the new resources coming soon.

Although our ‘Walk the Walls’ events have come to a close, EdIS Director, Frances Meehan, has pledged to continue working closely with schools and other education stakeholders.

We will continue to engage with school leaders and stakeholders in 2024 and details of events, focus groups and more will be released soon.

Read more about Walk the Walls and view a highlights reel.

Applications are open for 2024 ICT Excellence Awards which celebrate the innovative use of technology in transforming teaching and learning while improving educational outcomes in NI.

Primary, post-primary, and special schools and EOTAS centres can apply.

St Brigid’s PS, Downpatrick; St Colman's College, Newry; and Clifton Special School, Bangor; were crowned winners in 2023, with a collective entry on behalf of the EOTAS Service also receiving an award.

Input from schools is essential to support and shape the new and enhanced EdIS services.