Department for Children, Schools and Families : Publications : e-Strategy

download the pdf - e-Strategy - 'Harnessing Technology: Transforming learning and children's services'

Partners for implementing the strategy

The Department's key partners for implementing this strategy are listed here. All have a critical role to play if we are to succeed in delivering what the strategy promises.

However, many other organisations have contributed to the consultation and further development of the strategy and, as part of their responsibilities within children's and education services, will also be crucial to its success.

Strategic ICT

BECTA
The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency is the Government's lead partner in the strategic development and delivery of the e-strategy in the schools and the learning and skills sectors. It has four main roles. It will provide coordination and support for the implementation and running of the e-strategy. It will provide strategic advice to help shape the e-strategy and renew it. It will support the strategy and its partners by providing insight into the developing use of ICT based on evidence and an understanding of innovative technologies and practices, and it will be the delivery partner for those actions for which it is best placed. (www.becta.org.uk)

JISC
The Joint Information Systems Committee funds innovative development programmes, by members of the community using action research. In order to support institutions in ICT to its best advantage, JISC funds: Advisory services on products; Production services, to achieve economies of scale through the provision of national services; and Development services to test the validity of innovations. (www.jisc.ac.uk)

eGU
The role of the e-Government Unit is to support the business transformation of Government, including its development of e-learning. (www.e-government.cabinetoffice.gov.uk)

Leadership

NCSL
The National College for School Leadership provides career-long learning and development opportunities, professional and practical support for England's existing and aspiring school leaders. Their goal is to ensure that school leaders have the skills, recognition, capacity and ambition to transform the school education system into the best in the world. The College places high emphasis on utilising e-learning in all leadership development it sponsors and commissions. It supports heads and other school leaders in strategically leading ICT for school improvement, raising achievement and organisational change. (www.ncsl.org.uk)

CEL
The Centre for Excellence in Leadership has been established to provide leaders and managers within the learning and skills sector with innovative programmes and services to support them in leading their institutions. (www.centreforexcellence.org.uk)

LF
Leadership Foundation aims to draw on the best existing programmes and commission new material in order to offer world-class development in leadership governance and management to current and future leaders within higher education institutions. (www.leadership-he.com)

Learning Workforce

TTA
The purpose of the Teacher Training Agency is to raise standards by attracting able and committed people to teaching and by improving the quality of training for teachers and the wider school workforce.The Agency has recently been given the responsibility for teachers' continuing professional development and the development of standards for the whole school workforce. (www.tta.gov.uk)

SST
The Specialist Schools Trust is the lead body for the Government's specialist schools programme. It seeks to give more young people access to a good secondary education by building networks, sharing best practice and supporting schools. (www.specialistschools.org.uk)

Futurelab
By bringing together the creative, technical and educational communities, Futurelab is pioneering ways of using new technologies to transform the learning experience by: supporting emerging innovative e-learning and selected projects; encouraging new pedagogies; brokering partnerships and showcasing developments helping shape the e-learning market and taking assessment forwards. (www.futurelab.org)

LSDA
Learning and Skills Development Agency's mission is to improve the quality of Post-16 education and training in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It does this through research to inform policy and practice, through helping to shape and communicate education policy and through improvement and support programmes for organisations that deliver Post-16 education and training. (www.lsda.org.uk)

LLUK
Lifelong Learning UK is the Sector Skills Council for the Post-16 training and education sector workforce. It has been established by the sector's employers to lead the professional development of all those who work in the field of lifelong learning. LLUK will have a key role in reviewing and developing occupational and professional standards, and identifying the training and development needed to deliver the skills for the future. (www.lifelonglearning.co.uk)

NIACE
The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education works to encourage more and different adults to engage in learning of all kinds. NIACE's aim is to improve opportunities for adult learners across all sectors, with a particular focus on those adults who have not had successful access to education and training in their initial education. (www.niace.org.uk)

e-Skills UK
e-skills UK is a not-for profit, employer-led organisation, licensed by government as the Sector Skills Council for IT, Telecoms and Contact Centres. It is also responsible for cross sector IT User Skills and a programme aimed at improving the 'e-skills' of the UK at large on behalf of the Skills for Business Network. e-skills UK is committed to taking practical steps to help employers develop the skills they need to improve business performance. They do this by providing employer defined skills frameworks, a range of innovative services and programmes for skills development, and information on sources of training and funding. e-skills UK enables employers to make a real influence on the UK's skills strategy and infrastructure. (www.e-skills.com)

