Regional Forum Presentation Slides

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Regional forums Home Access programme
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Local authority conferences

• Hosted 3 conferences for local authorities on
  Home Access over 250 delegates attended and
  over 100 authorities represented.
• Overwhelmingly positive feedback received and
  authorities reporting they are keen to get
  involved
• Assistive technology was particularly well
  received as was the Home Access National
  Indicators map
• Some areas where more detail was requested
• Rollout and marketing plan
• Delivery partners
• Eligibility criteria
• Aggregation
• Looked After Children

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National Rollout

• Grant Administration Service announced on the
  16th October as Capita
• Becta is currently reviewing Marketing Strategy
  and Implementation plans
• Proving period end November December 2009
• Main launch activities in January 2010
• When all eligible families can start to apply
• Main marketing to start
• Support for LAs and schools
• Home Access Regional Marketing Team available for
  support activities
• Information packs for Schools made available

Looked After Children
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Eligibility
Are you a parent or guardian responsible for and living with a child Yes
...in years 3 to 9
... who attends a state school in England full time
... who did not get a computer from Computers For Pupils or the Home Access programme in the past
Do you receive at least one of the following Yes
Free School Meals for your child
Income Support
Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) and an income of less than 16,040
Guaranteed Pension Credit
Income Related Employment Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act
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The offer
Home Access Grants for low income families to
cover the cost of a Home Access package
comprising
Assistive technologies for those with additional
needs
Approved suppliers to provide these packages
designed to support learning
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Getting the grant

• Capita will provide the grant administration
  service

• Designed to remove burden from schools and local
  authorities
• Responsible for
• - driving demand
• - issuing and evaluating applications
• - delivering grants to families
• - enquiry and helpdesk support
• Will benefit over 270,000 households by March
  2011

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Acquiring the product

• First wave of provisionally approved suppliers
  and their partners are

• Bli Education
• Centerprise (3 mobile, Phones4U, Apollo, Hughes,
  Brighthouse, Retra)
• Comet
• Misco
• Positive IT Solutions (Cartridge World)
• XMA (T-mobile)

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Learning and development

• Becta is then responsible for delivering benefits
  realisation.

• Providing parents, carers and guardians with
  advice and guidance including
• how to guide on every desktop
• dedicated Home Access web-space for families
• monthly newsletter and direct mail via approved
  suppliers
• Supporting local authorities and schools to
  realise the wider benefits of the scheme for
  their families
• Working with partners such as DCSF, BIS, TDA,
  QCDA and UK online centres

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Looked After Children

• Looked After Children in foster care will be
  catered for by the main Home Access programme.
• Local authorities (specifically care workers)
  will identify a need and make an application on
  the learners behalf at key review points in the
  Careplan and Pathway Plan reviews.
• Eligibility for Looked After Children spans years
  1 to 13 inclusive.
• Looked After Children (and others) who benefitted
  under Home Access for targeted Groups will be
  ineligible under the national programme.
• Detailed guidance will be made available later in
  November. This will be sent to the LACES teams or
  equivalent contacts in authorities and be
  available for download from www.becta.org.uk/homea
  ccess

Looked After Children
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Ownership of kit

• In all cases the package stays with the foster
  family.  The four exceptions are
• Child has been awarded enhanced assistive
  technology and so is bespoke to their needs
• Child is in a critical phase of education and
  loss of equipment would severely impact
  attainment
• Child is leaving care, but requires kit to
  continue with education.
• If the designated care worker thinks it is
  appropriate
• In all of these cases the decision is made by the
  designated care worker.
• If packages do move then the foster carer should
  notify the approved supplier.

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Home Access for Targeted Groups

• 110 local authorities took part in the Home
  Access for Targeted Groups programme which ran in
  parallel to the Home Access pilots
• Over 21,000 learners benefited including looked
  after children, young offenders, Gypsy Roma
  Travellers, pupils in National Challenge schools
  and those in alternative provision
• These learners are ineligible for Home Access
  grants.
• Local authorities are required to provide Capita
  with details of recipients secure data transfer
  being arranged in November.
• Local authorities should take into account
  previous provision when verifying looked after
  children applications and in targeting Home
  Access awareness messages

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Aggregation

• Aggregating local authorities are
• Shropshire
• Hull
• Brimingham
• Durham
• Details of schools aggregation will now be
• communicated to schools and academies
• Academies can chose whether to run their own
  scheme or take part in the local authority scheme

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School level aggregation

• Any school other than an academy will have
  to be affiliated to the e-Learning Foundation to
  run an aggregation scheme.
• e-Learning Foundation will provide additional
  advice and support, as well as providing schools
  with opportunity to combine Home Access with a
  wider parental contribution based scheme.
• e-Learning Foundation also has access to
  additional funds to support schools build wider
  programmes to include those ineligible for Home
  Access grants. School level and Individual
  Support Grants available from e-Learning
  Foundation (www.e-learningfoundation.com)

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School level aggregation

• Schools will have to submit an application to
  Capita who will evaluate them and if successful
  register their aggregation scheme.
• As with local authorities, schools will have to
  communicate the opportunity to families, ensure
  legal requirements are followed and purchase
  equipment from approved suppliers.
• The deadline for applications is 28 February
  however school applications will be evaluated and
  (if successful) registered as and when submitted.
  They can operate their aggregation scheme as soon
  as they are registered.

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Communicating schools aggregation

• Schools aggregation pack will be available on
  request from 1 December from www.becta.org.uk/hom
  eaccess
• Opportunity will be included in 26 November DCSF
  email to Headteachers
• Local authorities should make schools aware of
  the opportunity
• Becta will also be
• attending e-Learning Foundation conference (20
  Nov)
• attending the SSAT Annual conference (25-26 Nov)
• working with a range of partners such SSAT and
  NAACE to communicate to schools
• looking to communicate via Sec Ed and TES

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Assistive technology offer

• The programme will provide three models of
  support
• Software pre installed on all Home Access
  packages applications such as text to speech,
  text prediction, mind-mapping and screen
  magnification
• Package 1 provides the user with an adapted
  mouse and keyboard as well as reading stickers on
  the keyboard as required
• Package 2 supports the more profound learning
  needs not supported by Package 1 with items such
  as a touch screen and joystick mouse.

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Assistive Technology Software

• Becta is exploring procurement opportunities to
  enable local authorities and schools to purchase
  the AT software
• MindView 3
• ReadWrite 9
• iZoom
• A demo version of the software for local
  authorities is now in development aim to be
  ready before Christmas

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Working with local authorities

• New resources developed for local authorities
• Local authority resources DVD which contains
• Background information
• Key information on how Home Access works
• Real life stories, videos and other assets
• Stakeholder map to help authorities identify who
  their key partners are
• Home Access National Indicator Map which maps
  local authority national indicators for 2009-10
  according to the impact Home Access can have on
  them
• FAQs for local authorities
• All at www.becta.org.uk/homeaccess

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Any questions?
Find out more
www.becta.org.uk/homeaccess
engage_at_becta.org.uk