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Addressing the 5 bullet points listed in a letter to eZeSchools from Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive of Becta

* ‘Compliance and Proven Ability’ – The Becta criteria for total compliance to their framework were impossible for any company or product to truly satisfy at this stage of development in the marketplace. Referring to the list of ten in the Becta framework, It would appear that none of their products or services fully conform with the initial requirements of Becta as defined in their framework document with regard to SCORM compliance. As a result of this both the local authorities and Becta themselves are being queried by the European Commission. On the other hand we at eZeSchools comply with many of the requirements and are working towards total compliance.

* ‘Technical Merit’ – eZe PLP™ has been developed as a web based solution and is interoperable, being totally hardware and software agnostic. The system will support any form of electronic data. The system has been proven to be robust in trials at both Greensward College in Essex and Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough. Both of these and other education establishments employing the eZe PLP™ believe the system to be technically in advance of other systems in the market being both robust and fit for purpose and indeed more than that.

eZe PLP™ is not technology for the sake of it, it is a platform which provides useful and reliable tools designed to assist and support teachers and learners in their every day lives. It is not merely a software system but a total service which is offered by the company to its partner schools.

* ‘Quality Control and Assurance Audit’ – eZeSchools have been developing their platform for a period of eight years and have delivered this to a number of schools with ninety nine point nine percent reliability and an exacting Service Level Agreement granted to schools. The system is web based and resilient in that it is hosted in three separate mission critical locations. The company is happy for its technical infrastructure and its financial status to be audited.

* ‘Value for Money’ – eZe PLP™ offers startling value for money, from the schools perspective as it represents ‘low to no cost’. eZeSchools business model is based on a low level licensing fee payable by the school but refundable should sixty percent of parents choose to subscribe to the system in order to obtain additional functionality over and above the schools own provision of service. Additional functionality incorporate high speed reporting, access to special forums, mind maps, analysis, comparables, push technology (to support the learner and the parent), unique coursework, additional resources, chat rooms, instant messaging etc.

* ‘Financial standing’ – the companies on the current Becta list are of considerable size and it is eZeSchools’ suspicion that rather than any qualitative examination of their learning platforms, it was their balance sheets which facilitated their listing within the Becta framework. Financial size implied or required by the criteria knocks out smaller or new suppliers.

The Parliamentary early day motions seemed to concentrate on this outdated purchasing framework issue. Notwithstanding the above, eZeSchools is represented by an impressive board of directors including serving headteachers, educationalists and entrepreneurial business people and is supported financially by a number of internationally recognised quality investors.

The best fit for an individual school technically and economically is not normally found in generic products delivered from multi national vendors. The innovation and individual service offered by smaller suppliers is a valid and key component in the implementation of the government’s E-strategy.