Coronavirus: Outdated IT systems pushed to the limit by large-scale remote working, say schools

Association of School and College Leaders says technology in some classrooms is like ‘dark ages’

Schools have seen online systems crash during the first week of closures (Getty)

Outdated school IT systems are struggling to cope with a surge in demand as learning has moved online during the coronavirus outbreak.

Technology in many schools is like the “dark ages” compared with other sectors, the headteachers’ union warned.

School leaders have faced a series of issues with IT infrastructure this week as they closed their doors to the majority of pupils and turned to an alternative learning experience for students at home.

One headteacher is desperately trying to raise funds as he says funding cuts have left the school without the cash to carry out critical IT upgrades needed to run a “virtual school” for 1,200 pupils.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he was not surprised that the headteacher was fundraising given that tight budgets have limited the technology on offer in schools.

The uneven provision across the education sector should be a “wake-up call”, Mr Barton said. “Time in lots of schools will have stood still as the technology has developed around us,” he told The Independent.

Schools have seen online systems crash and IT technicians overloaded during the first week of closures.

Andy Webster, head of Park View School in Tottenham, north London, said they had two significant hardware failures lasting hours after introducing virtual lessons, and that the pressure on the infrastructure was too great.

“It only takes one device to fail and then the whole system dies and the kids don’t have any learning. We don’t have any spare money for network upgrades,” he told The Independent. “We don’t want the provision to stop. We don’t want the students sitting at home kicking their heels.”

“It really feels like we are treading on eggshells. Everything is running at complete stress. It was never designed to work this way,” he said.

Mr Webster has launched a fundraising page to upgrade the state school’s hardware to ensure that IT systems can cope with the sheer volume of traffic from students and teachers.

“School budgets are crippling tight. We have been at financial hardship for a while,” he said. “There was no contingency for this type of infrastructure upgrade as we could not foresee it was needed.”

Ruth Wilkes, head of Castle Newnham School in Bedford, has also had issues with online portals and learning apps during the first week of closures.

She told The Independent: “The difficulty has been that the absolute volume of traffic has caused those systems to be very slow. We are having to deal with a lot of technical enquiries. We have advised pupils to use the time to work on things they have already got in their books.”

Mark Cottingham, head of Shirebrook Academy near Mansfield, said: “One of the issues is we employ a company who do our IT and they are pulling their technicians to home working. We will have no technician in school, which will be interesting.”

On the issues that school leaders have faced with IT, Mr Barton said: “They didn’t have a lot of time to put anything together, so for some it has been pretty challenging.”

“I think what it is showing is the huge range of provision, so you have got a very disparate continuum of what some schools are able to provide and what some schools are not able to provide,” he added.

The union is hoping to put out guidance next week on what online platforms work well, following concerns from school leaders.

Mr Barton said: “Schools look like the dark ages in many cases compared to what technology is doing beyond schools. This will be a wake-up call.”

James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Schools will be in different places and some will have better technology than others. Schools are also acutely aware that not all families will have equal access to technology at home.

“It’s important to remember that home learning doesn’t all have to be on a computer: tasks can be set, like writing a daily diary, and activities can be interactive based on items most families will have in the home already.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “Teachers across the country are doing an incredible job as we fight to slow the spread of coronavirus, while others stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

“We are grateful to see so many teachers rising to the challenge of providing resources and teaching remotely. In partnership with software providers, we are urgently considering how we can support schools who are facing challenges with technology.

“Schools may face additional costs as a result of COVID-19. We will put in place a new process that allows us to reimburse schools for exceptional costs that they face as a result.”