School Suppliers Directory Blog

BETT Show 2009

Well the stands have been dismantled, the purple carpet rolled up and the salesmen & women retired back to their desks for another year!

BETT 2009 was, for all intents and purposes, pretty similar to 2008. Sadly, there was very little ground breaking ‘new’ technology, nor was there the usual number of fantastic new innovations and gizmo’s, which was a little disappointing. Last year was definitely the year of class voting, but this year’s show really lacked any such ‘wow’ factor.

On a more positive note, many suppliers launched new or updated versions of existing products, giving teachers more to play with, and suppliers such as Promethean and Smart had some great demonstrators on hand, with some really interesting products being showcased.

The show also hosted a vast array of seminars, which received a mixed reaction, from being absolutely fantastic to boring and total rubbish! But you can’t please everyone!

Once again the big boys dominated the vast majority of the ground floor space, with the smaller, niche and more often than not most innovative suppliers crammed upstairs, in what felt like the loft space! In future year’s, the smaller, niche suppliers really need to be brought to the forefront of the show to really make it great once again as they are very close to being both driven and priced out.

admin Industry News BETT 09, Bett 2009, BETT Show, Bett show review

Virtual Learning Environments (VLE's)

A report published earlier this week by Ofsted revealed that despite the hype, the take-up of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) across UK schools has been somewhat slow.

The report highlights that VLEs perform best where there are enthusiastic members of staff in the driving seat, but it also comments that only a small percentage of schools & colleges are actually using them at all, and that where they are used they represents only a small percentage of overall learning.

The philosophy behind VLEs is to enable resources, homework, video clips, website links etc, to be made available around the clock to learners on the internet, which they can access from anywhere. This in turn is designed to enhance the learning experience whilst giving schools and colleges the facilities to deliver content in the form of digital media (Powerpoints, videos, podcasts) easily.

One of the findings of the report was that VLEs are still very much in their infancy, and that much further development, training and education is required before they are able to be used to their full potential. Another area which was highlighted was the need for content for all area’s of the curriculum. The report commented:

Over three quarters of those surveyed who had a VLE showed aspects that were good, however none had a VLE that covered every subject area comprehensively.

Although content can be developed by anyone, and many teachers do create exciting and engaing content for VLE’s, there is a real need for school software and content developers to produce quality, value for money content for all subject area’s to really help drive the use of VLE’s forward.

A copy of the full report can be found here.

admin Industry News, Supplier News e-learning, virtual learning, Virtual Learning Environment, VLE content, VLEs

BETT Show 2009 Opens

The prestigious BETT Show 2009 opens later this week, and will be celebrating it’s 25th birthday.

The event is topped to be one of the best yet, with many supplier’s, organisations & government departments launching or previewing new products, services and initiatives.

This year BETT are hailing ‘learning elsewhere’ as their main feature, focussing on mobile, remote and distance learning and showcasing products and services that can support and enhance it. This includes a range hardware and mobile devices as well as digital content and software.

Other highlights include the vast array or seminars being laid on, which appeal to many, meaning they get a much more ‘enhanced’ experience and can justify the day-out a little bit more. The seminar programme has also been improved based on how well recieved they have been in recent year’s at  the SLF (Scottish Learning Festival). The traditional software & special needs zone’s are also back as well as a ‘Future Schools’ mini-zone with information & idea’s for those that are already, or are soon to be involved in the BSF and Primary Capital Programmes.

Notably, Apple UK are not exhibiting at this year’s event, despite other big players, including RM & Mircosoft being present. Their reason being that they feel there are better ways for them to communicate with their customers. That said, it will be interesting to see if after this year’s show, others follow suit.

All in all, it’s set to be a good show, and we hope it lives up to expectations.

admin Industry News BETT, Bett 2009, BETT Show, BETT Show 2009, Education trade show, The BETT Show

Commons Children, Schools & Families Select Committee Chair

On every bit of marketing material coming out of the advertising companies, event organisers and publishers in recent months have been the words ‘recession proof market’ – referring to the fact that schools, and the education sector in general is in some way recession proof!

What a load of old tosh! Yes, schools are publicly funded and do have annual budgets but they are still effected by the rise in inflation, the credit crunch and the wider economic situation. They still have to battle rising utility bills & costs – just like any other business.

