Real life tales of earning- Tools for Schools

Sustainability through trading

• Introduction
• How does Tools For Schools work?
• How is Tools for Schools financially sustainable?
• Tools for Schools- changing children's lives
• What does the future hold for Tools for Schools?

Introduction

"Without the help of Tools for Schools we would never been able to provide this service for the women on this impoverished estate, giving them an opportunity that may change their lives."
Jacqueline Priestley, Harry Roberts School

Computers in schools. Isn't that something we take for granted?

From an unassuming single floor of an office block in Clerkenwell runs Tools for Schools, an organisation with only five staff that has significantly improved the educational experience of over 400,000 children through the provision of essential IT equipment. 

Tools for Schools identified a gaping social need and anticipated a huge cultural shift that would foresee government targets in Information Technology in education, forming a social business that is responsible for distributing 20,000 computers in 1,500 schools across the UK in the biggest IT educational recycling initiative. With a turnover of around £500,000, they provide IT resources for some of the UK's most deprived communities, working to bridge the digital divide and reduce the huge adverse environmental impact that disposal of the computers by landfill creates.

Trevor Matthews has had a variety of roles at Tools for Schools since starting with them in 1999. He joined Tools for Schools with eleven years primary school teaching experience because he thought it was a 'brilliant idea' and has personally overseen the delivery of over 20,000 computers.

A national charity established since 1998, Tools for Schools' aim is to refurbish and recycle unwanted business computers for educational use, working with over 80 major employers who have donated equipment worth more than £5 million.

Graham Bednash is a partner in the communications strategy company Michaelides and Bednash and initiated Tools for Schools. Whilst he could see computers literally being dumped by companies, in his son's school there was only one machine for 30 children. Inspired to act, his concept was adopted by the Guardian and Tools For Schools made its first delivery in 1999. The scheme was hugely popular and within months Tools for Schools faced a waiting list for an unbelievable 30,000 computers.

Tools for Schools has a number of key strengths that make it a great example of sustainability.

How does Tools For Schools work?

Companies donate computers that they plan to replace that meet a minimum specification. Tools for Schools manage the refurbishing of the donated computers and make them available to schools throughout the UK at a nominal charge.

The government has set a target of one computer for five secondary pupils and one machine for eight primary school students. Tools for Schools caters for schools that meet the average and the many schools that fall by the wayside.

In the organisation's inception, an application form was sent out to schools which discovered huge discrepancies were found in I.T educational provision. 3,000 applications were received requesting on average 11 or 12 computers. Whilst some schools were reasonably ahead, other schools had just two BBC machines for an entire primary school. There is still much work to do: amazingly, in a recent survey 70% of subject teachers felt they were lacking enough desktop computers to adequately deliver the IT element of the syllabus.

How is Tools for Schools financially sustainable?

Tools For Schools is financially sustainable with diverse income streams, although trading is the key to their sustainability. The organisation runs as a social business that covers the costs for their computers through charging schools for the machine. Although the cost of the computers was initially subsidised through grants, demand meant that Tools for Schools now charge actual costs. The organisation is trying to establish increased business support and corporate donations.

Trevor Matthews believes it's a mistake to rely too heavily on promises of donations, which are fundamentally voluntary and can be suspect to personal whim, even with corporate donations. At the end of the day, even with the support of companies and trustees, building relationships with the right funders is essential and 'not putting your eggs in one basket'.

Tools for Schools make an appealing case for companies to donate their computers. Liability for the machines is covered as soon as the machines are collected and companies have a chance to contribute to their community.

Tools for Schools also sweat their key assets and utilise their competencies. They have a committed and knowledgeable set of trustees and they use their thorough knowledge of educational Information Technology to provide the best service for schools. They excel in building relationships with the educational sector, their regional offices and Local Education Authorities such as Manchester. The organisation works closely with schools and send out questionnaires on a regular basis to ascertain how schools use the computers, identify upcoming needs, check the quality of donated machines and so on.

Tools for Schools - changing children's lives

Tools for Schools particularly targets areas of recognised social deprivation. A great example of Tools for Schools work is their achievement in Westminster Action Zone. Community Partnerships in Westminster brokered a package with adult education and schools to deliver low cost Tools for Schools PCs and IT training to some of the most underprivileged in the borough.

Westminster Adult Education Service were able to provide two training sessions at local schools for those parents that are receiving the PCs. The first focuses on computer basics; the second covered use of email and the internet. The recipients were then given an internet capable Tools for Schools PC for their own use and provided with details of free or low-cost local training.

The scheme has been a great success with schools able to help more than 500 families gain their first home access to IT. Two schools in particular have widened the scheme to allow the purchase of Tools for Schools PCs for home use directly, without funding from Community Partnerships. This has arisen from seeing both the quality of the kit provided and the enthusiasm of the new learners.

Another example of an area that have hugely benefited from Tools for Schools' work is Tower Hamlets, where only 20% of students have home use. 200 computers were donated to schools, thanks to funding from the E-Learning Foundation. These have been used to provide home access to ICT for students who would not otherwise have been able to afford it.

Trevor Matthews is passionate about vitiating the effects of 'digital exclusion'. Social depravation, he argues, often goes hand in hand with other sorts of depravation. Providing computer access, something we might take for granted, is hugely efficacious in bridging social gaps. Research by the London School of Economics found that having a computer can significantly boost a child's grade at A-level. It is difficult to underestimate the difference a computer can make in broadening a child's horizons and contributing to their future.

What does the future hold for Tools for Schools?

Tools for Schools is sensitive to projected changes in Information Technology, such as the continually decreasing price in equipment. The biggest challenge for Tools for Schools is that rather than buying machinery, companies often lease computers. Tools for Schools have addressed this in two ways. Firstly, they have sought out companies who still buy computers. Secondly, they ask companies to bear them in mind when they make leasing agreements.

Although the government have set targets for what Tools for Schools have done from the start, it is not clear how demand will be met or where the money will come from. The need for pupils to have home access is increasingly recognised and presents new challenges for Tools for Schools. Tools for Schools are also exploring the possibility of increasing internet access.

Tools for Schools receive a handful of donations, but still need 'big funding', with development plans that require funding of £1.5 million which they plan to raise through grants, individual and corporate support. Indeed, school demand for machines is rising due to a number of factors, including Department for Education and Skills policies to encourage computer based learning through e-learning credits, an increasing need for students to have computer and internet access for homework and the need for I.T skills to access employment opportunities and public services.