What IT department? It's a middle school.
Congratulations............. you catch on fast:

The best jobs are in county hall and they don't even think about what is happening outside their little political silo. So the problem is a lack of a coherent management structure:

1. Security model
2. Security processes
3. Security procedures
4. Security processes
And:

It seems to be the usual problem..............top down. From the little research I have done this is a state funded school so will be managed by a county education authority with some oversight by the state.

If it is anything like over here, the education authority will be based some distance away. Mine is about 24 miles, for example. My local schools cannot afford more than one or two people to look after everything on site