School IT spending
publication date: Oct 3, 2006
|
author/source: R Taylor
In 2005 state schools spent about £552m on IT services and products. By 2006/7 this is expected to grow to £587m, a significant slowdown compared to previous years.
After stripping out spending on e-Learning Credits (ELCs), the average spend by secondary schools is £62k and in primary schools just £13k. Of the £138m expected to be spent by English schools on content and software in 2006/7, more than half (£84m) will be funded by ELCs.
While these numbers are a very incomplete snapshot of schools’ IT spending, they do show a slowdown in the rate of increase in additional funding and highlight the fragility of the content/software market due to suppliers’ reliance on ELCs. UK software companies know the end is near for ELCs, but the impact on the market is uncertain. Most accept the change is inevitable but what galls many, particularly those who invest in developing local software, is the impact of BBC jam. Already under fire by its own advisors for not being sufficiently innovative or different, the BBC seem reluctant to address these concerns. A quick scan of the minutes of the BBC Governors’ meetings for the last few months shows just how unimportant fixing BBC jam is. This is probably because BBC jam was approved before the BBC’s recent charter renewal, so the Governors know there is little chance of OFCOM hitting them with a Market Impact Assessment.