Ufi
Ufi is the organisation responsible for learndirect-advice - the national learning advice service and learndirect/UK online - the national supported e-learning and e-services network. Ufi aims to improve national productivity by providing widespread access to world class learning and e-services. Its role in supporting the strategy is to be a technologically innovative and entrepreneurial force in the improvement of skills for work. (www.ufi.com)

HEA
Higher Education Academy helps foster the development of a higher education sector accessible to all potential students and which is recognised internationally for the high quality of teaching, learning and research and has the capacity to address the changing needs and challenges in our society. (www.heacademy.ac.uk)

Inspection and QA

Ofsted
Office for Standards in Education is a non-ministerial government department. Its role includes responsibility for the inspection of all schools in England. From September 2005 regular school inspections will be much shorter than previously. A detailed evaluation of ICT, including e-learning, will take place alongside this in a sample of schools. (www.ofsted.gov.uk)

ALI
The Adult Learning Inspectorate is a government funded body responsible for raising the standards of education and training for young people and adults in England, by inspecting and reporting on the quality of learning provision they receive. (www.ali.gov.uk)

QAA
Through its audits and reviews of the management of quality and standards in higher education, the Quality Assurance Agency will monitor institutional strategies for the use of ICT to support flexible learning opportunities for UK and international provision, using its Code of Practice on collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning) as a particular point of reference. (www.qaa.ac.uk)

Funding Bodies

LSC
The Learning and Skills Council exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. The LSC will provide strategic policy and implementation of the e-strategy through the joint leadership of the Post-16 e-Learning Policy and Project Board (EPB). The LSC will have a commissioning function to determine appropriate procurement strategies for projects and services to deliver the Post-16elements of the strategy. They will also take responsibility for project monitoring and contract management. (www.lsc.gov.uk)

HEFCE
Working in partnership the Higher Education Funding Council for England promotes and funds high-quality, cost-effective teaching and research, meeting the diverse needs of students, the economy and society. (www.hefce.ac.uk)

Qualifications, curriculum and assessment

QCA
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is responsible for modernising the curriculum and examinations to meet the needs of learners in the 21^st century. QCA will modernise the national curriculum and its assessment, and will implement its new regulatory approach to lead awarding bodies and educational providers in using technology to improve the quality, relevance and reliability of learning, curriculum and assessment services provided to learners. (www.qca.org.uk)

Technology Infrastructure

UKERNA
The United Kingdom Education and Research Networking Association operates the networking programme of the education, learning and research communities in the UK (JANET). It researches, develops and provides advanced electronic communication facilities for use within these communities, and with external third parties. Successful implementation of the Government's agenda for raising educational standards involves the general deployment of broadband Internet access with low barriers to entry throughout the UK. (www.ukerna.ac.uk)

BSI
The British Standards Institution (BSI) was the world’s first national standards making body and is number one in the world today. BSI is working with government, business, consumers and international standards organisations to develop and tailor standards for the UK. It supports the UK as a leading contributor to standards development in IT for learning, education and training, focussing on standards for metadata in learning technology, interoperability for computer systems and between content and learning management software, online delivery of assessments, and student identifiers.

For further information on BSI visit (www.bsi-global.com/british_standards)

Other key partner organisations

Awarding bodies
Advisory, Admissions and Information services and organisations
Broadcasting and media organisations
Children's Workforce Development Council
Digital content industry groups
Educational publishing industry groups
Employer organisations
ICT infrastructure industry groups
Local Authorities/Directors of Children's Services/Local Education Authorities
Library and Information Science groups
Other Government Departments and their Agencies with e-programmes
Partners contracted to the Department for the delivery of National Strategies
Trade Unions and Professional Associations
Regional bodies, linked to the Department
Research Councils
Subject Associations
University research groups with a focus on e-learning and related disciplines
Voluntary and Community Organisations