Establishing a board level technology strategy

In most industry sectors there are few, if any, organisations that could exist without the right technology to deliver their products and services, and enable their employees to do their jobs. Yet in UK schools we see a great disparity of opinion – there are some who fully embrace technology and have made it a fundamental part of their teaching and learning, and others who simply see technology as an unnecessary hindrance.

It’s not an easy path to navigate. RM Education has spent the last 45 years working in the education sector, and we support over 8,000 schools, trusts, and their employees to deliver outstanding outcomes for their pupils.  We know from our experience that support from senior leadership and strong ICT departments helps to embed ICT in teaching and learning, resulting in students achieving better outcomes. These schools also tend to have a clear vision about how the use of ICT can have a direct impact on the outcomes of their young people, as well as helping them save money and do their bit for the environment.

We understand that teachers are also fundamental to the equation. Research from BESA published earlier this year found that 39% of primary schools and 33% of secondary schools said that teacher reluctance was slowing down faster roll-out of school technology. The reticence is understandable, particularly when schools will have inconsistent ICT skills and knowledge across teaching staff, and may not be able to afford to have enough devices for staff and pupils (and to keep them refreshed).  Combined with a lack of hard evidence that good ICT usage leads to improved academic achievement, and a complete lack of benchmarks on what excellent use of ICT in a school looks like, there is a perfect storm of resistance.

Trust boards are likely to have a different perspective on IT. You can understand the benefits of building a consistent technology environment that enables all your schools to enjoy a constant level of service, and dependable access to educational and management resources. With your educational and commercial experience you know that a shared service model is more cost effective, often enabling all your schools to enjoy a more reliable and valuable IT service. But trusts also know that the senior leaders and teachers in your schools have their own valid perspective on what happens in the classroom, and the challenges facing the UK education sector, for example attracting, hiring and motivating teachers.

Teacher workloads remain a key concern. The DfE’s latest analysis of working hours found that teachers are now working up to 5 hours less per week, but the total weekly hours are still high at 49.5 hours.  The decrease was attributed to less time spent on marking, planning and non-teaching tasks, areas where technology makes a fundamental difference. 

Trust boards have a unique perspective across their schools and can play a critical role in driving the change in culture, attitude and behaviour that is necessary if technology is going to be harnessed to address the challenge of teacher workload and retention.  But a trust board needs to work in collaboration with its schools – this is one of the reasons why good governance matters in trusts.  While a clear strategic vision for IT at board level is essential, it needs to reflect the context of its individual schools, their teacher communities and their student population.

Trust boards can find it hard to know where to prioritise your focus. The first thing any new non-executive or Chair of a Trust board should do is understand how they both define and then draw on their own wider experience to deliver the ‘big picture’ vision, while recognising the invaluable role school-specific insight can play in making that a reality.

For more information about RM Education’s IT services for Trusts please go to rm.com/impact