With a £45bn-plus price tag for renewing England's schools, how will the government ensure that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a world-class education system is not squandered?
ICT is seen as the key to providing a skilled workforce ready to meet the challenges of a global knowledge economy. Rather than being diverted by showy architecture, Building Schools for the Future should reflect the best available technology and internal layout designed with the needs of today's and tomorrow's learners in mind.
Start with developing a vision that encompasses the teaching and learning of the 21st century well before building plans are set in stone, says Tim Rudd, senior researcher at the blue skies educational research facility, Futurelab. "Schools are not consulting widely enough with learners. They need to develop a vision that encompasses the sorts of technology they need to use and how it affects the configuration of space. This is a chance to challenge existing logic of what a school is."
New five-year ICT contracts with external suppliers linked to a managed service are seen as the best way of future-proofing schools' ICT provision. Parliament Hill school, London borough of Camden, has already come up with some exacting demands. Assistant head Raj Patel says: "Computer labs lack vision. I want a seamless integration of fixed and mobile technology in the classroom. And I want pupils to be able to bring their own laptops, PDAs, and games consoles in to school. Why shouldn't we encourage pupils to use their own kit"
A key requirement of ICT will be its ability to help raise standards. Greensward college in Witham, Essex, is on track to become a BSF school in two years' time. A leading edge school, Greensward has close links to two neighbouring secondaries, John Branston and Rickstones, and headteacher David Triggs is checking out their needs as he develops his ICT strategy. "We are working with federation schools to raise attainment. I am investing in technology that will enable our online community of teachers to share information on improving quality of lessons and best practice."
Greensward's online portal, built by web developer EzeSchool, will be shared between three schools, all of which see big economies of scale. Triggs says: "Because of the way we are setting it up we can automatically create e-learning and lesson materials and a pro-forma for teachers sharing lesson plans. If we don't build ICT into BSF from day one we're wasting an opportunity for generations to come."
Sustainability is another issue Triggs believes is a vital, but often ignored, aspect of ICT procurement. His solution is thin client PCs — in effect just a flat screen and a keyboard — in which the operating system and content are hosted on a remote server. He says: "Thin client servers cost less, they occupy less space, use 20% of the electricity needed to power a conventional PC and they generate less heat. This is the kind of sustainable ICT solution all schools should be looking at."
Personalised learning — a methodology that helps identify individual learning goals, as well as raising expectations and attainment delivers — is ideally suited to the ICT-rich environments of BSF. Sarah Knight, senior researcher with the Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc), which covers ICT in further and higher education, does a lot of work around the design of learning spaces and says schools have a lot to learn from FE colleges which have more experience in motivating students. "Well-designed learning spaces have a motivational effect. Wireless connectivity within a brightly-lit atrium, learning cafe or social area will encourage engagement in learning. And open plan, informal learning areas provide individualised learning environments which also support collaborative activities," says Knight.
Removing bureaucracy
Management information systems (MIS), which track pupil attendance and grades, virtual learning environments (VLEs) and e-learning and communication platforms are being integrated by a new generation of managed learning environments (MLEs). Many schools see MLEs as critical to the success of personalised learning. Parliament Hill school's Raj Patel says: "We're looking for a one-stop solution that combines learning as well as assessment. Part of our key vision is to remove bureaucracy."
The British Council for School Environments (BCSE) aims to improve the quality of learning environments for young people. It is concerned that many local-authoritywide ICT contracts under BSF are too big to be managed comfortably — they need input from impartial and specialist advisers.
"Local authorities are used to procuring waste management contracts but not largescale ICT," says Caroline Whalley, chair of BCSE. "Very few have the brain power to see the whole piece or to join up the dots."
She believes a school's ICT vision should not be seen as a radical new departure but rather as a linear progression. building on what has worked well in the past. "There should be continuity with what's gone before."
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