We wish you all a successful and happy term in all your educational endeavours.

This term brings an extended range of Gatehouse activities to increase and strengthen the range of what we offer in terms of support and CPD.

More details to be released soon.

Meanwhile, we can confirm that the third Hampshire Strategic Leadership Conference on 21st June is up and running. Details of all our courses are available here.

We contacted you in November about proposed changes to the Self-review Framework (SRF) from 1 April 2012.

This email provides more detailed information and outlines the steps that need to be taken so you can continue to use the SRF online tool from 2 April 2012.

Good News

You will be able to continue to use the Self-review Framework (SRF).

The Department for Education is transferring all responsibility for the SRF to Naace1 and a steering group from April 2012.

What will remain the same?

The framework, descriptors and levels will remain the same. The way schools achieve the ICT Mark will remain the same.

What will change?

The appearance of the framework and the tool that manages your responses will change.

You will be aware that schools’ data has to be transferred from the existing Self-review Framework online tool to a new NAACE hosted version at the end of March 2012. The tool will have much the same functionality as the previous version. Schools’ data cannot be transferred without a school giving permission and we have a communication programme in place (and ICT Mark assessors will be briefed in advance of the mailings). However, if a school has had a change of leadership that has not been recorded in the Self-review Framework our messages may not be received by schools and the data could be lost.

Gatehouse strongly encourage all schools to go online and check that their primary user contact details are up to date? If they have any issue logging in please contact NAACE Support on srfsupport@naace.co.uk or ring 0115 9144 7234.

Don’t forget that Gatehouse can help with all aspects of SRF.  Visit our Self Review Framework page, or contact us for more details.

Thank you to all the delegates who made this conference, on the 21st February, such a stimulating success! It was a pleasure to work jointly with our Somerset colleagues, Lucinda Searle (Senior ICT Adviser, Somerset) and Julia Briggs (E-Learning Curriculum Adviser,Somerset) to enrich the sharing of information, expertise and the challenge of strategic planning for ICT in the 21st century.

Delegates at Gatehouse SLICT conference

Gatehouse Partnership is delighted with the enthusiastic and stimulating participation of the delegates at this week’sStrategic Leadership of ICT in the 21st Century Conference, held at the Alton House Hotel on the 7th February (a Charles Dickens special!).

A huge thank you to all those delegates who engaged in our wide ranging debates and for your very positive feedback on how helpful and apposite the sessions were in supporting practical ‘next steps’ planning.

We are looking forward to making new friends at our next conference, in Somerset on February 21st. In the meantime, we wish you a very happy and well deserved half term break!

2012 promises to be an action-packed year, with our Strategic Leadership for ICT in the 21st Century conferences , continued support for schools engaging with The Self-Review Framework and consequent ICT Mark submission, and those schools who are now wishing to work within excellence levels to fully embed ICT to excite and enthuse our young people on their learning journey. In addition Gatehouse will continue to support staff, students and parents in their quest to keep informed and strategically proactive in ensuring that E-Safety responsibilities are understood and shared, both within and beyond the school.

For those of you who may have missed the December announcement of OFSTED’s findings into the state of play’ of ICT in schools, we have included an interesting BBC link here (OFSTED sends ICT to the ‘naughty step’)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16175905

When we hear that a country such as South Korea is planning to digitise all text books, extend wireless systems to incorporate the use of a variety of hand-held applications and extend a wide choice of online subjects to remote, rural areas, it does open up a useful debate about how we are meeting the needs of our young digital citizens, against the backdrop of financial challenges:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15175962

We look forward to continuing the debate!

Thanks to all of you with whom we have worked in 2011; it has been a real pleasure!

Here’s to a great 2012, as we look forward to working with you all; once more.

Places are going fast but there are still some spaces left.  Make sure you don’t miss out. Sign up to register your interest or check out our Strategic Leadership for Schools Page for more information.

We’ve been asked by some schools if they can be invoiced in the next financial year?  The simple answer is YES, as the Company’s financial year does not end until August. Just inform us when you are making the booking you’d like to take advantage of this offer.

Dates available in other locations including:

Hampshire, February 7th    
Cornwall, February 23rd    
Plymouth, March 13th
Portsmouth, March 22nd    

and coming soon:
Isle of Wight, June (TBC)

Sign up to any course by visiting the Strategic Leadership for Schools Day Conference Page.

Gatehouse Partnership is delighted to announce that the first of our Strategic Leadership in ICT Conferences is up and running!  This is on February 7th 2012 at The Alton House Hotel Hampshire.

Places are going fast but there are still some spaces left.  Make sure you don’t miss out.  To sign up or for more information then simply go to our Strategic Leadership for Schools Page

We also have other dates available in other locations including:

Hampshire, February 8th    
Somerset, February 21st
Cornwall, February 23rd    
Plymouth, March 13th
Portsmouth, March 22nd    

and coming soon:
Isle of Wight, June (TBC)

We’ve been asked by some schools if they can be invoiced in the next financial year?  The simple answer is YES, as the Company’s financial year does not end until August. Just inform us when you are making the booking you’d like to take advantage of this offer.

Sign up to any course by visiting the Strategic Leadership for Schools Day Conference Page.

The closing date is December 2nd.

During that time we have supported schools from often the most basic of ICT provision to one of ICT Mark standard, utilising our own extensive knowledge and understanding and working with Head Teachers and ICT Managers to plan progress and assess achievement. This has always been carried out with sympathetic yet rigorous personal and professional support throughout, with each school’s needs paramount and with a positive and good-humoured approach.

Today we announce the launch of our ICT Health Check for Schools Service.

This service allows schools to have an ICT Review, but without any requirement to work towards an accreditation or online bench mark.

With three levels to choose, there is something for every school.

Anthony Hunt said:

It’s sometimes the simple things that are over looked, and today Gatehouse are happy to launch this exciting service, giving support to Head Teachers and ICT Managers when they need it most, without adding to their day to day work routine. Our ICT Health Checks are ideally suited to providing a helping hand when sometimes accreditation is not always the answer.

For more information on our ICT Health Check, and to see how it could help your school, visit the ICT Health Check Service Page.