ESF Comparisons with UK Schools

Throughout the conference I took the opportunity to ask many advisors and inspectors about the ICT provision in the UK in an attempt to benchmark where the ESF stood in comparison.

Compared to the average UK school the ESF is ahead both on the hardware/software provision and also with Teaching and Learning using ICT. But compared to the leading schools, especially those designated with Technology College status, we seem to be following rather than leading.

On the hardware side the front runners are generally better equipped than ESF schools, this does not just mean a greater number of PCs (although I did hear of a number of projects involving equipping students and staff with laptops) but there is a greater number of peripherals being used especially video projectors, interactive plasma screens and colour laser printers in both ICT suites and other general teaching areas/rooms.

Access and use of software compares very favourably although the front-runners seem to be making greater use of the internet, especially with students uploading files and accessing school intranets from home and building websites themselves.

On the technical support, the UK front runners seem to all have onsite technical supportand often, especially in larger secondary schools, a seperate network manager.

In the area of Teaching and Learning we do compare well, especially considering the above comments.

Please remember that the above observations are not derived from quantitative analysis but from discussions with colleagues with a similar job responsibility in the UK.... fortunately the ESF ICT development plan has already benchmarked many of the areas above and published them in the ESF ICT Development Plan (see the menu on the left) and the recommended solutions are quantified in the budget requests.

I have visited this conference every other year since 1996 and each visit has proven to be extremely worthwhile and benefitted the ESF.

Previously I have been recommending that I be funded to attend every other year but now, with the rapid developments in ICT and education I would now recommend that an ESF representative should attend this conference on an annual basis.

The NAACE Conference in 2001 is 14th to 17th February 2001

Chris Smith
February 2000

Note: it should also be noted that the ESF ICT Development Plan also recommends that one member of PITT and one member of SITT are funded to attend the BETT Exhibition in London in January each year.