Gordon Topping, chairman of ET Strategy Management Group

In 2002, the Education Technology Strategy Management Group (ET SMG) reviewed the achievements of the ET Strategy. This indicated that the school service was in the process of achieving 85% of the goals originally established in 1998. We can be immensely proud of this achievement. This included the facts that, by April 2003, 94% of serving teachers and school librarians completed the NOF training programme, raising their level of ICT competence, and that the final components of Classroom 2000 (C2K) are being put in place.

The emPowering Schools strategy builds on this foundation. The title refers to the role which we believe electronic and online multimedia will play in the enhancement of teaching, learning and school leadership over the next 5 years.

In developing this new strategy, ET SMG took a rigorous and consultative approach. There have been 38 events at which over 900 colleagues and stakeholders contributed to the formulation of this new strategy and there were 1,300 online visits to the draft sections.

We offer a broad vision and strategy for emPowering Schools and a framework for action planning up to 2008, but within a context of transforming education by 2020. We have concluded that significant change will be required by the education service if we are to meet the personal, social and economic needs of young people living and working in the 21st century. This strategy offers what we believe is the way to build on the foundation we have established, and the key developments which are necessary to meet these needs.

We recommend that every school and education agency should consider the contents of this document carefully and establish their own vision, strategy and action plan aimed at achieving the overarching goal:

“That all young people should be learning, with, through and about the use of digital and online technologies”.

A summary version of this strategy contains some 18 consultation questions. Both versions are supported by 12 briefing papers to help ensure that responses are well informed. These are also available online, with additional support papers on this site.

I wish to thank the members of the ET Strategy Group, and especially John Anderson our Secretary and Strategy Co-ordinator, for the work they have done over the past 6 years and the contribution they have made to the implementation of the ET Strategy and the development of this new Strategy.

Clearly, there is much to be done; emPowering Schools deserves your close attention.