Tomo Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 This strikes me as absolute madness - even on the scale of schools these days.So you're saying that nowhere in the entire school is there a set of suitable step ladders that can be used (by a caretaker if noone else) to get up to the lanterns above stage?[snip]I know that many schools have restrictions on climbing and WaH (some sensible others not so) but not even having a ladder on site, and taking six months to get a lamp replaced is just plain dumb!!This is called PFI.One of the lesser-known idiocies of the PFI scheme is that the management company own the whole shebang and none of the school staff is allowed to touch any of it.So when a lamp burns out, the school has to make a formal, written request to the management company to replace it.Obviously that paperwork takes time, then the management company sits on the request for a while*, before asking a maintenance company to come and actually replace the lamp. In many cases the school really does have to make a written request to the management company simply to refocus lanterns and other such trivialities, because the school genuinely doesn't own any access equipment at all. The management company owns all the ladders and zip-up scaffolding, because they are responsible for all the maintenance in the buildings. So don't blame the school staff or even the people who come out and actually change the lamps - they think it's crazy as well - and it's not surprising that a lot of things simply don't get done because it's just too much hassle convincing the management company that it needs to be done. Thanks Gordon, we love you and your accountancy tricks. That Monty Python NHS sketch was small beans compared to what got put through in the last decade. *The longer they wait, the fewer lamp changes they actually have to pay for so the more profit they make.Oddly very few of the PFIs appear to have any kind of SLA with regards to teaching facilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callumb Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 This strikes me as absolute madness - even on the scale of schools these days.So you're saying that nowhere in the entire school is there a set of suitable step ladders that can be used (by a caretaker if noone else) to get up to the lanterns above stage?[snip]I know that many schools have restrictions on climbing and WaH (some sensible others not so) but not even having a ladder on site, and taking six months to get a lamp replaced is just plain dumb!!This is called PFI.One of the lesser-known idiocies of the PFI scheme is that the management company own the whole shebang and none of the school staff is allowed to touch any of it.So when a lamp burns out, the school has to make a formal, written request to the management company to replace it.Obviously that paperwork takes time, then the management company sits on the request for a while*, before asking a maintenance company to come and actually replace the lamp. In many cases the school really does have to make a written request to the management company simply to refocus lanterns and other such trivialities, because the school genuinely doesn't own any access equipment at all. The management company owns all the ladders and zip-up scaffolding, because they are responsible for all the maintenance in the buildings. So don't blame the school staff or even the people who come out and actually change the lamps - they think it's crazy as well - and it's not surprising that a lot of things simply don't get done because it's just too much hassle convincing the management company that it needs to be done. Thanks Gordon, we love you and your accountancy tricks. That Monty Python NHS sketch was small beans compared to what got put through in the last decade. *The longer they wait, the fewer lamp changes they actually have to pay for so the more profit they make.Oddly very few of the PFIs appear to have any kind of SLA with regards to teaching facilities. Couldn't agree more! My local Amdram group cant use the stage for this very reason! They use the old school hall and its perfect for them. There is a nice space sitting there not being used due to some peoples stupidity and short sightedness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I can get to the main batten in the middle (with the 12 S4s on it) by standing on a chair on a table - Very technical.Oh, Christ!I sincerely hope you are kidding!!I doubt you'll find ANYONE with any experience on here approving of that access method at all! It's quite simply the WRONG thing to even contemplate, and to be frank if the school had any idea you were doing that (especially as they won't allow you to use the correct manner of WaH...) they'd likely blow a gasket!! PLEASE tell us you'll not do that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImChrisM Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 I can get to the main batten in the middle (with the 12 S4s on it) by standing on a chair on a table - Very technical.Oh, Christ!I sincerely hope you are kidding!!I doubt you'll find ANYONE with any experience on here approving of that access method at all! It's quite simply the WRONG thing to even contemplate, and to be frank if the school had any idea you were doing that (especially as they won't allow you to use the correct manner of WaH...) they'd likely blow a gasket!! PLEASE tell us you'll not do that... Well I haven't tried it, It just looks table + chair height - the focus on the FOH lights is remarkably usable at the moment! Bear in mind I'm a teenager! Don't worry though, I won't be trying it any time soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior8 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Thanks Gordon, we love you and your accountancy tricks. That Monty Python NHS sketch was small beans compared to what got put through in the last decade. Come on Tomo - the bloke was too stupid to know any tricks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 PFI = 1992 and I cannot remember Gordon or even TB being PM then???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior8 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 PFI = 1992 and I cannot remember Gordon or even TB being PM then???? True Kerry but the sensible Tories treated PFIs with long tongs and only used them in quite limited circumstances - and if Brown had any brain he'd have seen the need for such caution. The big expansion really came under Labour's Building Schools for the Future Programme where some quite ludicrous service contracts were signed, as we've seen here. Don't worry though once the first school/hospital has the sense to go bust (it may be QA Hospital in Portsmouth if the signs are right) the Private Sector will run away and unload these assets asap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 PFI = 1992 and I cannot remember Gordon or even TB being PM then???? That source of all accurate knowledge, Wikipedia, suggests: "In 1992 PFI was implemented for the first time in the UK by the Conservative government of John Major." However, it does then say, "Both Conservative and Labour governments have sought to justify PFI on the practical[5] grounds that the private sector is better at delivering services than the public sector." However, we're drifting into party politics, not advising on how to hire lighting gear.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior8 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 However, we're drifting into party politics, not advising on how to hire lighting gear.... Which would often be the politics of party of course... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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