a. Provision

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Overview of this strand

This strand is concerned with the provision, management and support of ICT resources used within the school. It considers the physical environment in which ICT is used, how the use of space, layout, furniture, seating, lighting and ventilation affects learning and teaching. The strand also considers the quality and sufficiency of ICT resources, including digital learning resources. It is important to understand that there is no absolute measure on sufficiency – you will need to determine what you want to do with ICT, taking account of your vision for ICT and then ensure you have appropriate resources to achieve this. The emphasis is not on the environment and resources themselves, but on their impact on the quality and range of learning and teaching opportunities. This element recognises that effective schools aspire to a learning culture which is enhanced by the availability of sustainable, reliable and coherent ICT resources.

Typical evidence

• Surveys of accommodation for ICT across the school and within individual subject areas or departments
• Surveys of resources for ICT across the school and within individual subject areas or departments
• School policies on learning and teaching and the use of resources
• School policies and practices on the use of ICT to support school management and organisation
• Curriculum planning which takes account of ICT and access to digital learning resources
• Evidence from teachers and pupils of the impact of ICT and digital learning resources on teaching and learning
• Lesson observations
• Governors' meeting minutes

1. Physical environments

Learning and teaching spaces should reflect the school’s vision for ICT and meet curriculum needs, supporting a range of learning and teaching styles.

Questions schools should ask

• What impact does the physical environment have on the quality of learning when pupils are using ICT?
• To what extent have spaces been created or adapted to enable ICT to have a real impact on learning and teaching?
• Do the learning spaces support a range of learning styles when using ICT?
• How flexible are the learning and teaching spaces where ICT is used?

b. Access

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Overview of this strand

This strand is concerned with the ease with which teachers and pupils can access ICT resources and the range of locations that provide access. Access in this context applies to both curriculum and administration resources and, when reviewing the school’s position, account will need to be taken of the way in which both pupils and staff are able to access ICT. Arrangements for access from a variety of locations within and outside the school will need to be considered. The strand also includes access to the internet and the extent to which the bandwidth meets the needs of the school. Account should also be taken of the range of facilities which are inherent in the internet access, including virus protection, filtering and data security. As the school develops its use of ICT, it will need to keep under constant review its arrangements for staff and pupil access and the adequacy of its internet access.

The effectiveness of technical support is also included in this strand. Measuring adequacy of technical support is always difficult but here it is suggested that there should be minimal disruption to learning caused by technical problems. That is not to say that there will never be system faults or that the school’s ICT systems will be fully operational 100 per cent of the time, however desirable that might be. What matters is that the school minimises the effects of system failure by being proactive in technical support and maintenance and that teachers are sufficiently resourceful to be able to cope when planned learning is affected by minor technical problems. This strand does not suggest that every school needs a full time technician and, for many small schools, that would be inappropriate. Every school needs access to some form of technical support and the measure of its effectiveness should not be on how this is organised, but on how effective the arrangements are in minimising disruption to learning and teaching.

Typical evidence

• The school’s policy on technical support
• Surveys of teachers on how confident they are that systems work effectively when they need them
• Surveys of teachers to determine whether they have access to technical support when things go wrong
• Technical logs and records of the time taken to resolve technical problems
• Job descriptions of technicians and system managers
• Evidence from senior managers responsible for system support
• Disaster recovery plan
• Acceptable use policies
• E-safety policies
• Resource timetabling
• Out of school access policy

1. ICT supporting flexible working

Access to curriculum and administration resources should be efficient and available from a number of locations within and outside the school. This, coupled with an appropriate connection to the Internet in terms of bandwidth and facilities, has a clear impact on learning and teaching.

Questions schools should ask

• Is access to networked curriculum and administration resources available from a variety of locations within the school?
• How easy is it for teachers and pupils to access the resources they need in appropriate locations?
• Is access to school ICT resources and information available from locations beyond the school – for example, in pupils’ and teachers’ homes, when on field trips, etc.?
• How is appropriate access to internet services secured and provided to meet the demands made by the school?
• How does the school ensure pupils are safe when they are using networked resources (internet, email, messenger tools etc)?
• How does the school ensure that systems are protected from viruses, data is secure and the system is technically robust and reliable?
• What procedures are in place to ensure that provision is kept up to date and continues to meet the demands made on it by the school?

Becta report on ICT infrastructure in schools

c. Management

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Overview of this strand

This strand is concerned with the way in which the school acquires its ICT resources through effective analysis of curriculum and administration needs, planning for the future and using best practice procurement practices. A good school will have a clear view of how effective its current ICT resources are in meeting learning and teaching needs and will have arrangements in place to identify priorities for future developments with ICT. It will have a clear strategy for developing learning and teaching using ICT which will enable it to identify the key resources it will need to acquire.

Schools need a good understanding of the total cost of ownership of products and services and should be able to identify good value for money in terms of improvements to learning and teaching. They should have a clear policy on procurement and make use of best practice procurement agreements which are currently available from Becta. Local Authorities may also have their own guidance on procurement, particularly where these relate to high levels of expenditure. The strand emphasises that procurement needs to be well planned and closely related to the school’s ICT strategy as well as to curriculum, subject or departmental needs.

The strand is also concerned with monitoring the use of, and evaluation of, the effectiveness of ICT resources across the school without which future planning is impossible.

Typical Evidence

• The school’s strategies for procurement and financial management
• The school’s ICT policy
• Subject/departmental policies for acquiring resources
• The stated and actual use of good practice guidelines for procurement
• Policies in place to secure good value for money
• Evidence of awareness of managers and other staff of total cost of ownership issues
• Previous evaluations of ICT resources and monitoring of their use and effectiveness
• Budget plans and monitoring
• School improvement plan
• Sustainability plan

1. Procurement

ICT procurement should follow best practice guidelines, and meet the needs of the school, as defined by the school’s ICT strategy. Account should be taken of the total cost of ownership for ICT equipment and services and value for money.

Questions schools should ask

• How does the school plan for ICT procurement?
• Is procurement in line with local authority or RBC strategic aims for ICT?
• What criteria, based on evidence of effective use and/or clear curriculum need, are used for acquiring new resources?
• Does the school understand issues relating to total cost of ownership?
• How is procurement carried out in line with best practice advice?
• Is procurement in line with strategic aims of the school and for ICT?
• How does the school attempt to secure ongoing value for money and relate spending to improvements in learning and teaching?