MANAGING ICT MANAGING ICT
Hazel Davis
reports on
the launch of
Becta’s Home
Access scheme in Oldham
and Suffolk, which aims to
ensure home computers
and online connections are
available to all state pupils
EMEMBER THE days when
R
you had to creep up to your
room to play on your Spectrum
ZX and fervently claim it was
educational? Well, now kids
will have to have a pretty good
Keep the home
excuse not to go and switch on
their computers with a new government scheme
to provide all school children with internet and
computer access.
Every school child will have internet access by
2011. That is the pledge from Becta, the government
agency promoting the use of technology in education.
fires burning
Home Access is a two-year scheme designed to
enable all pupils aged five to 19 in state-maintained
education in England to have the opportunity to have
access to computers and internet for the purposes of Impact 2 research from Becta, which found a strong workforce and development at Becta, told SecEd spending every weekend in France, the opportunities
education at home. relationship between access to the internet at home and that there was a “significant evidence base” showing are different.”
The initiative – the Home Access Scheme – is socio-economic status, suggesting that the high cost of that the use of technology at home is related to The scheme is also aimed at helping schools to solve
currently being piloted in Oldham and Suffolk. Last UK internet access is an issue where the digital divide performance. administration issues, and preventing the need to send
month, Oldham Council gave grants for 8,000 devices is linked to socio-economic status. He explained: “There is so much out there from copious amounts of paper home to parents.
and free internet access in its region. In 2005, a project on behalf of the then Department revision sites, general interest sites, and things like An example of this is during the recent snow crisis,
The grant scheme is means-tested, but the packages for Education and Skills examined the links between the periodic table online. There are real dangers of when parents were able to log on to school websites
will eventually be available to all families. children’s educational uses of ICT at home and their stereotyping and being sexist, but plenty of low-income to find out news of closures. The potential goes
Prime minister Gordon Brown announced the £300 performance and attainment in key school subjects. families wouldn’t be in the low-income bracket if they much further too, for example at Twynham School in
million scheme during the Labour party conference This study found that home use of ICT was linked had sufficient technological access.” Christchurch, Dorset, at least 50 per cent of the school’s
in Manchester in September, and promised that every to a small increase in children’s attainment of expected Skills that students can gain from having internet students logged on to their Student Learning Gateway
school child in England would have web access by targets in maths at year 6 and 9, and had an extensive use at home also include general learning techniques, from home, ensuring they kept up-to-date with their
2011. effect in English and maths in year 11. according to Mr McLean. studies.
The scheme is a result of studies, including the 2001 Neil McLean, executive director of institutional He continued: “The skills my mother had as a The school runs an online learning portal which
librarian are now universally required. It’s about allows students and their parents or carers to monitor
skimming information, sifting, and looking for bias, progress, work on longer-term projects, access exam
and these are all skills acquired by home ICT use.” resources, and communicate with teachers and other
Delivering the
The scheme, Mr McLean emphasised, far from being students in online forums.
just about a free broadband package, provides parents Katherine Blake is a secondary ICT and business
Engineering Diploma?
with everything from internet safety and commerce studies teacher in Milton Keynes. She says that while
advice, to a dedicated helpline, and usage materials. most of her students are fairly clued-up when it comes
He added: “The family must be involved in the to being online, “it would certainly make my life easier
decision-making, so the grant goes towards a package to be able to assume it”.
which includes kit (the laptop), a year’s worth of She added: “I feel dreadfully sorry for the ones
We can help
connectivity, and a support package. One of the things who quite clearly can’t go home and just look things
we learned from the third sector experts we consulted up online. It’s very easy to just assume that everyone
is that if this is in any way complicated, it won’t work, has access to a computer and it’s such a vital part of
and that’s why the suppliers we’re using are providing everyday life that to not be wired up is to be seriously
full technical support.” disadvantaged.”
At the moment, the deal comes as a full package, And the reaction in Oldham and Suffolk has been
LJ Create is already working with over three quarters of the first cohort
but Becta is looking at how it can be unbundled in the good so far. Steve Goodman, Oldham Council’s head of
of Engineering Diploma Consortia helping with the implementation of
future, and after this year-long pilot, if everything goes ICT strategy for people, communities and society, said:
their engineering programmes.
well, there will be a national roll-out. “Parents’ reaction to and uptake of the grants has been
Mr McLean added: “We are currently looking to enormously encouraging. At our first parents’ evening
contract someone to do the admin for all of this – we we had more than 30 parents who were interested in
We are putting together a CD to give
want to get it right. the idea of applying for a grant. Those that were not
you an overview of the work we
“The eventual system will comprise a single phone eligible for the grant were still very keen to know what
number to call to see if you’re eligible, followed by a was included in the packages.” SecEd
are doing with the Diploma and are
form and a single-use debit card.”
including some FREE interactive
The debit card idea is designed to minimise the risk • Hazel Davis is a freelance education journalist.
The Engineering Diploma
The Engineering Diploma
Engineering Diploma resources. of abuse and fraud, and to ensure that the “benefits go
These interactive and engaging
to the right people”.
Further information
resources are a selection from our
Ultimately, Mr McLean believes that this is an www.becta.org.uk/
exciting scheme and one which could revolutionise homeaccess
full Engineering programme. LJ
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The Engineering Diploma teaching.
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He explained: “It’s about
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If you are delivering the Engineering
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FREE INSI ces and new opportunities for
Diploma, or will be involved in the
Teaching &
resour
teaching.
future and would like a free copy of this CD,
“It’s a trite example, but if
please email your details quoting “SecEd” to: you’re a secondary teacher
info@ljcreate.co.uk or visit: www.ljcreate.com/engineeringdiploma
of French and you know
that a couple of the kids
in your class spend
holidays in France,
it’s hard to integrate
that into teaching.
If every child in
your class is
LJ Create Limited Francis Way T: +44 (0)1603 748001
Bowthorpe E: info@ljcreate.co.uk
Norwich NR5 9JA W: www.ljcreate.com
10 SecEd • March 26 2009
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