Contact: David K Woodward, Head of Children's Services Department Information and Systems Management, telephone 01962 846359, email address [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This paper seeks permission to spend available DCSF Standards Fund grant to procure a learning platform for Hampshire primary schools and other Hampshire educational establishments who choose to use the procured system.

1.2 The proposal supports corporate priorities by extending learning opportunities, and equality of access to them, for children and young people. The safety of children using electronic systems will be an integral part of the procured system specification.

2 Recommendations

That the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services (Education) gives approval to procure, using the Becta procurement framework and Standards Fund grant, a learning platform service for Hampshire's primary schools and other establishments deemed appropriate to use it.

3 Background

3.1 The Local Authority has for some years received grant funding to support major school IT infrastructure development - now via Grant 121: ICT in Schools: Connectivity and Learning Systems. The Government expectation is that Local Authorities will work with their Regional Broadband Consortia (in Hampshire's case, the South East Grid for Learning) with the aim of:

_ ensuring that all schools are connected to a broadband communication service and to the National Education Network (created by joining up each region's networks); and recently

_ to ensure that all schools have available to them a learning platform service with at least core functionality by spring 2008 with the longer term aspiration that by 2010 all schools will have integrated learning and management systems providing functionality across every aspect of school life.

3.2 The full definition of a learning platform is still emerging. Essentially a learning platform is the application of information technologies to the wide range of activities which contribute to children's learning. The term Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is used to summarise one component of a learning platform - the ability for a child to access learning materials on-line - maybe working from home. But effective teaching and learning involves many other complex activities and communications by teachers, parents, learners and others. A full learning platform seeks to support these activities, the management processes that surround them and the communications processes required. An inherent aim of a learning platform is to facilitate anytime anywhere learning.

4 Achieving the government's aims

4.1 Over the past 3 years, good progress has been made in achieving the first of the government's aims with 516 of Hampshire's maintained schools now connected to a high quality synchronous broadband network. Apart from 7 schools that elected to make alternative provision, just 7 schools continue to be served by temporary, low quality connections because those schools are located in geographically hard to connect areas. Work is now underway to complete the network for these 7 schools.

4.2 A broadband network is an essential foundation for the future use of IT by schools. The government is now keen to see the network adding value to the education process by encouraging schools to develop the use of learning platforms. In doing so, they are also encouraging schools and Local Authorities to work collaboratively in the interests of achieving economies of scale in the costs of purchasing and maintaining the systems. To that end, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) has been charged by the government with establishing common purchasing frameworks for use by Local Authorities and Schools.

4.3 In Hampshire, around 70% of secondary schools have already started to implement elements of learning platform functionality and headteachers have indicated that they would be reluctant to change course at this stage. However, regardless of which system schools adopt, there are a number of aspects of learning platform implementation which require schools' systems to interrelate -for example to enable a student to move seamlessly between establishments offering different elements of the course of study they wish to pursue. The Local Authority will continue to work with Secondary Schools and Colleges to ensure that systems chosen by schools `join up' in the interests of young people.

4.4 The message from primary schools, approved by the Primary Headteacher Executive, is that they would like the Local Authority's help to manage the process of implementing learning platforms. Primary schools do not generally have the time or expertise to investigate the complex technology for themselves. We therefore propose that we undertake a procurement exercise with the aim of establishing a learning platform service for primary schools. The service procured may also be used in the future by some special schools or other Hampshire educational establishments.

4.5 The proposals in this report are expected to extend learning opportunities and to increase the safety of children using electronic systems in support of the County Council's corporate priorities.

4.6 As infrastructure to support and extend children and young people's learning opportunities, the proposals have the potential to impact on every aim of the Children Act.

5 Consultation

5.1 A Learning Management Strategy group has been formed to oversee the development of Hampshire learning platforms. The group consists of representatives from the headteacher community of primary, secondary and special schools; from post 16 colleges, the 14-19 programme, HIAS and the Education ICT business unit (EdICT). Representatives from the regional South East Grid for Learning, and nationally from Becta, have also attended.

5.2 Progress of the group has been reported to the Primary and Secondary Information, Communications and Technology strategy groups and through them to the Headteacher Executives.

5.3 In developing a specification of requirements for a Hampshire primary school learning platform, EdICT staff have worked closely with the group of Hampshire ICT Advanced Teachers.

6 Legal implications

6.1 The County Council's Legal Practice has examined the process adopted by Becta in setting up the framework contract and is satisfied that the process complies with the EU procurement rules and is an appropriate method of procuring the IT infrastructure.

7 Financial implications

7.1 The table below shows the grant funding received to date:

7.2 It is still unclear whether additional grant will be awarded for 2008/09..

7.3 It is anticipated that up to £1.5 million of the 2007/08 grant will be spent on the procurement and deployment of the primary learning platform, £1 million for secondary schools and £1.5 million to special schools and agreed central projects which support cross phase aspects of learning platform development.

8 Personnel implications

8.1 None.

9 Impact assessment

9.1 Equality of access to IT communications is at the heart of the programme to connect all schools to high quality broadband lines.

9.2 In selecting an appropriate learning platform service for Hampshire schools, every effort will be made to ensure that the system selected, and its implementation, do not disadvantage any individual or group.

10 Crime prevention issues

10.1 Not appropriate.

11 Views of the Local County Councillor

11.1 Not appropriate.

12 Conclusion

12.1 The proposals above represent a significant step forward in the development of IT infrastructure to support teaching and learning in Hampshire schools and to meet government targets.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

None