Agenda, decisions and minutes

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a true record.

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a true record.

There were none.

There were none.

RESOLVED:

That the Task and Finish Group’s report be agreed with the inclusion of the following recommendations and be submitted to Mayor and Cabinet:

The Digital Inclusion in Education Task and Finish Group:

1)    Encourages the council’s education department and schools to continue to make the most of London Grid for Learning (LGfL) offers on more affordable devices, and in particular the special data and device offers being developed through the work of the Mayor of London, and to make sure that all schools are aware of the offers available.

2)    Recommends that the council’s education department and schools produce information and guidance for parents and pupils on where and how to access affordable data (e.g. social tariffs) and devices (e.g. refurbished), as well as where and how they can access local digital support (i.e. libraries, housing providers) and skills (adult education). This should also include guidance on the specifications of devices/hardware that pupils will need and guidance on making the best use of the software and platforms commonly used by schools.

3)    Recommends that the council’s education department states to schools that it is best practice to include guidance on digital platforms in the induction process for new parents, and to consider issues relating to digital inclusion as part of end-of-term evaluations for each subject.

4)    Recommends that that the council’s education department engages with other local authorities, through the Mayor of London’s digital inclusion programme and the LGA’s digital inclusion forum (and other similar national forums) about best practice and benchmarking in relation to digital inclusion in education.

5)    Recommends that the council’s education department and schools produce information and guidance on the best digital platforms, tools and websites for learning, particularly in relation to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

6)    Recommends that any information and guidance for parents is available in different languages and signposted to those most likely to experience barriers to digitally inclusion – such as families with children with SEND, families with English as an additional language (EAL), and families living in temporary accommodation.

7)    Recommends that the council routinely takes digital inclusion into account in Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments, including the digital skills of parents/carers, and consider the adoption of a definition (see Chair’s introduction) of digital inclusion to better identify pupils who need support.

8)    Recommends that the council’s education, housing and IT departments explore the feasibility of providing Wi-Fi in council-managed temporary accommodation and hostel accommodation.

9)    Recommends that the council’s education and IT departments and schools explore the feasibility of at-scale and ongoing technical support (such as a dedicated IT helpline) for teachers, pupils and parents in relation to devices and platforms used by the school.

10) Encourages the councils education department to continue to provide CPD for teachers in relation to developing and upskilling relevant digital skills.

11) Encourages schools to appoint link-governors for digital inclusion and support for parents.

12) Recommends that the council’s education department works with schools,  ...  view the full decision text for item 3.

Cllr Colin Elliott introduced the item and invited the Task and Finish Group to comment on and agree the draft final report and recommendations to Mayor .

RESOLVED:

That the Task and Finish Group’s report be agreed with the inclusion of the following recommendations and be submitted to Mayor and Cabinet:

The Digital Inclusion in Education Task and Finish Group:

1)    Encourages the council’s education department and schools to continue to make the most of London Grid for Learning (LGfL) offers on more affordable devices, and in particular the special data and device offers being developed through the work of the Mayor of London, and to make sure that all schools are aware of the offers available.

2)    Recommends that the council’s education department and schools produce information and guidance for parents and pupils on where and how to access affordable data (e.g. social tariffs) and devices (e.g. refurbished), as well as where and how they can access local digital support (i.e. libraries, housing providers) and skills (adult education). This should also include guidance on the specifications of devices/hardware that pupils will need and guidance on making the best use of the software and platforms commonly used by schools.

3)    Recommends that the council’s education department states to schools that it is best practice to include guidance on digital platforms in the induction process for new parents, and to consider issues relating to digital inclusion as part of end-of-term evaluations for each subject.

4)    Recommends that that the council’s education department engages with other local authorities, through the Mayor of London’s digital inclusion programme and the LGA’s digital inclusion forum (and other similar national forums) about best practice and benchmarking in relation to digital inclusion in education.

5)    Recommends that the council’s education department and schools produce information and guidance on the best digital platforms, tools and websites for learning, particularly in relation to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

6)    Recommends that any information and guidance for parents is available in different languages and signposted to those most likely to experience barriers to digitally inclusion – such as families with children with SEND, families with English as an additional language (EAL), and families living in temporary accommodation.

7)    Recommends that the council routinely takes digital inclusion into account in Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments, including the digital skills of parents/carers, and consider the adoption of a definition (see Chair’s introduction) of digital inclusion to better identify pupils who need support.

8)    Recommends that the council’s education, housing and IT departments explore the feasibility of providing Wi-Fi in council-managed temporary accommodation and hostel accommodation.

9)    Recommends that the council’s education and IT departments and schools explore the feasibility of at-scale and ongoing technical support (such as a dedicated IT helpline) for teachers, pupils and parents in relation to devices and platforms used by the school.

10) Encourages the councils education department to continue to provide CPD for teachers in relation to developing and upskilling  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.