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Press release: Information and communication technology in schools improving but inconsistent; some secondary schools lag behind

Government investment and better planning in schools have contributed to improvement in the quality of school information and communication technology (ICT) lessons, yet not all pupils are benefiting, according to a report published today by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

The report, The importance of ICT: information and communication technology in primary and secondary schools 2005/8, found that schools are now making the subject a high priority for development. Government investment of nearly £2 billion over the past decade has funded new equipment and staff training, and schools have improved leadership of the subject.

Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said: 'Students are enthusiastic about learning ICT, both in school and at home. Ofsted inspectors saw some great examples of students using modern technology to communicate and present their ideas.'

The picture was most positive in primary schools, where achievement and standards rose as the survey progressed. In secondary schools students were adept at using ICT to present their work and communicate ideas, but standards in using spreadsheets, databases and programming were low.

In both primary and secondary schools many higher-attaining pupils were insufficiently challenged. In Key Stage 4 students studying some vocational courses often spent time demonstrating what they could already do rather than acquiring new skills. And despite it being a statutory requirement, one in five secondary schools made insufficient provision for students who chose not to take an ICT qualification at Key Stage 4.

There has been a decline in the number of sixth former students choosing to take computer studies. This has been particularly marked in girls, with 45 per cent fewer taking an A-level in the subject in 2007 compared to 2004 as opposed to a drop of 31 per cent in boys.

Assessment was the weakest aspect of ICT teaching and was inadequate in one school in five. It was rare for schools to measure pupils’ attainment in the subject on joining secondary school, track their progress, or assess the use of it in other subjects so ICT teachers had little idea about how well they applied their skills elsewhere.

The report recommends that the DCSF should evaluate the level of challenge posed by some Key Stage 4 qualifications while also finding ways to encourage more girls to study ICT in the sixth form. The report concludes that it is up to school leaders to find ways of getting ICT into more of their classrooms, to ensure it is well taught and assessed, to promote higher standards and to get good value for money from the investments they make.

Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said: 'Around 77 per cent of the workforce now uses information technology in their job and the demand for these skills is likely to continue to increase. Schools must equip young people with the tools to ensure their employability. ICT needs to be given high status, both by the government and in individual schools, in line with its importance to young people’s future economic well-being.'

The recommendations from the report are:

The Department for Children, Schools and Families should:

• seek ways of reinforcing the importance of ICT as a subject and in its use across the curriculum

• evaluate the degree of challenge posed by Key Stage 4 vocational qualifications in ICT

• seek ways of encouraging more girls to choose computing qualifications post-16.

All schools should:

evaluate the effectiveness of their provision for teaching pupils and students how to keep themselves safe when online and record incidents where the safety of individuals may be compromised

• ensure that they achieve value for money by implementing the principles of best value in evaluating, planning, procuring and using ICT provision

• improve the assessment of ICT by establishing pupils’ and students’ attainment on entry and by tracking the progress of individual pupils, including their achievement when using ICT in other subjects

• audit the training needs of teachers and teaching assistants and provide extra support to improve their subject knowledge and expertise, particularly in data logging, manipulating data and programming.

Secondary schools should:

• provide the statutory National Curriculum for ICT for all students, especially at Key Stage 4, and give appropriateto students in their classrooms so that it can be used to improve learning in other emphasis to all aspects

• find ways of making ICT readily accessible subjects.

Notes For Editors

1. The report, The importance of ICT: information and communication technology in primary and secondary schools 2005/8, can be found on the Ofsted website www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/070035.

2. The report, The importance of ICT: information and communication technology in primary and secondary schools 2005/8, is based on ICT subject surveys of a national sample of 85 primary schools and 92 middle and secondary schools, conducted between 2005 and 2008. The schools were selected to represent geographical locations, variations in school size, and urban and rural contexts. Schools which were judged to be inadequate at their last whole-school inspections were excluded from the sample. The report also draws on evidence from the first three years of section 5 whole-school inspections which began in September 2005, as well as taking into account the findings of separate surveys on the use of ICT in other subjects over the same period.

3. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects registered childcare and children's social care, including adoption and fostering agencies, residential schools, family centres and homes for children. It also inspects all state maintained schools, non-association independent schools, pupil referral units, further education, initial teacher education, and publicly funded adult skills and employment based training, the Children and Family Courts Advisory Service (Cafcass), and the overall level of services for children in local authority areas.

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