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Publishers could be forced to sell books and educational resources into schools via a central online resource, as part of the government's plans to save £4bn in educational spend. The Educational Procurement Centre will be launched at the technology in education show, BETT, next week (9th to 12th January, Olympia).
The Department for Children, Schools and Families said the Educational Procurement Centre would help schools to improve procurement and collaboration by enabling them to compare prices online and to make joint purchases. An e-procurement solution—called OPEN—is being developed as the sales hub for the Centre and is being trialled by local authorities around the UK. Schools suppliers will need to be "invited" by a school customer to join.
But Ray Barker, director of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), warned that OPEN could end up simply as a "price comparison website". "A search for books about the Roman Empire at KS3 could turn up 16 titles and schools will go for the cheapest, without knowing anything about the quality of the book," said Barker.
BESA is campaigning to restrict OPEN to selling services, such as electricity, and basic goods like paper and pencils. "Then you can compare like with like, but that is not the case with educational resources," said Barker. "A money-saving device will not help schools to make informed decisions about educational procurement."
The potential change in procurement is part of a raft of developments in the educational market, many of which will be highlighted at the forthcoming educational shows—BETT this month and The Education Show next month (28th February to 1st March, Birmingham NEC). These include a revamp of the secondary curriculum, the introduction of vocational diplomas for 14 to 18 year olds, changes to the primary literacy framework and the implementation of the Early Years Framework.
The Education Show will also help kick-start the National Year of Reading in schools. Organiser EMAP has created an area for publishers to showcase their products and plans for the National Year of Reading to schools.