Credit crisis will not jeopardise school IT funding, says teaching union

22:10 30th December 2008

The credit crisis may be making its mark across all industries but school unions are remaining confident that they will receive the funding they have been promised for the upgrade of their IT provision.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) stated that they fully expect to receive the funds intended to equip schools across the UK with IT equipment and hi-tech facilities.

Financial commitments made by the government are not expected to be jeopardised by the current economic malaise as current funding is in the first year of a year-on-year, three-year package.

Martin Johnson, deputy general secretary of ATL commented: "Within that funding envelope, on the whole, primary schools will be able to add further IT equipments to roll out the availability of equipment and [ensuring that] more children can access, more of the time."

The Department for Children, Schools and Families announced in 2007 that the average amount spent on pupil funding encompassing ICT facilities is set to total £6,600, which is twice the amount spent since 1997 in real terms.