report into changes in numbers and quality of school-owned...

Report into changes in numbers and quality

of school-owned PCs & laptops

Report produced by the e-Learning Foundation, commissioned by Syscap plc

August 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 3

2. Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 3

3. 2001- 2004 ...................................................................................................................................... 4

4. 2005- 2009 ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Graph 1: Grants made to schools by e-Learning Foundation 2001-2012 ........................................... 5

5. 2010-2013 ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Graph 2: Average ICT Budget per school: 2001-2012 ......................................................................... 7

6. Desktops vs Laptops ........................................................................................................................ 8

Graph 3: Number of ineffective computers: 2001-2012 .................................................................... 8

Graph 4: Desktop PCs and Laptops 2001-2012 ................................................................................... 8

7. The Growth of Tablets .................................................................................................................... 9

8. Pupils to computer ratios ................................................................................................................ 9

Graph 5: Pupil to Computer Ratio: 2001-2012 ................................................................................... 9

9. Budgets ......................................................................................................................................... 10

Graph 6: Average spend per school: 2001-2012............................................................................... 10

10. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 10

Funding ............................................................................................................................................. 11

Evidence ............................................................................................................................................ 12

Impact ............................................................................................................................................... 12

11. Sources ...................................................................................................................................... 13

1. Overview This report seeks to set out the current situation in UK schools in terms of:

The numbers of, and split between, desktop PCs and mobile computers and how that has

changed over the last few years

The differences between Primary Schools and Secondary Schools

The age profile of school computers and whether schools now face a difficult time

maintaining the quality of their computers

The impact and outcomes of capital budget cuts, and restrictions on lease finance, on the

ability of schools to make adequate provision of computers for teaching and learning

2. Summary Despite significant increases in the number of computers in schools over the past 10 years, schools

still need over 1m more computers to meet the needs of their ICT development plans this year; 0.7m

from Primary Schools and 0.43m from Secondary Schools. 436,000 computers are classified as

“ineffective” and 624,000 are over five years old.

Desktop numbers grew between 2001 and 2004 after which growth slowed down significantly as

mobile devices became more popular, and essential to an increasing awareness that access to

technology was needed at home as much as in school, and should be personal to the learner. Since

2009 desktop numbers have actually fallen (Graph 3) and this trend is expected to continue due to

increasing interest in provision of a mobile device per student.

Government policies during the Labour Government era were highly supportive of the role of

technology in schools, and several initiatives ring-fenced funding (Wired up Communities, Tools for

Schools, e-Learning Credits, Curriculum Online, Home Access, etc) to ensure it was spent on ICT.

Targets were set on the number of students per computer, and the need for schools to have a VLE.

Prices of devices tumbled throughout the period, and with school capital budgets, additional grants

and parental contributions, many schools were able to both refresh old computers and add to their

numbers. However, schools also seemed reluctant to throw their older kit away, possibly in order to

hit the pupil:computer targets that applied prior to 2010.

Primary Schools have showed a much slower uptake of computers; this can be attributed to smaller

budgets, limited ICT expertise, and weaker purchasing power. This growing deficit is a major

challenge as with the disaggregation of purchasing, Primary Schools are regarded as harder to work

with due to their limited knowledge, and less profitable due to lower volume sales.

Since 2010 there has been a notable absence of any Government policy on the use of ICT, and

schools are now expected to set their own strategy and implementation plans.

3. 2001- 2004 The BESA report published in 2001 provides a useful place to start an evaluation of the current

status of computers in schools. Until then computers, mostly desktop PCs, were scattered around

school offices, classrooms and dedicated computer suites.

In 2001 the Microsoft Anywhere Anytime Learning (AAL) programme had been running for a year or

so. This was the first formalised programme in the UK to suggest every learner should have their

own device (then a laptop). In the same year the national e-Learning Foundation was set up with the

support of Microsoft and the Department of Education to help schools achieve 1:1 access of a device

that could be used at home as well as at school. Laptops were in the order of £1,000 each and

parental contributions were typically £20+ a month over three years.

