Becta confirms continuation of ICT Mark

The agency, which is being axed by the coalition government to save money, said the ICT Mark will continue until at least March next year. It provides schools in England with an accreditation for reaching a national ICT standard, and will be run by charity Naace (the National Association of Advisers for Computers in Education). Naace already provides the service on behalf of Becta. The Next General Learning Charter, set up by Becta in January 2009 to support schools in making a public commitment to improving learning through the use of technology, has been closed, however. Alan Mo, senior analyst at Kable, said: "It is concerning that at time when the coalition government is giving schools greater freedom, it is also taking away vital guidance and support to the many schools that lack in-house ICT skills. "There are organisations that are interested in taking over particular aspects of Becta's work, and this needs to be closely monitored by suppliers." Responding on 7 July 2010 to a parliamentary written question about Becta, schools minister Nick Gibb revealed the savings achieved by the agency over the past seven years. Gibb said: "Total Office of Government Commerce audited cash savings from Becta's procurement frameworks for ICT equipment for schools and colleges from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2010 total £248m."