Birmingham eLearning Foundation. Annual Report 2009 - 2010 Annual Report 2009 - 2010 Achievements, challenges and future plans of the Birmingham eLearning Foundation (BeLF) Ruth Garner, Ian McCall and Sophie Cho udry December 2010 Birmingham eLearning Foundation. Annual Report 2009 - 2010 Birmingham eLearning Foundation Annual Report 2010 Foreword Since 2001 the Birmingham e-Learning Foundation (BeLF) has worked tirelessly to support pupils in Birmingham’s schools to enhance educational attainment. Our focus has been to facilitate the provision of computers, netbooks and internet access devices. To date some 35,000 pupils have been supported through various programmes that are described more fully within this report. Our success has not been achieved alone. We have worked with Birmingham City Council, the National e-Learning Foundation, Schools, Pupils and Parents to build a collaborative model where all stakeholders in the education system have been able to work together for the benefit of children in Birmingham. We have been supported by private sector organisations such as Service Birmingham, RM plc., It’s Learning UK, and Steljes Ltd. We are proud that this is an exemplar of the new Government’s Big Society but with a ten year history The City of Birmingham has the UK’s largest and most successful e-Learning Foundation, which has been achieved through the unique partnership approach outlined above combined with the dedicated professionalism of our small but highly skilled staff. As we move into a period of austerity we anticipate new challenges but we believe that the strength of our relationship with Birmingham City Council, the Schools and Parents will stand us in good stead. Tough times will magnify the needs of many of the City’s pupils and we must be there to support them. It has been my privilege to serve as Chair of BeLF from 2002 until 2009 and I wish our new Chair, Ruth Garner, the Trustees and Staff every success in the years to come. David Wimpress Birmingham eLearning Foundation. Annual Report 2009 - 2010 I N D E X Page 1 Reference, Administrative DETAILS 2010 / 2011 3 2 Structure, Governance & Management 4 3 Objectives & Activities 5 3.1: The Birmingham ELearning Foundation Objectives 5 3.2: Equity Programme: Closing the Digital Divide 6 3.3: Activities in 2010 6 3.4: Schools involved in the BeLF Programme 8 4 Achievements & Performance 9 4.1: Equity Programme 2010 9 4.2: Equity Programme; Achievements to date 10 4.3: What the pupils say 10 5 Future Plans 11 5 Acknowledgements 12 Birmingham eLearning Foundation. Annual Report 2009 - 2010 1: Reference & Administrative Details 2010 / 2011 Name of the Charity: Birmingham e-Learning Foundation (A Company Registered by Guarantee) Registered Number: 4291027 (England and Wales) Incorporation Date: The Company was incorporated on 20 th September 2001 Registered Office: 1st Floor Christ Church, Birmingham Street, Oldbury, B69 4DY Charity Registration Number: 1089636 Trustees: • David Wimpress, Chair until December 2009 • Ruth Garner, Chair from December 2009 • Eric Clewer, Vice Chair, • Jane Langfield, • Jean Maund • David Brodie • Paul Pearce, Company Secretary Head of the BeLF: Ian McCall Administrative Assistant: Sophie Choudry Accountants: Paul Pearce 11 Manor Avenue Walsall West Midlands WS6 6NS Auditors: Rodney Pitts, Chartered Accountants, Registered Auditors, 4 Fairways, 1240 Warwick Road, Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands Birmingham eLearning Foundation. Annual Report 2009 - 2010 2: Structure, Governance & Management The Birmingham eLearning Foundation (BeLF) is a Company Limited by Guarantee, without a share capital, and is a Registered Charity. BeLF was incorporated in 2001 (Memorandum and Articles of Association, Companies Act 1985). The Charity is managed by a Board of Trustees. Trustees are nominated by the members of the charitable company and elected at the Annual General Meeting where they have the necessary skill to contribute to the management and development of the Charity. Upon appointment new Trustees are provided with a copy of the charitable company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, the most recent audited financial statements and copies of the previous year’s minutes of trustee meetings. A Charity secretary is appointed by the Trustees to administer day to day activities. The BeLF can, by ordinary resolution, appoint an individual who is willing to act as a Trustee to fill a vacancy. No Trustee may be appointed unless: • He / she is over 18 years of age; • Proposed by a member of the Charity and at such a time that no more than one other serving director is appointed by the same member; • Local Authority Associates can only account for 20% of Board membership; Meetings are held monthly and a quorum is a third of the Trustees present. The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the Charity, and they are satisfied that systems are in place to manage their exposure to the major risks. National e-Learning Foundation affiliation The Birmingham e-Learning Foundation was initially created as part of a group