Key statistics for 2001 include:

There were 951,900 desktops in schools of which 831,900 were for teaching & learning, and

120,000 for administration (i.e. 34/school)

25% of the computers were considered “ineffective” for teaching the curriculum

20.3% of the PCs were over 5 years old

Windows accounted for 903,300 and Mac for 72,600

There were 94,700 laptops (4.4/school) of which 90% were Windows OS and 10% Mac.

Laptops therefore accounted for just 9% of the total, not surprising given the very high unit

cost at that time

50% of the laptops were used for administration purposes, including teachers devices

Only 710,300 of all the computers were networked (so 336,300 were not)

35% of schools were “considering” installing wireless networking for laptop users

14% of networked schools did not use e-mail

Primary Schools spent £7,700 on ICT on average, and Secondary Schools spent £35,300

Total spend on ICT was £337.1m, which works out at just over £40 per pupil (assumes 8m

children in school).

Tony Blair launched Curriculum Online in 2001 with a £50m fund to help teachers access online

resources for their computers, LCD projectors and new interactive whiteboards.

Between 2001 and 2005 the total number of computers in schools doubled to 1.96m, with laptops

growing four-fold. Starting with Becta trials in 2003, some schools, notably the Learning to Go

project in Wolverhampton, were also using PDAs for mobile learning. The prices were attractive,

especially to Primary Schools, but the products proved less robust than required, and as the business

world turned to Smartphones, market demand for PDAs fell away and the products were withdrawn.

4. 2005- 2009 During this period there was a good supply of grants to help schools implement 1:1 programmes

through the e-Learning Foundation with schools using the funds to “top up” their own capital

resources/reserves and income from parents who could contribute. A total of £11.25m was granted

over this period.

Graph 1: Grants made to schools by e-Learning Foundation 2001-2012

Key statistics for 2005 include:

The number of PCs had grown to 1,491,200, a 57% increase

The number of laptops had grown to 508,600, a 437% increase

Average spend per Primary School was £13,020 and Secondary Schools spent £55,730

Total spend on ICT was £526m, an increase of 55% on 2001

The number of ineffective computers had more than doubled the 2001 figure to 514,400

(26%)

Only 31% of Primary and 55% of Secondary Schools owned wireless networking technology

The Pupil to Computer ratio was at 7.4 in Primary Schools and 5.5 in Secondary Schools.

It is hard to pin down when the pupil:computer ratio was first set as a Government target, but

around this period targets were set at a maximum of 8:1 for Primary Schools and 5:1 for Secondary

Schools. (There was also an expectation that schools should have a Virtual Learning Environment in

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

3000000

3500000

4000000

4500000

5000000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Wired up

Home Access programme run

place). It was suspected that some schools therefore held onto their aging computers in order to

achieve the target.

In 2006 the BBC launched BBC Jam, offering £150m of online curriculum based resources. However,

the industry challenged the legality of the BBC project and the BBC Trust pulled it.

The two Government programmes Curriculum Online and e-Learning Credits ended in 2008.

In 2009 the Home Access programme was rolled out nationally, providing 267,000 families, whose

children were eligible for Free School Meals, with a computer and one years Internet access. The

scheme effectively bypassed schools, although some managed to act as an aggregation agent for

their local families. The main suppliers were Comet and XMA.

Between 2005 and 2009 the total number of computers increased by 494,100, a 25% increase. Other

key statistics for 2009 include:

The number of PCs had grown to 1,726,000, a 16% increase on 2005

The number of laptops had grown to 767,900, a 51% increase

Average spend per Primary School was £14,300 and Secondary Schools spent £65,400 (2008

figures)

Growth in laptops was assisted by the launch of the Asus eee netbook in 2008 which was on

sale to schools from £169 (Android version) and was particularly taken up by Primary

Schools (in comparison the Apple Macbook Pro was £1,600).

