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Improving communications with
schools:
The Information Classification System
PUBLIC SECTOR TEAM
REGULATORY IMPACT UNIT
OFFICE OF THE E-ENVOY
Working with
the Readerbox and Classification Framework
1organisation
and management
> administration and management
> procedures
|
| audience |
organisations that communicate with schools |
| action required |
adopt the information classification system |
| timing |
during autumn term 2002 |
| also sent to |
n/a |
| type |
guidelines |
| description |
The information classification system (ICS) will help
head teachers and school staff to manage their paperwork
more easily. Organisations are encouraged to use the ICS
when communicating with schools. |
| updates relates to |
Code of Practice on LEA-school relations 2001
annex 4 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/lea/
Education and young people best practice toolkit
http://www.idea.gov.uk/knowledge/
|
| contact |
email ukgovtalk@e-envoy.gov.uk
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/publicsector/ICS.htm |
| for audience use: |
Cabinet Office, Department for
Education and Skills and stakeholders have developed the new
Information Classification System (ICS) to help make it easier
for head teachers and school staff to access and process information.
The ICS is good practice guidance drawn up and tested in the
field by practitioners and stakeholders, and is intended as
a framework to be adapted locally where appropriate. This
guide introduces and explains the ICS.
"A good idea from
the efficiency point of view, particularly in the context
of a primary school with the limited secretarial back
up"
- head teacher, Nottingham |
Contents:
For organisations communicating
with schools:
For school staff
Introduction
Communications with schools:
The Information Classification System
In December 2000, the Department
for Education and Skills and the Cabinet Office's Public Sector
Team published Making a Difference: Reducing schools paperwork
(available from
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/PublicSector/Schools.htm).
During the fieldwork for the project,
head teachers said that documents they received from government
and its agencies were often not clear about their purpose,
the target audience, the action required and the timescales
involved. In order to solve this problem, stakeholders from
across the education sector have developed the Information
Classification System for schools (ICS). The aim is for all
general communications with schools to adopt standard principles
for information and classification, for which we have suggested
using a standard Readerbox.
A Classification Framework has
also been developed, which will help schools and communicating
organisations by standardising search terms and categories,
for example on websites and extranets. This will smooth the
path to "paper-reduced" schools.
The following organisations were
represented on the Advisory Panel:
The ICS is designed for all organisations
that communicate with schools. DfES, QCA and Ofsted have already
agreed to incorporate the principles of the ICS into their
communications for schools.
The ICS has been developed in
partnership with the LGA, and has been piloted in three Local
Education Authorities (LEAs). The National Foundation for
Educational Research independently evaluated the pilots, reporting
in March 2002. The main findings were:
- whilst the ICS may not directly
cut the volume of paperwork, it helps head teachers save
time reading documents and general communications
- the ICS facilitates "one-touch
management" in schools
- the ICS should be rolled out
from Autumn Term 2002
If you want to find out more about
the pilots from the LEAs involved, please contact:
Jeremy Croxall jeremy.croxall@camden.gov.uk,
Adrian Armstrong adrian.armstrong@gateshead.gov.uk
or Steve Scotney steve.scotney@education.nottscc.gov.uk.
Key to the success of the ICS
will be the commitment of relevant staff in organisations
that communicate with schools.
We hope that you will support
these efforts to reduce the burden of managing paper in schools.
To achieve this, LEAs and other organisations that communicate
with schools are encouraged to adopt the Information Classification
System during Autumn Term 2002. We have the potential to make
a real difference.
ICS
for school staff
Stakeholders have developed the
Information Classification System for schools in response
to feedback from school staff that accessing, reading and
processing communications from central and local organisations
was very time consuming (see Cabinet Office/DfES report).
It is key to the success of the ICS that school staff make
the best use of the ICS.
What you can do to reduce burdens
in schools:
- read the Readerbox first when
you receive a document
- pass or copy documents to the
relevant staff in the school. The Action box will tell you
who needs to see it
- the ICS is freely available
to anyone who wishes to use it. Encourage organisations
that frequently communicate with your school to start using
the ICS as soon as possible
Further information about teacher
workload initiatives are available from
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The Office of the e-Envoy in the Cabinet Office will
lead the continuous improvement of the ICS. The Office
has a remit to lead on national metadata policy, and
to help meet the targets for electronic services.
Suggestions and feedback on the ICS should be made
to ukgovtalk@e-envoy.gsi.gov.uk.
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Introduction | ICS
at-a-glance | ICS
principles | Continuous
improvement | Using
the Readerbox | Using
the Classification Framework | The
Readerbox template - instructions | The
classification framework | Guidance
on e-Communication
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of page
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