investing in interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and other classroom ICT.
The British Educational Suppliers Association’s (BESA) online survey carried out in September 2010, in conjunction with the National Education Research Panel (NERP) provides analysis into the provision of printed materials, hands-on resources, art materials, science equipment, furniture and storage in 1200 English maintained primary schools. 97 per cent of these contacts were members of National Education Research Panel (NERP). The questionnaire attracted 406 responses.
The report reviews responses from key stage co-ordinators, subject co-ordinators and deputy heads across a wide spectrum of primary maintained schools.
When it came to considering the actual importance of libraries, nearly a third of teachers reported that they are less important than interactive whiteboards and other classroom ICT. The remaining two-thirds indicated each is of the same importance.
The area of the survey focused on training, showed that 13 per cent of primary schools do not have a library as books are kept in classrooms. Nine percent of schools do not provide any training on library-use to pupils. This leaves more than three-quarters of schools providing training in the use of library facilities. However, only half of this group provide access to pupils more than once a week.
38 per cent of key stage two teachers and 30 per cent of key stage one teachers indicated that while their library is suitable, there is an increasing need to make more digital content resources available.
Ray Barker, director, BESA comments; “Due to the increase in the provision and use of interactive whiteboards, pupil computers and supporting digital content, the importance of traditional library facilities is of concern, especially where banks of computers have been provided in the space that may have previously held storage for books.
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At the recent BESA-sponsored All Party Parliamentary Group on Education, Tricia Adams, Director of the School Library Association highlighted the powerful role that a school library can have in raising literacy levels, even though in many schools the library is a wasted resource, poorly embedded in the work of the school and often staffed by people with no specialist knowledge. Schools need a trained librarian to access and develop the library resource within the school to support and to enable the curriculum. The school librarian also supports teachers as a provider of good reading recommendations and a guide in developing the skills to find and use information. There is a clear link between attainment and school library usage, with National Literacy Trust research showing that young people with a reading age above the expected level for their age are twice as likely to be school library users as their peers with a reading level below that expected for their age.
Ray Barker, director of BESA explains: “The BESA ICT in UK State Schools research indicates that after year-on-year increases in ICT budgets since 2001, we are now naturally experiencing a reduction in estimated ICT allocations from school budgets. However, despite schools being faced with many financial pressures, the survey indicates schools are managing the cuts sensibly and with optimism. This is in part due to the efficient procurement of resources by many schools as well as a drop in prices of individual units. They may be spending less, but they can get more for their money.
Ray Barker continues: “Those schools indicating they feel under-equipped in vital ICT equipment, such as laptop computers and internet access for pupils, do so mainly because their levels of expectation have grown over recent years. The figures show that there have never been so many computers and interactive whiteboards in UK classrooms.”