In reality, schools general budgets will remain the same for 2009/10. But, the additional funding, capital expenditure funding and the one-off grants will soon begin to dry up, having a massive impact on school suppliers. MP’s from the Commons Children, Schools & Families Select Committee have also warned schools and local authorities that they need to plan for a “much more austere future”. The Committee go onto predict that future funding will be much tighter than at present and the rate of spending growth will be minimal come the next Spending Review. Add to that the huge amounts of ring-fenced funding that will be disappearing this year, and it begins paints a very bleak picture for the education sector.

However, Gordon Brown is promising to spend his way out of the downturn, and luckily rebuilding and renovating schools is one of the key areas where large amounts of funding will be made available. But there are doubts as to whether this funding IS actually going to be forthcoming, or whether it’s just more hot air from central Government.

Even if the BSF & Primary Capital programmes continue as normal, they will only be of benefit to some suppliers, for the rest it’s a case of having to come up with new, cost effective ways of communicating with their potential customers in 2009. No doubt these savings will help keep some of these firms afloat, but more importantly it should encourage suppliers to harness the use of technology for procurement, tendering and ultimately, winning new business in the industry.

In response to the committee’s warning, Christine Blower, Acting General Secretary of the NUT commented:

The Select Committee is right to point to the potential storm on the horizon for education spending, created by the financial crisis.

admin Industry News Commons Children, recession for schools, school funding, Schools & Families Select Committee, schools funding, schools recession proof

Well it’s just under a month before the BETT Show 2009 kicks off; the worlds largest educational technology event.

With nearly 700 educational suppliers exhibiting at BETT, and over 100 seminars taking place over the course of the 4 day event, it’s set to be the biggest one yet.

Many local authorities are providing or assisting with transport for visitors from their area in a bid to make it as easy as possible to attend, and with over 29,000 people expected to attend, transport is always a key issue.

Many established suppliers like BETT, it’s big, bold and the place where they are expected to be seen. But in reality, does it really make a return on their investment, and ultimately – does it bring the sales in? The usual big names are there including Microsoft, Orcale & HP – but interestingly Apple UK have pulled out of the event, despite it’s crusade to grab a slice of the UK education market. Apple feel there are better ways to communicate with their customers, and that the money can be better spent elsewhere.

Does this mark the beginning of the end for BETT as we know it? Will other suppliers begin to follow suit as the current economic times take their toll? For a long time, despite the high visitor numbers, many have felt BETT is just too big and over-whelming. Is it time for them to downsize, or will it simply allow smaller & newly established suppliers to opportunity to fill the boots of the big boys?

Either way, we shall have to wait and see…

admin Industry News BETT, Bett 2009, BETT Show, Education Exhibitions, The BETT Show

Yesterday Children’s secretary Ed Balls announced plans to invest £235m in building new exciting play areas for children, as part of The National Play Strategy.

The strategy forms part of The Children’s Plan, which is designed to provide local authorities with the capital to provide new, or rebuild existing play areas for children in their local area. Most local authorities will receive £1.1m to do this, however 10 ‘Pathfinder’ authorities will receive approximately £2.5m to build state of the art, staffed adventure playgrounds.

“We know that outdoor play has many benefits to children and parents tell us that it is key to a happy and enjoyable childhood. Play is good for children, good for families and good for communities. The best people to say what is exciting and fun are children, which is why we want them to help make the decisions about play services in their local neighbourhoods.”

The plan encourages local children to be as much a part of the planning process as possible, feeling that they will help create fantastic sites that they can safely enjoy with friends.

The capital will be allocated to local authorities in April 2009 and has specifically been made available earlier than planned in an attempt to stem the effects of the current economic downturn.

Although this isn’t directly related to school suppliers of playgrounds and outdoor environments, there has to be something said for their knowledge and experience in this area. Many local authorities will be looking to designers & suppliers of school playgrounds for help, advice and to actually carry out the work, based on their wealth of experience in this area.

