<span lang="EN-US"><strong><span class="ThreeCE">Welsh heads could be exploited in pursuit of e-learning excellence</span></strong></span>

Increasing technical innovation in classrooms has become a major priority of school improvement plans across Wales as they play catch up with England.  

Schools scoring seven 1s in recent inspections by Estyn all said improving ICT was pivotal to raising their game further in their responses.

But the race to “digitally enable” Welsh classrooms, teachers and children to meet ambitious targets laid out in a report by an Assembly Government appointed ICT task force for 2012 could prove more than a financial headache for cash-strapped schools.

Anecdotal evidence uncovered by NAHT in time for conference suggests purchasing ICT equipment can be a minefield, and schools could fall prey to rip off merchants.

NAHT investigated comments posted on Edugeek, a website for IT professionals working in schools, that included reports of dodgy practice - especially in service support.

One supplier, according to a contributor, had charged vastly different rates to teachers in different schools insinuating that technologically-challenged staff could leave themselves wide open to exploitation.

Efficiency Savings 

The necessity for schools to make further efficiency savings after the general election could lead more schools to shop around – especially in Wales where per pupil funding is £527 less than in England.

Mick Brookes, NAHT General Secretary, has called for an inquiry into reports of unscrupulous practice by IT suppliers. He is also calling for a Which?-style list of reputable companies for nervous schools to consult who are experts in teaching and learning but inexperienced buyers.

But what is the situation in Wales where many schools struggle financially to keep up with technical innovation?

According to the 2008 WAG commissioned report, Transforming Schools with ICT, all primary and secondary schools in Wales should have a computer to pupil ratio of 5-1 or better and 2:1 in special schools by 2012. Every classroom should also have at least one internet access points, an interactive whiteboard and a broadband connection.

In the year leading up the report’s publication, the task force found ICT provision to be patchy, but the strategists did find examples of good practice - including one school that used SMS text messaging to encourage boys into creative writing.

Most schools use Moodle – the learning platform - and Wiki is fast becoming an invaluable form of communication for schools trialling the School Effectiveness Framework. (SEF)

True, state of the art technology will be a vital form of communication between families of schools hooked up under SEF and perhaps a five hour drive away from each other.  

Practicality alone dictates that the cost of pupil travel in taxi fares – a huge drain of the 14-19 Learning Pathways agenda - justifies the cost of video conferencing facilities.

But in 2007-8 just 50% of schools in Wales had web based learning environments and a minority of schools had virtual learning environments.

Just over half of schools conducted an annual skills audit, dropping to a third in secondary schools and a little over a half had video conferencing capability.

Cost of broadband 

With the cost of broadband connections higher for small rural schools combined with huge funding variations between local authorities there is unlikely to ever be a level playing field in school  IT provision

Pete Spencer, head of CoedCae Comprehensive, Llanelli,believes funding cuts next year mean simply keeping up with basic IT needs – let along taking it further – will be difficult for many schools.

His school has embarked on an ambitious project to transform teaching and learning through IT in a bid to engage pupils brought up on a diet of technological advances.

Inexpensive devices, such as the Promethean free text voting system and flip cam video recorders have all added to pupil enjoyment in lessons across the curriculum. But with limited resources, he has had to shop around to achieve it.

 “Wales has not benefitted from the specific funding of e-learning credits he said. I also feel that the BSF (Better Schools Fund) scheme in England has also been a major factor in the differential in provision, new builds place an 21st century ICT learning platform at their heart, and in most cases have been funded as part of BSF.

“The whole 14-19 agenda would benefit from a joined up approach to e-learning to be a distinct lack of a national e-learning strategy, particularly in relation to 14-19 provision.  Do all schools have a VLE, video conferencing and a learning platform that allows remote interaction for all learners?  These are key issues for taking cost effective collaborative learning forward.”

But the necessity of efficiently savings in Wales did lead to the launch of Buy4Wales in 2007 – the procurement arm of WAG.

Buy4Wales exists to help schools gain value for money. Suppliers bid fiercely at an e-auction event over two days to be part of the IT hardware and services framework.

Average saving of 39% 

Upon its launch, Andrew Davies, WAG’s then Finance Minister, said Buy4Wales would give average savings of 39 per cent or more than £6 million a year, the equivalent of an extra 180 teachers or nurses for Wales.

The Educational Procurement Centre in England was only recently set up by the Government, making Wales ahead of the game.

But Mr Spencer said Buy4Wales had not proved competitive in his experience and he had been forced into shopping around to find the best deal.  

Luckily, he has found a partnership of suppliers that deliver a good service.

“Doing the work ourselves has saved a lot of money. Coedcae has undertaken a major ICT development project and our partners have ensured that the e-learning vision behind the project is delivered and we have benefited from additional services, such as full set up and extended warranties. We are also lucky at having an excellent business manager who always ensures we have a good deal.

“The biggest problem I have faced in putting together a large project is getting technical advice on individual items. Are you buying the right thing, will the kit do the right thing and are you buying something of a higher spec than you need? This is where I feel schools are at greatest risk of being ripped off.

“Project management is often an area where heads lack support, managing problems that have arisen from our ICT project has taken a significant amount of time.

Bespoke technical support

“If we are to create 21^st century learning then good provision of modern technology is essential, to achieve this we need more bespoke technical and project management support and more money.”

With primary schools in Wales unlikely to have an IT technician, they will need more support and peace of mind when purchasing hi-tech equipment in the next few years.

Data from Becta, formerly the British Educational and Communications Technology Agency, confirms schools still rely on local authorities for purchasing decisions – 43 per cent of primaries and 27 per cent of secondaries used  IT purchasing frameworks provided by their LA  in 2009, and more so in Wales.  

At Coedcae, Mr Spencer said outstanding IT advice from a secondary advisor at Carmarthenshire LEA had helped his team significantly.

“Providing expert technical support and project management expertise is a way in which local authorities can add significant value to schools and support one of our key spend areas,” he said.

As a new generation of pro-active heads take more control over their purchasing power in Wales and race towards seemingly unachievable IT targets, there is more chance of schools of being taken for a ride -  the counterproductive consequences now coming home to roost in England.

According to Becta, one of the ways schools can protect themselves from unscrupulous companies is to gain one of their accreditation marks, companies much less likely to try it on as the mark proves schools are IT savvy. Becta does have a list of accredited companies, some of which provide services in Wales.  

Anna Brychan, Director of NAHT Cymru said:

'This is a critical area for our members. They need advice - and the resources - to get the right equipment at the right price as quickly as possible. The pay offs are huge - ICT will oil the wheels of the School Effectiveness Framework, enable better 14-19 collaboration and make sure that schools use the technology that can engage young learners.'

Nicola Porter is the former editor of TES Cymru

and has recently launched her own website

www.educationreporter.co.uk