Dear Colleague
I wrote to you recently to let you know the amount of funding that you had been allocated as eLearning Credits through this Standards Fund. At that time, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) had not completed work on the Curriculum Online Portal, and had asked LEAs not to release the funding to schools until this was ready.
I am now writing to let you know that although the Portal is still not fully functional, the Curriculum Online web site at http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk/ has been updated and expanded to provide information about the products that are available for purchase with eLearning Credits. Accordingly the DfES has asked LEAs to release the funds during November so that schools can begin to identify and purchase appropriate online content and resources.
As I explained in my previous letter, eLearning Credits can only be used to purchase digital resources, certified under the Curriculum Online scheme, from Curriculum Online Registered Retailers and Registered Content Providers. Schools can identify eligible products and suppliers by the logos illustrated on the Curriculum Online web site. For this year, schools should use their normal procurement processes to make these purchases.
Basic details about Curriculum Online and eLearning Credits are still available on the DfES website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculumonline/, and the Curriculum Online website at http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk/ has now been updated with a range of useful information and advice. I have also enclosed recent guidance from the DfES for your information. I hope that the details here, together with those on the websites, will answer most of your questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact David Orsborne, however, if you have any further questions or if you need any further information or guidance.
Yours faithfully
Dr Bryan Slater
Director of Education