Total spend on ICT was £586m, an increase of 11.4% on 2005 and 73.3% on 2001

The number of ineffective computers was at 269,000, down from a peak of 514,400 in 2005

The number of computers more than 5 years old was 20% of the total; i.e. 487,600, up from

409,900 in 2006 when this data was first collected

Only 31% of Primary and 55% of Secondary Schools owned wireless networking technology

The Pupil to Computer ratio was at 7.4 in Primary Schools and 5.5 in Secondary Schools.

5. 2010-2013 In May 2010 the Coalition Government came into power. The key changes included:

Becta was abolished

Closure of the Home Access programme

Removal of ring-fenced funding for ICT related expenditure

Removal of targets for pupil:computer ratios, VLEs, etc

Reductions in capital spending

Introduction of the Pupil Premium for FSM-eligible pupils, but limited evidence on schools

using it to provide mobile technology to disadvantaged pupils

Acceleration of the Academy programme, with consequent freedoms from Local Authority control for schools to make their own purchasing decisions

Other key statistics for year ending March 2012, the latest available, include:

Average spend per Primary School was £12,720 and Secondary Schools spent £57,580. These

are significantly down on the years of the Labour Government. Overall, the 2012 UK ICT

budgets were £47m lower than those of 2007, down to £532m.

Average provision of 49.1 and 325.2 computers in UK maintained schools suggests that the

number of computers in schools has plateaued and improvements in the pupils:computer

ratio have stalled, despite the fact that some schools have implemented significant 1:1

schemes.

Desktop numbers have started to fall after over 10 years of steady rises

Mobile computers (laptops and tablets) continue to rise in numbers.

The number of computers that schools consider “ineffective” has increased since 2009 in

Primary Schools from 129,800 to 188,000, a 45% increase, and from 139,200 to 248,000 in

Secondary Schools, a massive 78% increase. This means that a total of 436,000 computers

urgently need replacing.

Linked to the above statistics is the number of computers over 5 years old which has risen

steadily, from 410,000 in 2006 to 624,000 in the latest figures, just under 1 in 5. With

austerity measures affecting schools, this trend can only continue in the near to mid future.

The numbers of computers that schools believe are necessary to meet the needs of ICT

development plans in 2013 are 81.7 (Primary) and 428.6 (Secondary) respectively. This

translates into a need to increase the numbers of computers in Primary Schools by 730,403

and Secondary Schools by 443,586 i.e. 1.17m more computers.

Graph 2: Average ICT Budget per school: 2001-2012

£0

£10,000

£20,000

£30,000

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£50,000

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£70,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 est.

Primary Average spend/school

Average spend/school

6. Desktops vs Laptops The desktop population has grown from 951,900 in 2001, peaking at 1,747,000 in 2010 and then

declining to 1,627,000 in 2012 with every indication the decline will continue with the growth of 1:1

provision and the need to have access at home as well as at school, making portability a key feature.

In contrast the laptop population has grown from 94,700 in 2001 to 868,000 in 2012 with every

indication this trend will continue. The laptop statistics include Tablets, covered in the next section.

The number of computers classified as “ineffective” is cause for concern with numbers climbing

steeply since 2008.

Graph 3: Number of ineffective computers: 2001-2012

Graph 4: Desktop PCs and Laptops 2001-2012

0

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2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Primary

Secondary

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2001 20022003

20042005

20062007

20082009

20102011

2012

Laptops

Desktops

7. The Growth of Tablets The last two years has seen significant levels of interest in Tablet computers, despite Tablets being

available for well over 5 years. The surge in interest has largely been driven by the aggressive

marketing and pricing of the iPad by Apple.

Autumn 2011 saw the first large-scale implementation of the Apple iPad in schools, with prices

equivalent to bottom end laptops. During 2012 and 2013 interest in the tablet format grew rapidly,

and at the expense of laptop sales. The iPad dominated tablet sales and Android and Windows-

based tablets have yet to make major inroads into the education sales figures.

Schools expect to make increasing use of tablets, with Primary Schools expecting them to account

for 21% of all their computers by 2015, and Secondary Schools 26%.

