Currently all schools in Wales have minimum broadband connections
of 10Mbps for primary schools and 100Mbps for secondary schools,
but some are not able to upgrade the speed of their services to
meet ever increasing demand as a result of technical limitations.
In November 2016, £5 million of investment was made available
that will cover the installation of new broadband services. This
will provide an immediate increase in speed and in line with
provision at other schools ensure that connectivity will continue
to grow well into the future.
Orders for the new services have started to be placed with the
first delivery expected early in the academic year 2017/18.
Prioritising schools’ access to superfast broadband was a key
part of the progressive agreement between the First Minister and
.
Changes to the curriculum mean digital skills will now be
developed and taught through all parts of a pupil’s schooling and
not just isolated to specific ICT or computer science classes.
The Digital Competence Framework means more than just using
computers and aims to equip pupils with the digital skills they
need and can apply in the real world in the years to come.
said:
“I am committed to making sure all our schools have the
infrastructure needed to prepare pupils for the modern world.
That is why I announced £5 million of extra investment to make
sure all our schools have superfast broadband speeds as a minimum
and I am delighted 341 schools will benefit from this.
“Making sure every school, no matter where they are based, has
access to superfast broadband remains a priority for me. We know
demand for broadband speed in schools will continue to increase.
It is simply unacceptable for a school to be at a significant
disadvantage due to poor internet speeds. I will continue to make
sure our pupils have the right environment to develop their vital
digital skills and continue to raise standards.”
The Education Secretary has also revealed that the use of the Hwb
digital learning platform, which is designed to provide all
pupils and teachers in Wales with greater access to a
centrally-funded range of online tools and resources, is
increasing.
In March Hwb received over 3.2 million page views and averaged
over 28 thousand logins each day which has significantly exceeded
original expectations. Recent developments to Hwb have delivered
an enhanced experience for teachers and learners, giving quicker
access to the tools and resources that are most commonly used.
The changes were developed following feedback from teachers.
