Survey of Microcomputers in Schools

Abstract

A survey was carried out in November 1985 on a sample of 500 primary and 500 secondary schools. By the end of January 1986 the Department had received completed questionnaires from 75 per cent of primary and 53 per cent of secondary schools in the sample, a low response for the secondary sector. The Department is satisfied that the distribution by size and type of responding schools was broadly representative. The results need to be interpreted in that light.

The survey sought to discover in particular, the number and type of micros and associated equipment in maintained primary and secondary schools, the level and source of funding, the extent of teacher training in the use of micros and the extent of use by pupils. In addition, secondary schools were asked to identify individual departments which used the micro, the software packages most used by them and the curricular purposes of using the packages. The BBC carried out an earlier study of micros in secondary schools in April 1984 and, where possible, comparisons are made between the two sets of results.