This is such a loaded question as the immediate implication is that ‘they’ are not, and more to the point it implies that there is a ‘them’ – which also means there is an ‘us’. As many within the Redbridge school community know I have worked as a member of Tech Support teams in several organisations before I trained as a teacher. I therefore have tremendous respect for the role. If you are a senior IT manager in a school it is, however, your responsibility to be self-evaluative and ensure that the Tech Support function is effective.
Tech Support – they’re diamonds!
It can be helpful to see our Tech Support colleagues as a diamond that has several different aspects. Each facet shows a different side of their sparkle, and their precious quality arises out of the fact that they often have to handle tremendous heat and pressure! It also provides a helpful mnemonic for reviewing their work:
Last night was the first Computing At Schools Hub meeting of 2013 in Redbridge with colleagues from Primary and Secondary schools hosted by Ilford County High School. 
This is such a loaded question as the immediate implication is that ‘they’ are not, and more to the point it implies that there is a ‘them’ – which also means there is an ‘us’. As many within the Redbridge school community know I have worked as a member of Tech Support teams in several organisations before I trained as a teacher. I therefore have tremendous respect for the role. If you are a senior IT manager in a school it is, however, your responsibility to be self-evaluative and ensure that the Tech Support function is effective. 
The ICT Subject Leaders have been meeting and working together in Redbridge longer than I can remember. The Redbridge Technicians' Forum is a much younger community - starting just 4 years ago. Yesterday the two communities spent the day together...and they seem to have liked it!
Over the last couple of months schools across Redbridge have taken part in the LGfL eSafety survey 2013. To date over 10,000 students have responded. LGFL launched their interim report (which includes analysis of 8482 pupils responses) today - on Safer Internet Day. 
