Oracle partners with UK schools

Software giant, Oracle, has teamed up with the Department for Education and Skills and the Specialist Schools Trust to enhance ICT education in schools applying under the Government's Specialist Schools Programme to become Maths & Computing, Technology or Business & Enterprise Colleges.

Oracle will supply software, learning materials, and teacher training to 40 prospective specialist schools via the Oracle Internet Academy. This donation, commercially valued at over £100,000 per school, will count towards £25,000 of the £50,000 total sponsorship money that each applicant school is required to raise before it can become specialist - schools will raise the rest of the sponsorship money themselves.

Local sponsors

UKTECH asked the Department for Education and Skills if it felt any concerns that there was undue emphasis on one large commercial sponsor.

A DES spokesperson explained that the part of the challenge for the specialist schools was that they would raise part of the sponsorship themselves from local businesses and other sources in order to develop a range of sponsors.

The DES spokesperson said: "When the schools have raised the required amount themselves through their own enterprising means, there will be additional funding available.

"Part of the spirit of this is that the schools also act in an innovative way, giving businesses a real opportunity to play a part perhaps by creating business links, giving lectures in the class room or providing work experience opportunities.

"In the case of sponsorship from large software houses, this may have a high value in terms of the software equipment they provide, but they won't necessarily have a high level of involvement. Therefore, we are looking for a range of sponsors, including some local businesses."

Oracle

In specialist schools that will receive from Oracle sponsorship, pupils aged 16 to 19 will be taught application development, database and business skills using Oracle learning materials. The course is internationally recognised by industry and is claimed to form a strong base from which to progress into higher level qualifications in ICT.

Education Secretary of State, Charles Clarke, welcomed the partnership between government and industry.

He said: "A workforce with technological skills for the 21st Century is vital to Britain's success. I am delighted that Oracle is contributing to this important goal through support of Maths & Computing, Technology and Business & Enterprise colleges within the Specialist Schools Programme. The Government shares Oracle's strong commitment to high quality ICT education and this sponsorship will benefit pupils, teachers, and employers alike.

"Specialist schools are a vital part of the Government's strategy to transform secondary education by focussing relentlessly on teaching and learning so that every teacher is equipped to teach their subject effectively and to inspire the desire to learn.

"Specialist status provides a spur to school improvement that enables the comprehensive system to respond to the talents and needs of individual pupils. We are planning a further 1000 specialist schools by 2006 (bringing us to a total of at least 2000 specialist schools across England) and eventually we want all schools that are ready to become specialist schools, to do so.

"The children in schools today will be our teachers, computer technicians and web designers of tomorrow - by investing in the education of our children now, we are investing in the future of the economy and society as a whole".

Larry Ellison, Chairman of Oracle, said: "We are delighted to be working with the Department for Education and the Specialist Schools Trust on this important, groundbreaking programme."

Sir Cyril Taylor, Chairman of the Specialist Schools Trust, who recently visited one of Oracle's Academies in San Jose, said: "It is imperative for the future success of the country that we continue to foster and promote the attainment of excellence in standards at our schools.

"Oracle's sponsorship will help us to continue in our drive to push the standards of education in the UK ever higher, taking into consideration as it does, not only the practical education of students, but the further education and career development of teachers."

Specialist Schools Programme

The Specialist Schools Programme was launched in 1994. There are 992 operational specialist schools and ten categories of specialist school: Technology; Language; Arts; Sports; Business and Enterprise; Engineering; Mathematics & Computing; Science; Humanities; Music.

They are maintained secondary schools that teach the full National Curriculum but place a particular emphasis on teaching and learning in their chosen specialism within the Specialist Schools Programme.

The Specialist Schools Trust is a registered charity, which acts as the lead delivery body for the specialist schools programme. The Trust is funded through a combination of government grant, charges for services and private sector sponsorship. Around 2000 secondary schools (nearly two thirds of all secondary schools) are affiliated to the Trust including nearly all the 1209 designated specialist schools and many hundreds of aspiring specialist schools. One of the Trust's principal functions is to raise private sector sponsorship to support specialist school applications and to act as a 'broker' between sponsors and applicant schools.

Oracle and education

Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company. It has created a family of education programmes that leverage its core competencies in information technology and the Internet. Oracle's aim is to apply its expertise in several ways including:

• the Oracle Internet Academy which educates secondary students on the fundamentals of database and Java technology, preparing them for university and vocational opportunities and;
  
• the Oracle Academic Initiative which provides Oracle software and curriculum to aid universities in integrating leading-edge technology into degree programs and;
  
• the Oracle Workforce Development Program which is a partnership opportunity that Oracle provides, allowing educational institutions to deliver Oracle certification and training within non-degree programs.