In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, technology plays an increasingly integral role in education. As schools embrace digital tools and platforms to enhance learning experiences, it’s essential to maintain high standards to ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of these technologies.
The Department for Education has outlined comprehensive Digital and Technology Standards to guide schools in making informed decisions regarding their digital infrastructure and practices.
Lack of knowledge & compliance
In our role as advisors to the Education Sector we have become increasingly aware from speaking with School Business Leaders, that many schools are unaware of the DfE Digital and Technology Standards and are failing to take the necessary actions required to comply with them.
The most common reason for this, especially in primary schools, is an over reliance on IT support companies or Local Authorities for advice.
One of the latest DfE Standards- Digital Leadership and Governance, highlights the need for this dependence on third party IT providers to be become more balanced, with schools needing to increase their understanding and ownership of Digital Technology.
A key element of the Leadership and Governance Standards is for schools to assign a member of SLT who will be responsible for Digital Technology. Once assigned this person must create a Digital Technology Strategy that must be reviewed annually.
You’re going on a journey
The number of DfE Digital and Technology Standards has increased and been amended over the last couple of years. This trend will only continue as we move forward.
There are currently 11 separate elements covered by the DfE Standards, each of which comprises of multiple standards and criteria that schools should either be meeting already or need to meet at some stage in the future.
All schools are on a journey, and it is fair to say that very few, if indeed any schools will ever reach the destination, mainly due to budget constraints, ever evolving technologies and changes to the DfE Standards.
The key thing is for schools to understand where they are on the journey and what route they need to take. Some schools will not have set off yet while others may be a long way down the road.
Where are you?
Most schools that know exactly where they are, are the ones that haven’t yet started the journey. Some schools will have already set off and meeting some of the DfE Standards without them even being aware, and some schools will know where they are and what steps they need to take to meet the DfE Standards.
How can we help?
Navigating the DfE Digital and Technology Standards can be complex and time consuming. Our IT Audits simplify the process, providing a clear assessment and actionable steps you can take to help you on your journey.
Please call us on 01937 420052 or email info@tgesolutions.co.uk for more information.
