The provision of ICT services in schools is becoming strongly tied to the Building Schools for the Future programme, greatly reducing the scope for schools to be innovative in exploring the approaches that best suit their needs. The trend is to encourage - in effect to coerce - schools to accept managed service contracts which are uniform across the local authority or group of local authorities. To say this is causing friction is an understatement. See www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2009/feb/16/building-schools-for-the-future and www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/feb/17/school-building-ict
The implication for take-up of open source solutions is not good. To date the inclusion of OSS in managed service provision is minimal and there is no incentive for the provider to consider it. Indeed, the reverse is probably true, as profits can doubtless be made by arranging discounts for bulk licences with proprietary suppliers which are not passed on in full to the individual schools - a profit line which is not available with the free OSS alternatives. This situation sits uncomfortably with the government's stated approach to OSS in the public services: opensourceschools.org.uk/level-playing-field-open-source-software.html
I think the restatement of government policy makes things look a litle more positive for open source software. As I said in a recent interview with Merlin John, I'm hopeful that the challenge the policy sets out for suppliers, to demonstrate a capability in open source and carefully consider open source alternatives, will apply to BSF ICT contracts too.
The received wisdom seems to be that schools that want to retain a capacity to innovate themselves have to engage positively with the local BSF specification process. Why shouldn't a school insist on software that is flexible, avoids vendor lock-in and complies with open standards, particularly as this is the guidance coming from the Cabinet Office itself? Why shouldn't a school specify that their managed service must allow teachers to be able to install additional software to support their teaching and pupils' learning. Why shouldn't a school insist that they can install whichever packages they choose on an internal webserver, with access to this box from home?
Students, teachers and schools at the cutting edge will continue to find ways of getting access to the best technology, with or without managed services.
More positively, it would be great to see a few more managed service providers making the most of the cost savings, flexibility and interoperability that characterize mature open source projects. It'd be great to hear some of the success stories of BSF ICT provision that make use of open source components.
Some more on open source and BSF today from Computing, indicating that only a couple of schools so far have made cases for opting out of the LA's managed service, but that some service providers were providing facilities for teachers to use open source software themselves.
The PfS spokeswoman is quoted as saying "The process of developing the IT output specification and the subsequent dialogue with bidders enables local authorities and schools to make bidders aware if they have a strong desire to use open-source products"
Schools Minister Jim Knight on opting out of BSF Managed Services:
"Partnerships for Schools do not have powers to prevent a school opting out of proposals for authority-wide ICT programmes. Where a school wishes to opt out of the managed service it must submit an Alternative Business Procurement Case. This must demonstrate that the schools alternative provision will be at least of an equivalent standard to the managed service proposed by the local authority, that it is able to link up to the area-wide solution, and that it passes a value for money test to ensure taxpayers' money is being well spent." (see Hansard)
Proving value for money shouldn't be too difficult in the case of open source software
There's more on how to submit an alternative business case at http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/bsf_ict_opt_out
There's also an interesting report of and discussion about one school's unsuccessful experience of submitting an alternative business case at http://www.edugeek.net/forums/bsf/32161-bsf-alternative-business-case.html