Grant initiative Andy Jackson

Computers for Pupils Grant Summary What is it? –£60 million nationally over 2-years –aimed at helping some of the most disadvantaged secondary children improve their education and life skills by putting a computer and connectivity into the home. How can it help? –Putting computers into the home can motivate pupils to learn, help develop key ICT and life skills and give them the same opportunities and experiences as their peers. –The whole family, school and wider community can benefit through increased involvement of parents in their child's education and better communication between the school and home. Who's eligible? –Eligibility has been based on a formula to determine some of the most disadvantaged KS3 and KS4 children throughout the country. –The final decision about which schools will be receiving the funding rests with each individual LA in conjunction with its schools, based on the guidance provided.

More detail Aims of the initiative –give these pupils the same opportunities as their peers –provide conditions which can contribute towards raising educational achievement, narrowing the attainment gap and supporting progress towards their targets –support personalised learning by providing access to ICT whenever or wherever is most appropriate for learning –encourage the development of ICT skills appropriate to 21st century Funding –Birmingham has nearly 10% of the whole grant - £5.7million over two years –funding is to be targeted at pupils in KS3-4 living in the 10% most deprived areas –funding is targeted at the homes of eligible pupils rather than at the institution –the formula assumes that 30%of pupils in the targeted areas have access to ICT at home. –only schools with 30 or more eligible pupils have been included in the calculations –the funding allocated to each LA is a fixed amount per school - £10,000 - plus a per funded pupil capital amount of £400 – plus a per head funded pupil revenue amount of £102 –need to take account of known access in the home and existing or planned local initiatives to provide home access –a percentage of the target group will require assistive technology (AT) –funding should be allocated to schools in the same way as other ICT grants –None of the allocated Computers for Pupils funding may be retained by the LA

….and also The funding does not have to go to the ‘eligible schools’ – but must be agreed by the schools if the scheme is to be varied The initiative should focus on what educational outcomes are sought to be achieved Suggested target audience might include: –who are at risk of not achieving level 5 in English, mathematics or science at the end of Key Stage 3 –who are at risk of not achieving a grade C in GCSE English or mathematics –whose homework and GCSE coursework could be improved –are gifted and talented, by providing increased opportunities for stretch and enrichment –are at early stages in learning English –where ICT can help them to improve specific learning skills May seek also to improve: –attitudes to learning of particular groups of pupils –the attendance and behaviour of targeted pupils –communication between pupils and between home and school –the engagement of parents in learning Other points: –some schools will have access to a well-developed learning platform which targeted pupils will be able to access from home –teachers should be encouraged to include opportunities for using ICT at home when planning programmes of work –kit is made available on a long term loan basis for educational use –equipment is owned by the school –only one ‘package’ per home

Procurement funding should be used to purchase a computer device and connectivity for the homes of eligible pupils schools should choose the most appropriate equipment recommended that LAs use the Becta framework agreement LAs may use their own procurement method if they can show that it offers better value for money the LA and school to decide the most appropriate and effective type and level of connectivity for their pupils it is anticipated that funding will deliver connectivity for one year – alternatives needed after that developments in broadband in schools and of learning platforms should be taken into account connectivity should ideally be between the home and school with access to learning platforms and content all connections to the Internet should be safe with appropriate safeguards and security measures

Some thoughts…. The scheme aims to reach 100,000 pupils nationally There are 2 million pupils nationally without a device and home There are 14,500 pupils funded in Birmingham There are an unknown number who do not have a device and home in B’ham If this is a good, why aren’t the benefits available to all? We used to be paranoid about pupils in dinner queues with free meal tickets We could now have a reverse logic conundrum What other benefits could we realise by a universally available scheme? Can this be done? The e-learning foundation can help

Next steps…. More work is to be done in creating a scheme for Birmingham that could offer some form of medium to long term ‘universality’ This is a transformational opportunity and the availability of some funding should not be wasted – no more modems in the cupboard We have some good examples and track record in Birmingham – no need to re-invent the wheel Sustainability is a real issue and we need to build on what we have already invested in We need to consult and to research widely before presenting offers to schools We have some time to cogitate!

A metaphor…. Secondary schools have universally available meal provision Some pay Some bring their own food Some go home to eat – or somewhere else Some are funded to eat Computers for pupils could risk jus t addressing the last, rather than universal provision Questions and comments