16 May 2013: An increasing expectation on publishers to provide apps for tablet PCs to support existing resources has been identified through research carried out for the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA).
The headline findings of the annual ‘Tablets and apps in schools’ survey conducted in May 2013, shows that more than 26 per cent of respondents indicate a high expectation for publisher created educational apps compared with 19.8 per cent in 2012.
The results of the survey of 632 UK schools (327 primary, 305 secondary), come at a time when the adoption of tablets in schools is rising significantly. The findings indicate that schools are growing in confidence in making their own decisions, rather than waiting for government guidance on hardware procurement. Surveyed schools believe that by the end of 2013, more than 10 per cent of teaching computers (PC/Mac/tablet) in schools will be tablets. This is a significant increase from the 6 per cent forecast in 2012. If these figures are used against data collated from school’s IT managers, it can be estimated that by the end of 2013, 258,000 tablets will be used in schools.
The increasing proportion of hardware in schools being tablets is expected to continue to rise, with schools predicting that the percentage of tablets will increase to 24 per cent by the end of 2015.
The growth in use of tablet technology in schools is also leading to an increasing use of educational apps, with schools forecasting that 40 per cent (38 per cent primary, 42 per cent secondary) of all ICT based learning will be on educational apps by 2020 (an increase from 28.5 per cent in 2012).
Caroline Wright, director, BESA comments; “Our annual research shows an increasing trend towards the use of tablet technology in the classroom. With this comes the challenge for sector suppliers to meet the demand for quality content and apps.”
BESA’s findings come from a survey into the ‘Future of tablets and apps in schools’. The highly anticipated research, carried out in conjunction with the National Education Research Panel (NERP), provides analysis into the current adoption of tablet PCs and apps in schools and gives insight into their future use.
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About BESA
BESA, the British Educational Suppliers Association, is the trade association representing over 300 educational suppliers in the UK, including manufacturers and distributors of equipment, materials, books, consumables, furniture, technology, ICT hardware and digital-content related services to the education market.
With 78 years of experience, BESA offers unparalleled support, research, events and advice on both UK and International markets, and the future of the education supplies industry. BESA is focused on promoting and providing support and advice to their members, the industry and to schools.
BESA has a Code of Practice to which all members must adhere, along with a stringent membership process, both of which assure buyers of a high standard of quality in both product and customer service.
For more information, please visit www.besa.org.uk
For further press information contact:
Sue Murray
Mango Marketing
T: 01932 829 077
E: sue.murray@mangomarketing.com
For information from BESA contact:
Caroline Wright
BESA
T: 020 7537 4997
