With a goal date of September 2012 for all primaries to have systems up and running, it's hoped that schools will tap into their existing technology and develop it sooner rather than later so they can start to reap the benefits online reporting can offer teachers, heads, pupils and parents alike.
Niel McLean, director at Becta explained: "We have evidence that, when used effectively, online reporting can bring real, practical advantages to schools but the gains are not just restricted to the more obvious areas covering administration and data management. It's been shown that when pupils have the chance to link via technology at home into school work, it encourages greater parental involvement and is motivating and rewarding for the learner.
In other words, it can help the child to do better and attain more at school."
These toolkits will help schools assess their current systems, identify areas where they would like specific help and give them practical help in getting their online reporting systems off the ground.
Niel continued: "We recognise that teachers may have initial concerns about implementing online reporting. Schools are at vastly different stages in development; some may already be using technology in this way but many may not know where to start - and that's exactly why we've produced the toolkit. It has been designed with input from over 80 schools across the country, and is intended to offer practical, easy-to-follow advice that has been developed and specially tailored for the needs of primary schools.
"We know that for many it sounds daunting but when you see schools which have already set up online reporting and the marked difference it can bring to school activities, pupil achievement and parent communications, I'm confident that more schools will take it up with greater effect."
Becta will continue to work closely with schools and partner organisations to promote and develop further support for online reporting. SSAT is providing a directory of schools with strengths in using technology to improve parental engagement (www.ict-register.net) and the National Governors Association (NGA) is supporting their members by backing and explaining the rationale behind online reporting.
Alongside this, Becta will be championing parental engagement and the benefits of online reporting through its own campaign - Next
Generation Learning (www.nextgenerationlearning.org) which reminds parents of the positive difference they can make to their child's learning when they use technology to get more involved.
