What do schools want to know?

01/05/2008 by Tony Attwood.

Every week schools send my office questions - and mostly they are pleas for help.

Below there is a list of questions - this list is just one day’s worth of question.

What we do is forward these questions on to subscribers to our news and information service - and lo and behold they send in the answers.

Here’s the questions - you might find one of them relates directly to a product or service you supply.  And even if you don’t you’ll appreciate that next week or the week after we could be dealing with something that is right up your street.

And if we are, I’ll tell you something very interesting and unexpected, right after this list.

1. I wonder if you can help me with a query.  We are an independent school and need to create a new admissions register.  We wonder if you have any information on where we might be able to buy one or if any of the other schools on your mailing circulation would be able to provide a prompt response.
2. Rats - any ideas from rural schools on safe ways to reduce the population??
3. Hand driers VS paper towels: Anybody looked into whether elec hand driers are more economical than paper towels?? We seem to use up LOADS of paper towels, and the Governors need to be convinced that this is not the way to go…..
4. Cleaning schedules: Do other schools use cleaning schedules for their cleaners to ensure that all areas in school are given a deep clean periodically?
5. What email system do the majority of schools use.  We are experiencing major problems at present with our email provider and wonder whether any schools use Google Mail.  If your school does use Google Mail what is your opinion of it?  What are the safety levels?
6. Can I ask how schools without a dedicated HR/Personnel function manage the ever increasing workload connected with Staff Recruitment/Retention, Staff Policies and Procedures and Employment Law etc especially from, though not exclusively so, a Support Staff perspective.  I seek guidance from an independent school viewpoint – do state schools generally have an HR Dept?
7. I would like to update our software to monitor school fund account and would like to ask other administrators which software they currently use and which they would recommend.
8. I would like to hear from anybody who has or is using the Tucasi School Cash Office and the Dinner Money Management software they are part of RM. I have seen a demo and it looks fantastic, but before I go ahead I would like to have some feedback on it. It would also be very helpful if anybody could recommend any other similar Dinner Money Management software they are aware of. I also would like to hear from any administrators who are or have used RM Integris web based MIS system. This is also something that I am looking into and recommendations would be much appreciated; especially if anyone can recommend a MIS that has a really good HR section. Obviously with the new workforce census coming into place the MIS would need to be compatible.

Now here is my “interesting point”.  All these questions came from school adminstrators who have subscribed to the School Admin News Service that we run.

School administrators, as you can see, are making all sorts of decisions day by day - but amazingly no one is mailing them with information or thoughts on this or any other topic.

If you feel your product or service ought to be considered by the administrators of the school, do give me a call.  We can mention it on this news service, or on an email to all schools, or on the weekly printed newsletter we send out, or as a leaflet in a shared mailing, or….

Interesting, don’t you think?  (Well I do).

Tony Attwood 01536 399 000

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