Making Information Work Conference

26th April 2007

This was a strategic one day conference to appraise developments in the use of electronic data and implications for institutional and multi agency planning, the aim of which is to get together, for the purpose of updates, advice, guidance, hints and tips presentations and hands on sessions:

Naace members whose professional role will be influenced by developments in the use of electronic data;

School leaders interested in improving learning through the use of management information;

LA data managers, MIS school support team staff and others whose main professional function is the management of electronic data;

Local authority advisers whose functions include the procurement of data systems and effective practice in their use, or the development of the data requirements of Every Child Matters.

By the end of the day delegates appraised national developments in the use of electronic data, considered the criteria for assuring the effectiveness of use of data and discussed the implications for institutional planning.

Programme

Mary Barker, Naace General Secretary, provided an Introduction to the Conference. the Keynote Address 'An information Strategy for Education, Skills and Children's Services' was given by Keith Holder, DCFS.

There were four workshop sessions in the morning:
A Framework for the Evaluation and Development of School MIS
Peter Maher, Capita

Tracking the Child: Centralised Data Services to support ECM
Sue Ferris, Falmouth School

Interoperability: Standards' for Data Interchange
Paul Shoesmith, Becta

How Data and Analysis Techniques inform effective Teaching and Learning
Mike Bostock, New Media Learning

The afternoon Keynote Address 'Futures - The Challenge of Data Literacy' was given by Mike Treadaway, Fischer Family Trust

There were two workshop sessions in the afternoon followed by a panel discussion:

Tracking the Child - Framework for delivering LA Reports for ECM
Graham Garner, Forvus

Data Transfer between Institutions - School, HE and FE
Clive Church - Edexcel