Schools' £21m internet bill

Only a half of all teachers are confident users

UK schools are spending £21m a year on the internet, it has been revealed.

But a report by educational suppliers says that despite millions of pounds' worth of training, half the country's teachers do not feel confident using new technology in the curriculum.

Net connectivity

26,140 schools online (89.6%)

average 16.3 net computers

52% give access to all pupils

39% some access

9% no access

42% have a website

It says the UK is far ahead of any other country in getting information and communication technology (ICT) into schools.

But it suggests the pace of change might be too fast for the teaching profession to keep up with, and there is a need to take stock and reconsider the way forward.

The report, from the British Educational Suppliers Association, says the growth in schools' internet connectivity is significant: 87.8% of primary schools are connected, 98.6% of secondary schools and 88.9% of special schools.

Maths uses ICT relatively well

By next year, in line with government targets, the expectation is that every school will be connected - with an average of 23 internet-enabled computers per school.

Staff internet access has doubled since last year and more pupils than ever are using the internet on a daily basis: 47% of schools, of which 90% supervise that access.

The number of schools using phone lines for net connectivity is going down, with 69% using faster ISDN connections and more than one in 10 secondary schools now having permanent leased lines.

"One thing that really shows the seriousness with which we are moving into the digital age is that schools now realise they need more than an ordinary phone line," said the association's director general, Dominic Savage.

Installed computers

Total: 851,000

770,000 PCs

81,400 Macs

74.5% Pentium I or above

86% run Windows 95/98/NT/2000

Its figures are based on a sample of 1,703 primary, secondary and special schools, representative of 29,165 state sector schools in the UK.

For the first time, it has put a figure on spending on the internet in UK schools: £21m.

"The challenge now is to assess its real value to teaching and learning," the report says.

It shows there has been only a small increase in confidence and competence among teachers when it comes to dealing with ICT in the classroom.

Confidence rating

A recent statistical report from the Department for Education said more than two thirds of teachers felt confident to use ICT in the curriculum. In most schools the figure had fallen slightly from 1999.

But school ICT co-ordinators, who completed the questionnaires for the association's annual survey, suggest that on average only 47% of teachers are competent or confident.

The subjects making most effective use of the equipment are ICT itself, English, maths and history.

Mr Savage said: "The rate of change which the government is currently trying to effect is dramatic.

"There are many who would argue that now we have a reasonable infrastructure, we need to consolidate in schools and look at how this change can be managed.

"Schools and teachers need to develop in ICT at a rate with which they are comfortable."

The Learning and Technology Minister, Michael Wills, said: "This survey demonstrates the dramatic impact that the record levels of funding for computers and the internet in the classroom is having in our schools."