Inaugural speech of the Chair of the Board of Management

Colleagues,

Gareth has already set out in the Annual Report the activities of the last year and it is not my intention to bore you by going over old ground again. However, I am sure you wish to join me in thanking those that, during the last year, have served on the Board of Management and in particular those people who have come to the end of their tenure: Jill Day and Hazel Coulter, also Alex Savage and Paul Scott who were co-opted for a year. Also Richard Allen who has been re-appointed to the Board under Article 36 and Rachel Ager, who while co-opted last year was recently elected for a further four years. It is through the hard work, selflessness and at times sacrifice of significant personal time that these volunteers have ensured the continuing work of our association. I would also like to thank our staff. They too, often give more that we could possibly ask to ensure that things run smoothly and efficiently. In particular I would like to give special thanks to Bernie, not only for her business acumen and management skills but her unfailing ability to remain positive and smiling whatever the problem.

And so to the future.

We all know that double edged saying “may you live in interesting times”. That is most certainly true of the last months and especially the last few weeks, and, if we listen to the twittering of innumerable Cassandras it can only get worse, or better. But then of course it’s all academic as the end of the world as we know it is apparently scheduled for December 21st 2012, annoying really as that happens to be three months before I can claim my local government pension!

More seriously, the present economic climate must impact on our work and that of Naace. I think that we would all agree that we are entering a period of intense change in education ICT, brought about by a combination of government policy, rapidly evolving technology, the changing expectations of learners and uncertainty over future spending, given both the financial crisis and possible change of government at the next election. Interesting times indeed.

At a basic level, regardless of funding allocations such as the Harnessing Technology grant many schools will find their budgets under increasing pressure from rising heating and other costs and may seek to extend the life of hardware rather than replacing it. Some may pass the cost onto parents through increasing expectation that learners will have their own low-cost devices – and there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that expectation. They also face the not insignificant expense of implementing real-time reporting and the new data protection requirements. This money has to come from somewhere. Will spending on curriculum ICT be protected?

In the education software industry we are witnessing considerable consolidation, a growing range of online resources but also a decline in small independent developers.  While this might be a sign of a maturing market it is also the result of difficult trading conditions and changing resource requirements. Whatever the cause, the result may be a reduction in both choice and innovation.

Then there are the implications for BSF. Will an incoming government continue with the project as planned or will it become a victim of enforced cuts in public expenditure and a realisation that perhaps PFI is not necessarily a sound basis for public projects.  Indeed, will the private capital necessary for BSF to work actually be available?

If it does survive, the vast scale of the developments and the huge purchasing power of the main contractors are potentially harmful to smaller suppliers, a situation akin to that of supermarkets and farmers.  For Naace members there are both threats and opportunities, for while jobs may continue to disappear in local authorities there is a growing need for our expertise, though perhaps not always recognised, within the BSF ICT suppliers themselves. The knowledge, skills and vision, the shared knowledge base that is Naace, and accumulated over 25 years, is an essential component if ICT is to truly bring about the culture change in learning that it should do. Without this BSF becomes just another building contract and more of the same failed strategies that modern learners are turning their backs on.

And what will be the impact on Naace? On the narrow business and financial front a reduction in the number of educational software and hardware suppliers together with the impact of the financial situation means that we cannot rely on past levels of sponsorship to fund our operations. Fewer companies and tightened budgets can only impact adversely on this income – Naace is not immune to market forces.

But, Naace must remember that it is, fundamentally, a Membership organisation. It exists to support its members, whether in local authorities, independent consultants, BSF consultants and advisers, teachers and industry members in undertaking their jobs effectively while at the same time ensuring dialogue with and influence on decision makers in government and government agencies.

It was for this purpose that Naace was originally formed some 25 years ago and this function remains the foundation stone of the organisation. Yes, we must take into account the needs of the whole membership constituency but that fundamental basis of our Naace must be at the core of our work with and for you.

We have therefore set ourselves significant key priorities for the next 12 months in the One Year Plan.

The most critical of course is to consolidate the business and operational activities of the organisation, to reduce costs and increase efficiencies so as to ensure the long term existence of Naace. This may involve difficult decisions but I have the utmost confidence in my Board colleagues and in our officer team, who are making very significant progress in updating, modernising and streamlining the operations and management of our organisation.

Recruiting and retaining Members is crucial and your Board will be giving this high priority and we will also continue the drive to attract new members from all those actively engaged in the delivery, support and management of ICT in schools across the UK.

In a further development of our membership structures I am pleased to announce the creation of a new class of membership, the Naace Fellow. The concept of a Fellowship has been under discussion for some time (and I would like to thank Roger Broadie for his work in this area) as we have sought a means to recognise those members who have made the most significant contribution to ICT in education whether through publications, resource creation, participation in Naace and national working parties and similar.  Details of the application criteria will be published next week on the Naace website and I would urge all who think they meet or exceed those criteria to apply, and that means many of you in this room today.

The provision of Professional services and professional development has been a significant focus and you will already be aware of the increased number of think tanks and workshops planned for the year. These address areas that members inform us are of direct relevance to their work and further assist in improving dialogue with national agencies.

We have also taken note of concerns over the location, timing and content of the Annual Conference which, next year, moves north and has been restructured to reduce your time out of the office whilst still retaining a strong focus on the strategic issues of the moment. I look forward to meeting you all again in Blackpool next March.

Changes to our Publications and resource provision are already in progress. From next spring the current journals will be brought together in a new publication, “Advancing Education through ICT”.  This will be an academic journal and cover all phases of education. We shall also continue to develop our online services.

Our corporate partners are a critical part of the Naace family and I thank them for their past, present and future support. I would also urge them to encourage their staff involved in the delivery of ICT to schools to consider becoming personal members and to take a full and active part in the work of Naace.

Last, though certainly not least we shall continue to ensure that Naace is represented on or in dialogue with, all significant external bodies involved in the development or implementation of ICT in education.
And that is all. Thank you for attending and in closing I would say only one thing, “May we continue to live in interesting times . . .!”

Paul Heinrich
Chair, Naace Board of Management 2008 - 2009