IT IS important to set the record straight on Information Technology investment and standards in North Yorkshire schools.

The county council has done two things to ensure that schools have the maximum funding available for IT. First it has taken up all of the Standards Fund available for the National Grid for Learning and for the high-speed broadband project. This involves finding half the funding from the education budget.

Secondly, as a council we maximise the funds available to schools for their own local spending decisions, which include IT. We spend above Government spending assessment on education, and we delegate more of it to schools than many councils.

It is a priority in the education service, agreed between schools and the LEA as part of our education development plan. IT standards in North Yorkshire schools are judged by OFSTED to be above the national average.

I agree with Phil Willis that Government needs to do more to fund many aspects of education, including IT. North Yorkshire County Council and local schools are certainly doing a very good job with what we have.

Chris Metcalfe,

Cabinet Member for Education,

County Hall, Northallerton.