McClelland review of ICT infrastructure in the public sector: our response

ICT in Education

Achievements

We have delivered two major services to the education sector: Glow (the national learning intranet for Schools) and Interconnect 2.0 (the supporting high speed broadband network).

Glow has delivered an integrated suite of tools and resources to enable teachers, learners and parents to communicate, collaborate and cooperate. It has supported the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence, enabling professional learning communities to develop new ways of learning and sharing learning opportunities nationwide and across sectors. Glow is available across all 32 Scottish local authorities and for a wide range of associated interests such as Scottish Qualification Authority ( SQA), Education Scotland and Teacher Education Universities. Its main products include: the national user directory (all those involved in provision of 3-18 education), email service, document storage, and access to shared procured content.

Glow has delivered significant efficiency savings at school and local authority levels, mainly through aggregated procurement of key services such as email and reduction of costs associated with photocopying and travel.

Interconnect 2.0 is the broadband infrastructure connecting Scotland's local authorities, national educational bodies such as Education Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority ( SQA), the Improvement Service (through our Customer First programme) and SEEMIS; it also provides internet connectivity. Interconnect 2.0 is also the gateway to the internet for 29 of our local authorities. Consequently, this shared service is a vital part of Scotland's public sector ICT systems, delivering significant efficiency savings.

Going Forward

We are committed to the ongoing delivery of digital services in our schools to prepare our children and young people for the future work environment and Scotland's digital economy as a whole. We will further unlock the potential of information and communication technologies to support learning and teaching in schools by enhancing GLOW resources.

We will work with public, private and individual partners to help schools to harness the power of technology and keep pace with rapidly evolving developments. We are developing an imaginative new approach for Glow and will use readily available tools to make Glow relevant and dynamic. This approach will mean Glow is freed up for wider use and taken forward and owned by those who are using it day in day out.