8. Pupils to computer ratios The subject of a Government target prior to 2010, the ratio of pupils to computers has continued to

improve. In 2001, 11.8 Primary School pupils shared a computer and after showing big gains in the

following three years, the ratio has not significantly improved, and is currently at 6.78. In Secondary

Schools, the figures have improved to a greater extent but with little improvement since 2008, the

current ratio being 4.22. However, in practice the figures are likely to be better than this, particularly

in Secondary Schools, as they do not include pupil-owned devices being brought into school under

increasingly popular programmes such as Bring Your Own Device.

Graph 5: Pupil to Computer Ratio: 2001-2012

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Primary Secondary

9. Budgets Spending per school peaked in 2008, a date that coincided with a number of ring-fenced ICT-related

programmes. After a sharp fall after 2010, spending recovered slightly in 2012 and is forecast (by the

schools surveyed) to increase again in 2013. However, this could be partly explained by the number

of new Academies and Free Schools who are incurring high upfront ICT costs. Nevertheless, the

amount per capita (students and teachers) remains well below what the average company spends

on ICT.

Graph 6: Average spend per school: 2001-2012

10. Conclusions The data confirms that a major change in school computing is well underway from IT-suite based

desktop computers to personal provision of a mobile device. In the last two years Apple has seen

huge success with the keenly priced iPad2 and iPad Mini.

Cuts in capital budgets, and general financial constraints, are making it harder for schools to both

maintain the quality of their stock of computers, and buy enough to meet their forecasted needs.

Over half a million computers in schools are over 5 years old and/or ineffective, and schools need

another 1m working computers to meet their ICT plans for the future.

However, it is important to point out that the data is not currently picking up a relatively new

phenomenon which is the Bring Your Own Device approach. Rather than accepting responsibility for

the provision of a suitable device for every learner, an increasing number of schools are leaving it up

to parents to buy their children a computer they can bring into school. This may be specified by the

school (e.g. “it must be an iPad”) or not (“bring what you want and used the browser to access cloud

based resources”). This should be a priority for future data collection.

The BESA survey identified some of the major barriers to faster adoption of tablet computers, and in

many ways these are the same as laptops; they are concerns over funding, and lack of

knowledge/evidence of the impact of mobile technology on learners.

£0

£10,000

£20,000

£30,000

£40,000

£50,000

£60,000

£70,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 est.

Primary Average spend/school

Average spend/school

Funding With significant cuts in capital budgets, and the growing gap between existing computer provision

and what is needed in schools, it is clear that new finance strategies have got to be adopted. The

options (and potential issues) facing schools include:

Re-investing savings: Schools that undertake a 1:1 approach will find that many of their dedicated

ICT Suites can be de-commissioned. Rather than pocket the savings, these can be re-invested in 1:1

provision.

Leasing: Spreading the cost of the computers over their useful life seems an obvious course of action

when capital is in short supply. However, schools are assailed with advice, much of it misleading and

sometimes plain wrong, over what they can and can’t do to benefit from lease finance. Government

action is urgently required to clarify the type of leases that State schools are allowed to sign; this

should then become the basis of all advice from Business Managers, Bursars, School Governors,

Local Authorities and Government departments and their agencies.

Parental contributions: A portable device will be used at home as well as at school. And with a pupil

spending only 15% of their life in school, it does not seem unreasonable that families should be

asked to make a contribution towards the cost of that provision. In many cases schools ask for a

small regular contribution, saving parents having the find the upfront cost, and also pay for

insurance, warranty, software, etc.

Gift Aid: The charity the e-Learning Foundation advises on an approach that entitles schools to

benefit from Gift Aid from parental donations, as long as their guidelines are strictly followed. This

can provide up to another 25% into the funding pot, and is often used to pay for the cost of

administering a 1:1 scheme and collecting donations from parents.

Pupil Premium: Concerns that parental donation schemes disadvantage the poorest children are

valid. However, schools will not benefit from Gift Aid if they cannot prove that every child has the

same opportunity to have a device, regardless of their parent’s ability to pay. And schools currently

receive £900 this year for every pupil on Free School Meals. With tablets costing around £200, just

£100 of the Pupil Premium would pay for one years use and help the school to ensure that every

pupil has the same opportunity.

