School reports to go online

Parents will be given online access to their child’s school records under new Labour proposals.

Education Minister Jim Knight outlined plans for an online "real-time reporting" system so that parents can see their child’s attendance records, grades and discipline reports.

The system, which would be implemented in secondary schools in 2010 and primary schools by 2012, will give information via emails, text messages or teleconferencing, Knight revealed at education technology exhibition Bett.

Although it will not be a “substitute for regular personal contact with parents”, the system aims to make it easier for parents to be involved in their child's education.

However, recent data loses by the Labour Government, such as the HMRC disks and driving licence information, has raised concerns amongst the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) and Conservatives who are worried that this scheme could open up the risk of sensitive data going astray.

PAT general secretary Philip Parkin said: “There are complex data security issues to be addressed in allowing access to school systems, particularly in light of recent losses of government-held data.”

The Conservatives said more information about how the database would be handled was needed.

Additional concerns were also raised about staff workloads and the digital divide, although Mr Knight said the scheme “shouldn’t add to staff workloads”.

This was disputed by Liberal Democrat shadow schools secretary David Laws, who warned schools could end up bogged down in “reporting requirements that distract from frontline teaching”, and the National Union of Teachers, who said the Government did not have enough evidence to claim teacher workloads would be unaffected.

Action on Rights for Children (ARCH) also said that, despite promises by Mr Knight of £30m funding to help low-income families buy a PC, and talks with manufacturers to get this technology “at a good price”, the scheme could end up widening the digital divide.

ARCH director Terri Dowerty said: “Some parents will still struggle to buy a PC with broadband access.”

“The Government spends so much on failed technology that it would be a drop in the ocean for them to buy these computers outright for children."