School ICT development plans
Schools using Standards Fund grant to support NGfL-related expenditure have
first to agree an ICT development plan with their LEA. While reflecting schools'
individual needs, these should be consistent with the aims and objectives of
the NGfL and their LEA's strategy for implementing this. In particular, the
plan should:
- Indicate how the school will use ICT to help raise educational standards
by enhancing the delivery of the National Curriculum.
- Indicate how investment in ICT will be co-ordinated with meeting the professional
development needs of its teachers, including through the take up of training
opportunities funded by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF).
- Indicate how the school will integrate the use of ICT for school management
and administration purposes through adoption of the standards set out in the
DfEE's Information Management
Strategy (IMS).
- Indicate how the school's ICT facilities will be made available for use
out of school hours by pupils and for community purposes.
- Indicate how ICT will be used to promote inclusion, for example by supporting
pupils with special educational needs and by developing home-school links
(including the development of a school website).
- Set out the school's policy for the acceptable use of ICT, including secure
access to the Internet.
- Contain an audit of levels of equipping, network use and teacher development
currently being undertaken.
- Set out the school's policy for managing, developing and sustaining its
ICT provision, including accommodation/access issues and the safe and environmentally friendly disposal of
equipment.
The ICT development plans of schools that benefit from NGfL Part B funding should
reflect the purpose for which this funding is being made available by the inclusion
of appropriately challenging objectives.
School ICT plans should be updated to reflect these issues as part of the
usual review cycle, and should be made freely available to the public, for example,
through schools' websites.
Further guidance on planning
Further guidance for schools seeking to develop or revise their ICT development
plan is available on the 'Building
the Grid' website, including developmental tools published by the British
Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) and information on
many aspects of Internet safety (including details of how to draw up Internet
acceptable use policies and home/school contracts).
Return to NGfL Funding Guidance
Return to Standards Fund website