of local e-Learning Foundations, with similar aims and objectives that were affiliated to the national e-Learning Foundation. For this reason many of Birmingham eLearning Foundation procedures follow what is called the National e-Learning Foundation model. This includes the policies on inclusiveness and sustainability, and the way that donations are re-cycled in a tax effective way, benefitting from Gift Aid. The National e-Learning Foundation has promoted this model with the release of Grants which encourage schools to adopt their model. While many of the local e-Learning Foundations failed to thrive, BeLF has been an exception and has achieved great success. This is due to a combination of hard work, leadership and a huge amount of goodwill and effort shown by all the local stakeholders, especially Birmingham City Council, our schools, and thousands of parents and families in Birmingham. Through BeLF, all schools in Birmingham are affiliated with the National e-Learning Foundation and Ian McCall, Head of BeLF serves as ‘Schools liaison Manager’ for the Birmingham Schools within the national structure. Birmingham eLearning Foundation. Annual Report 2009 - 2010 We have applied the National e-Learning Foundation model with considerable success. However, it is worth noting that two thirds of the schools that we have assisted in Birmingham have succeeded without national grants, relying solely upon local funds and parental contributions. To date, our Grant Making Policy, has therefore been modelled on the National e-Learning Foundation model. This means that parental contributions are collected and used to buy further devices for the schools, along with any grants that may have been received, within the National e- Learning Foundation sustainability model. 3: Objectives & Activities 3.1: The Birmingham e-Learning Foundation Objectives: The Objectives of BeLF, as stated in the articles of Memorandum of Association are: The charitable advancement of education within the community of the City of Birmingham and in particular of those who have social or economic disadvantage or who have disability through the provision and assistance in the provision of information, learning and communication technology (“ILCT”) To further these objectives within any Connected Learning Community the Charity will seek to promote: 1. The provision of powerful portable or mobile ILCT device for every teacher, student, pupil or other learning enabling universal access to powerful learning tools; Equity of access to innovations in ILCT which facilitates teaching and lifelong learning, irrespective of individual and community financial and social circumstances; 2. Community partnerships and partnerings, which establish and foster relationships between schools, parents and the community that will access and promote best practice in education; 3. Connected learning communities linking schools, homes, individuals, workplaces and government into a collective commitment to lifelong e-learning environments; 4. Support for innovation in and commitment to ILCT based teaching, learning and educational establishments in connected learning communities for the benefit of the communities and those within them; These will be referred to as the e-Learning Principles of 1:1 access, equity, community partnership, connected learning community and innovation respectively. Birmingham eLearning Foundation. Annual Report 2009 - 2010 3.2: Equity Programme: Closing the digital divide For many Birmingham children and their families having access to a computer at home would be an impossible dream without the BeLF programme. Since 2002 Be-LF, working in partnership with Birmingham City Council, schools and parents, has helped over 23,000 local children have access to a computer at home to continue their learning. The programme has been a huge success so far and continues to When Kings Heath Boys took touch the lives of more and more children across Birmingham delivery of 115 Asus eeePCs in as the rate at which schools are joining accelerates. March, it brought the total number of devices provided to We see a future in which all schools in Birmingham can offer the school by the equity children the benefits of technology-based teaching and programme to 601. learning, anytime, anywhere. We want each and every child in Birmingham to have access to a computer at home for learning, regardless of their family’s personal circumstances. Research tells us that a computer at home is an even more valuable learning aid than a computer at school: it often motivates children to do their school work; their work is better presented so their self-esteem grows, and they can explore subjects that interest them in their own time. 3.3: Activities in 2010 3.3.1: Equity Programme: In 2010 BeLF continued to incorporate national grant funding in partnership with Birmingham City Council. The initial funding was available under the Government’s ‘Computers for Pupils’ programme and these funds were used to buy computers for the Student Home Access scheme as part of the wider Birmingham e-Learning Foundation programme.