Your child's education: IT spending in schools revealed

Industry insiders worried about the future of high-tech Britain may take heart from figures released today which show a growing emphasis on IT spend within the nation's schools.

Figures released by the Department for Education and Skills detail the full extent of IT implementation in schools, including the number of computers, expenditure, internet connections, teacher competence and confidence in dealing with IT, and percentage increases on past audits.

Even at primary school level the results show an increasing inclination to include IT in the curriculum. Ninety-nine per cent of primary schools now have an internet connection - up from 96 per cent last year and just 17 per cent four years ago.

This dramatic rise is echoed by a 60 per cent increase in the number of computers used as teaching aids and a halving of the number of pupils sharing each computer. On average there are 31 computers used as teaching aids in every UK primary school - an average of 9.7 pupils per computer.

Average IT expenditure in the nation's primary schools during 2002 was £15,400 per school. This is up from £10,300 last year and just £3,600 in 1998.

In secondary schools the levels of IT implementation are even greater. Almost 100 per cent of secondary schools are connected to the internet - no change on last year, though up from 83 per cent in 1998.

The average number of computers per school is 155.6 - up from 127.7 last year. In terms of pupils per computer the ratio is 6:1 - an improvement upon 7:1 last year and almost 9:1 in 1998.

Expenditure at secondary education level is an average of £76,300 per school - up from £60,300 last year and almost double the levels of 1998. The figures include salaries.

Other statistics revealed by the survey show a growing confidence among teachers who are working more and more with computers. While just over half the country's secondary school teachers were confident working on a computer in 1998, 80 per cent now feel at home in front of a monitor.

Even among primary school teachers there is a burgeoning confidence in the use of high-tech teaching aids. Three quarters of primary school teachers are confident using computers now, compared to 65 per cent in 1998.