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Schools (Internet Access)

Volume 402: debated on Tuesday 25 March 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures the Department has introduced to improve schoolchildren's access to computer technology. [104587]

Government investment through the National Grid for Learning programme has improved computer to pupil ratios in primary schools from 1:17.6 in 1998 to 1:9.7 in 2002: and from 1:8.7 to 1:6 in secondary schools. We expect this to improve further with an average computer to pupil ratio of 1:8 in primary and 1:5 in secondary by 2004. Annual Spend on ICT in schools will increase to over £700m in 2005-06 compared with £102m in 1998–99

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) south Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK have access to the internet; and how many of these have access to the broadband internet. [104588]

The information is not available in the form requested.It is estimated from a sample survey of schools that over 99 per cent. of both primary and secondary schools and 99 per cent. of special schools in England were connected to the internet at 31 March 2002.From figures supplied by the Regional Broadband Consortia and local education authorities, by end December 2002, 26 per cent. of schools in England were connected to broadband with 87 per cent. of secondary schools and 16 per cent. of primary schools having broadband connections (defined as being at 2 Megabits per second—2Mbps—or faster). Of all schools in the north-east, 25 per cent. have broadband connections, a figure that is expected to rise to a minimum of 56 per cent. by August 2003. All secondary schools in south Tyneside including schools in the Jarrow constituency have broadband connections. By September 2003 all schools in south Tyneside including schools in the Jarrow constituency will have broadband.For information in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, I refer my hon. Friend to the Ministers responsible for education in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively.