[Edit]This thread was created to continue discussing NEG's SchoolLine and was taken from this thread in the Geographical Requests section[/edit]



Quote:

That number prefix 0844 477 looks sooo familiar. It's the same as many doctor's surgeries now used having been sold NEG's Surgery Line system. I am assuming that your son's school must have been 'sold' another 'product' by NEG, School Line, and is billed as a way to "defeat the bullies".

There have been numerous threads on NEG's Surgery Line.  It started with GPs changing their numbers to 0870xxx and then the Health Minister of the time, John Hutton, stopping this practice and the surgereis changing their numbers to 0844xxx. This was a small improvement and was due not in the least to the campaign conducted by this site.

There is however, a fundamental difference between GPs and schools.  Although both are funded by the state GPs are self employed business people but schools, and their headmasters, are not.

I think this thread ought to be moved to the discussion forum to examine various issues, principally the legitimacy of schools signing up to NEG's School Line.  I have little doubt that NEG had some discussions with the Dept of Education who must have at least "nodded through" the scheme. This may well be the subject of a future FOI enquiry.

I have today sent off an FOI request to Maghull High School due to their introduction (and possibly many more schools) of NEG's School Line.

The FOI details (when received) can be found here.

Tks bbb_uk. I had a look in the NEG website, where it describes School Line as self-funding.
Perhaps one hundred lines: I must not lie to my customers and callers.

Quote:

I had a look in the NEG website, where it describes School Line as self-funding.

"Self funding" probably means the same as for GP surgeries. The school gets a new telephone system for no charge to them.  NEG collects the revenue from the 0844 calls for many years to come.  The callers (parents) therefore fund the school's new telephone system and NEG have a nice little earner at the parent's expense.    

If the school were so desperate to get a new telephone system, and the LEA would not fund it, it would have been more economical to hold a raffle.  Then at least it would have been out in the open what the parents were asked to pay for.

There is a very good chance that they were missold the SchoolLine on the basis that calls to their fancy new number are only charged at 'local' rate therefore not costing parents more to ring them.  I bet you NEG also state that it may even be cheaper for some parents as well.

As DaveM mentioned in the Maghull High School thread, complaints about the new more expensive number should also be sent to Ofsted and the School itself.

I would have thought the maths teacher would have worked out that 5p per minute is more expensive than 3p per minute (or even less for those on inclusive packages)

If a school can't get their maths right, then what hope is there for the students?

Shiggaddi wrote on Dec 17^th, 2006 at 3:44pm:

I would have thought the maths teacher would have worked out that 5p per minute is more expensive than 3p per minute (or even less for those on inclusive packages)

They probably weren't told it costs 5p/min just the same price as a 'local' call.

The school is not a stand alone individual one, its run by Sefton Council,who may well be the phone bill payers.

http://www.sefton.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=6102&schoolid=2594&type=Secondary%20School

Sefton Council your note use 0845.

Prompted by this topic I decided to send Maghull High School an email requesting information about its use of an 0844 telephone number.  Today I received the following reply:

“Dear ..

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I am writing in response to your e.mail dated 17hDecember in which you requested information regarding the installation of a new telephone system at the school.

The school decided to update the telephone system for operational (the previous system did not meet the needs of a school), rather than financial reasons and therefore did not make a decision to use 0844 numbers. The new telephone number arose as a result of the change in system and was allocated by the telephone company.

The system was installed in August 2006 and we have just been made aware that there is a question about the level of call cost.

The school did not make the decision to install the new system based upon any income that may be received from call users, although the telephone company has confirmed that a reduction in the overall cost of the system is allocated as a result of a minor call charge being applied.

I can inform you that the school website maghullhigh.com now incorporates two direct dial numbers, one for main school and one for the sixth form.

Yours sincerely
M R Anderson
Headteacher .....END QUOTE

The reply did not disclose fully the information I requested and is crafted in typicaly enigmatic way.

kk wrote on Jan 17^th, 2007 at 9:09pm:

The school did not make the decision to install the new system based upon any income that may be received from call users, although the telephone company has confirmed that a reduction in the overall cost of the system is allocated as a result of a minor call charge being applied.

It's good to know that the school is run by people look at facts then.  ::)

So at 5p/min vs 3p/min for 01/02 calls on BT Together Option 1 that's a 66% increase. This is the minimum increase as geographical calls can be made for less.

Let us hope that he is not equally dialtory in keeping tabs on what the teachers in his school are teaching the pupils.

He just let the phone company allocate the numbers.  Ye gods where do they get these people from.