Money is tight at Mossley Hollins high school this year. The ICT budget has been cut by around 30% and spending on computer hardware has been all but frozen. In response, Will Aitken, head of ICT for learning at the Lancashire school, is looking, appropriately, to the internet for help.
"There isn't any money available to buy new, so we are having to consider selling old equipment via eBay to make some back," he says.
The threat of looming, if not actual, cuts in ICT budgets is widespread in schools, according to industry body Besa (British Educational Suppliers Association). Its annual survey of ICT trends recently reported that, after eight years of growth, schools are reining in their technology spending this year. Primary school ICT budgets are predicted to drop by 2.2 % in 2009-10 and UK secondary school budgets by 1% - excluding cash for curriculum software and digital content - which means a reduction in ICT budgets of some £9.8m.
On one level, the cuts to ICT spending seem premature. School budgets have been fixed at least until March 2011 - longer for those schools midway through a Building Schools for the Future (BSF) rebuild, where ICT can account for a tenth of the costs. Moreover, English schools' reserves are running at around £2bn; some schools may be struggling with an overdraft but others have money in the bank.
But now education secretary Ed Balls has ordered all schools to tighten their belts before the next three-year comprehensive spending review for 2011-2014, when public spending cuts are virtually certain, regardless of which party triumphs at the 2010 general election. Schools, says Balls , can save up to £750m by turning off lights, restructuring staff and other better housekeeping measures. And as for those ample reserves - some 40 % of schools are believed to be holding on to 'excessive' amounts of cash, according to the Department for Children, Schools and Families - the government could start asking for some of them back. In that light, ICT spending is inevitably vulnerable but if schools are having to cut their costs, so are ICT suppliers. Besa director Ray Barker says: "The good news is that technology has got cheaper. Schools can buy more for less and they're looking for value for money which is good because it means they are becoming more informed customers."
With cost-consciousness in the air, schools visiting next month's Bett show, organised by Emap Connect, will find more deals to be struck and bargains to be had than in previous years.
Tailored service
Serif, a Nottingham-based company specialising in graphics software for creative use, has found its share of the schools market holding up well, driven in part by the take-up of the 14-19 diploma in IT and the demand for software to support creativity across the curriculum. Nevertheless, they have frozen prices, they are listening intently to what schools want and offering bespoke deals as well as throwing in extras such as lesson plans and expensive freebies such as digital video cameras.
"Schools are more willing to try to do a deal now," says Colin Hussey, Serif's education business manager. "They are asking us to fit in with what they want and we are working more closely with them to ensure what we are offering is what they need. And on a larger volume deal we are more likely to throw our licence structure out the window and develop something tailored."The new circumspection is not necessarily a bad thing, either, he thinks. "E-learning credits often meant software was bought but sat on the shelf. People are now more focused on what difference it will make to their teaching."
Among the big players in IT, both RM and Capita say they are seeing more demand from schools for demonstrable value for money. Phil Hemmings, director of corporate affairs for RM, says: "We have no evidence of an actual slowdown in sales but schools are being more selective about their spending. They are saying, 'OK, prove that what you are offering will be worth it,' but that is what they should be doing, and we don't have a problem with it."
Phil Neal, managing director of Sims (Schools Information Management System) for Capita, says schools should also remember that technology is a potential money-saver in areas such as consortia arrangements for the 14-19 diploma, where software applications can expedite key processes."For example, keeping track of pupils going from school to school or school to college is the responsibility of the home school in terms of reporting on attendance to parents," he says. "You could end up with an administration army if you don't know how to deal with it using technology."
Electronic advantages
Schools still wedded to the cheque-book, rather than electronic payment systems, are similarly throwing money away, he says.
"Schools using cheques will spend around £5,000 a year on them. They can save most of that going the electronic route and that's without adding in the cost of the time spent by someone signing cheques."
Becta also has a plethora of advice on sharpening ICT procurement processes and it estimates that £250m has been saved by local authorities using its procurement arrangements since 2003.
Meanwhile, back in Mossley, Will Aitken has a few more tips for the cost-conscious: "Keep comparing prices, ask for freebies, recycle printer cartridges for money. Don't be afraid to ask for a deal from suppliers. And collect those supermarket computer vouchers. They can really come in handy."