So we see this as a really positive sign for suppliers in the industry. Those that aren’t already in contact with their local authorities, really should be!

admin Industry News children plan, play areas, play grounds, school playgrounds

A new website (www.lotc.org.uk) has recently been launched by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, designed to build upon the success of the Manifesto for Learning Outside the Classroom; a scheme the DCSF announced in November 2006.

The aim of the scheme is to enhance young people’s learning experiences by getting them out and about, and learning!

We believe that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances.

Activities can take part almost anywhere; ranging from the school grounds and other local environments to day visits and residential trips. Not only is the manifesto designed to try and motivate young people and help achieve the Every Child Matters outcomes, but it can be used to combat truancy and school exclusions too.

So what does this mean for supplier’s?

Well, firstly it’s going to mean demand for good quality educational trips, visits & outdoor learning experiences is going to increase, however, suppliers need to do their best to relate any such experiences to specific curriculum areas and try to break down as many of the barriers as possible that often restrict teachers from organising such trips.

This could include providing activity resource packs, not only for pupils whilst on trips, but also including activities for when they return to school.  Produce adequate, detailed risk assessments and have available all the necessary information schools are required to gather. But more importantly, provide resources and guideance on how staff can evaluate any activities, and to gauge how successful they were, as this is a key part of the LOtC scheme.

Finally, making trips & visits cross-curricular is a big plus point in the eyes of the school – so where possible, try and incorporate this and ensure you highlight it to staff when they ask.

admin Industry News Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, learning outside the classroom, LOtC, outdoor earning

The Department for Children, Schools & Families (DCSF) are ploughing full steam ahead with the roll out of their new Schools Recruitment Service ready for it’s launch in early 2009.

The service, designed to provide a “better process for recruiting permanent teaching and support staff” is making appearances at this months National Bursars Association Annual Conference and the BETT Show in January 2009.

Whilst on the face of it this seems a good idea; to consolidate the school recruitment process into one, easy-to-use, manageable service, there are some concerns over the roll out of the service. The department have a good track record of producing half baked, mediocre services for schools which aren’t actually up to the job.

Other concerns are that the new service may well begin to draw business from school recruitment suppliers currently working in the sector, resulting in further job losses in an already struggling industry.

We hold our breath for 2009 where we’ll be able to see just how the new service works, how many schools sign-up and actually if the service is it’s all that it’s cracked up to be. If we go by the departments previous history, there’s nothing for current suppliers to worry about, it’ll be a short term fad that schools get fed-up trying to battle with within a very short space of time.

For you enjoyment, their promo clip below:

admin Industry News recruitment, school recruitment, schools recruitment service, teaching jobs

In yesterday’s Pre-Budget Report Alistair Darling announced the fast tracking of £800m worth of funding for school refurbishing and rebuilding, which is good news for the struggling construction industry and school suppliers alike!

The money, originally planned to be spent during 2010-11 is now being made available for local authorities to apply for by Christmas for those schools with plans that have been designed, costed and approved, to go ahead earlier than scheduled. This is not only pumping extra much needed cash into thousands of businesses that will be involved in the construction, refitting and equipping of the new facilities but it’s also great news of many schools and pupils who will benefit from the new facilities

It’s also estimated that 300 primary schools will gain new school kitchens to improve healthy eating amongst pupils and around 140 secondary schools will gaining funding to introduce energy-saving measures.

All in all, this announcement is much needed good news for School Suppliers.

admin Industry News PBR, Primary Schools of the Future, school refurbishment

The Government has today announced the release of £1.75bn for the rebuilding of Primary Schools across England as part of the Primary Capital Programme, which will be investing a total of £7bn by 2022-23 in a bid to rebuild half of all Primary Schools.

The funds are being released to 41 local authorities that have met all the requirements set out by the DfES for projects between 2009-10, and to a further 92 local authorities for projects between 2010-2011.

Whilst it would appear that only large construction companies will reap the rewards of this investment, Schools Secretary Ed Balls has a different take on things:

Such a massive capital funding injection will have big spin-off benefits for the construction industry and local businesses, who will be crucial to fitting out the new and refurbished schools.

We believe that investment such as this can only have a positive impact on School Suppliers, with many new and refurbished schools requiring new facilities, furniture, equipment and such like.

admin Industry News rebuilding, regeneration, school suppliers, schools