BYOD: While the advantages of pupils bringing their own device in are immediately apparent, there

are also a lot of drawbacks that schools should consider before relinquishing their responsibility to

provide access to computers for their pupils:

Non-inclusive – many pupils may not be able to bring in anything suitable because of their

financial or family circumstances

School may be unwilling to commit Pupil Premium funds for those without a device, creating

a digital divide within the school

Teachers may find their use of technology in the classroom limited by the type and variety of

devices available; the lowest common denominator may apple

Different devices and operating systems of pupils presents compatibility challenges of

network access for technical staff

Potential risk of unsuitable material and viruses being brought into school

Network upgrade, or new network, may be required to handle the complexity of different

devices and systems

Pupils from wealthy families may bring in high value devices, stigmatising those who can

only bring in very basic devices

Devices may fall under Health & Safety regulations e.g. PAT testing, adding to the

administration burden

Schools will need to address insurance issues if devices are damaged or stolen on school property

Evidence A lack of evidence on the impact that computers have on learners is commonly used by those who

lack understanding, or fear, the introduction of technology into a traditional educational

environment where teachers control the promulgation of information and learners are passive

recipients.

The closure of Becta in 2010 marked a point where no obvious central point of research in this area

was held. However, there has been a steady stream of research since then, including an EU-funded

9-country study into the use of tablets in classrooms (managed for the UK by the e-Learning

Foundation).

The means for teachers to share best practice has also been affected by the loss of any centre of

excellence and expertise. Sharing is happening but it is highly dispersed and lacks any coherent

approach. What is clear is that schools are keen to learn from each other, evidenced by the high

level of attendance at Open Days run by leading edge schools such as ESSA (Bolton), Longfield

(Dartford), Writhlington (Bath) and Harrogate Grammar (Yorkshire).

Impact The lack of a Technology Policy from the Department for Education that could address these and

other related matters, will continue to make it hard for school leaders to make well-informed

decisions about their ICT investments and ensure they are making adequate provision for teachers,

pupils and administration staff.

The impact of the growing gap between the number of working computers in schools and how many

are required to meet their ICT plans includes:

Schools will face difficulties meeting the needs of the curriculum in future as more and more

information (including textbooks) is being published only online.

The introduction of Computer Science into the curriculum will increase demand for

extended access to computers, making it harder for pupils studying other topics to get a fair

share of the schools ICT resources.

Schools serving well-off communities will be able to rely on parents to equip their children

with the latest device, creating a gap between these schools and the rest.

Reducing the Attainment Gap is a major Government objective. Many of the effective

measures to do this, identified in the Sutton Trust Pupil Premium Toolkit, are best

implemented with technology. With falling numbers of working computers in schools this

key Government measure is jeopardised by the current situation.

The current generation of children regard technology as part of their world, it’s nothing

special. The danger of the school they attend lacking what they have come to regard as

normal, is that school becomes less attractive, less interesting, and less relevant. Professor

David Buckingham (University of Loughborough) has warned of this for many years and it

remains a real concern.

Finally we must consider the impact on the digital skills of young people. Those who lack

good provision of technology at home (bearing in mind that 700,000 children still cannot go

online at home) are reliant on school access to give them the opportunity to develop the

range of digital skills that are needed to succeed in the competitive workplace of the 21st

century. This goes way beyond coding skills and computer science and includes net

etiquette, internet safety and literacy, the use of technology in sales and marketing

activities, digital design, etc. Our education system has a responsibility to young people to

equip them with the skills they need to succeed and contribute to a digital world – we are in

grave jeopardy of letting them down while the number of computers in British schools

reduces and their condition deteriorates.

11. Sources

1. Information and Communication Technology in UK State Schools, 2005, BESA




5. Tablets and apps in schools, 2013, BESA

6. Tablets and apps in schools Quick Guide, 2013, BESA 7. Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning (Pupil Premium Toolkit), 2011, Dr Steve Higgins

2011 Durham University for Sutton Trust

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