JonathanT

That could be because it's quite a lot of work for the school to aggregate the order, and needs to be done through the e-Learning Foundation I believe. However, I have spoken to several heads who are considering aggregation so they can try to match what they get for the school with what those with Home Access grants get.

Hi Everyone, I'm from BLi Education, which is one of 6 companies authorised by Becta to supply Home Access kits, and I've just joined this forum so I thought I’d try to answer some of Andie’s (& others) questions. As you probably know, BLi Education is the home of TAG Learning, Sherston, SEMERC and Economatics Education. The Home Access Programme is officially being launched this week at the World Education Forum (by Gordon Brown) and at the BETT Show in London (by Diana Johnson). From that point onwards, anyone who thinks they might be eligible can call the hotline (run by Capita for Becta) to find out more. A good rule of thumb is families with children in KS2/ KS3 who are on free school meals should be eligible. Also, schools interested in aggregating orders on behalf of their parents have until the end of February to register with Becta, but must also be registered with the e-Learning Foundation. Just so that you have the facts, BLi Education is including over £570 worth of free curriculum software from TAG, Sherston & Economatics with each computer/laptop, and I think we are unique in this part. You can find out more about what we are offering at our Home Access Computers (just Google Home Access Computers or BLi Education) or by ringing 0800 258 5990, and parents and schools can contact the Home Access Grant Administration Service (HAGAS, run by Capita) at 0333 200 1004. Incidentally, the support and warranty will be provided by the suppliers, backed by the manufacturers, all machines come with a year's theft insurance, there is e-safety and anti-virus software installed, and Becta have provided a suite of software at no extra cost, which includes some assistive technology tools, such as screen magnifiers, text-to-speech, predictive text, spell-checkers etc. With the full package there is also one year's broadband connectivity provided as well. So it's a very well-specified package, and should be something that parents and chidren can use straight out of the box. For a school, there could be a lot of benefit in helping parents not only to fill in the forms correctly, but also to make the right choices in terms of the type of package to order. Hope this is helpful! Jonathan Thomson – BLi Education