Becta: Next Generation Learning - bypassing schools, enlisting parents?
Becta's dedicated 'Next Generation Learning' website marks a new approach. It is aimed at parents and employers, although most won't be aware of Becta, let alone find its website! It has a dedicated parents page, and one of the key features is the ability to find out whether your child's school has the ICT mark. If parents find that their child's school does not have the ICT mark, it encourages them to:
"Your school is not listed - If your school is not listed you should ask about their ICT plans
and whether they plan to work towards the ICT Mark. Schools that
integrate technology well across the curriculum and wider school life
have reduced absence rates and achieved a higher percentage of A*-C
grades at GCSE level.
Parents can 'sign-up' to the Next Generation campaign and receive updates and newsletters. The aim is clearly to influence parents into pushing the idea of the ICT Mark to their schools, but its success will depend on The real issue about the campaign is how it will be communicated to parents. If for instance you type 'school' into a search engine, the BBC is one of the top listings, yet it doesn't list government educational information sites for parents nor has a mention of the campaign.Similarly if you type 'Parent'.
There is plenty of great information on the Internet, but the single point of access for official information is Directgov, which does not register on any search engines unless you know it exists and search for it by name, so Parents wanting to participate more do not have an accessible and easy to find website for education, which goes against one of the 'Quality Standards', stated in 'Quality Standards for Young People's Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) document.
7. Parents and carers know how information, advice and guidance services can help their children and know how these services are accessed
Directgov does not mention the Next Generation campaign. I have little confidence that the Next Generation campaign will have the desired effect because it will remain invisible to most parents, but wish it well. It does of course offer an opportunity for Local Authorities to encourage parents to register and campaign!!