Scottish councils could foot bill for schools IT tools

Scottish councils may have to fund continued access to school software following license changes, it has been reported.

Last week it was revealed that teachers and students across the country were to face restricted access to key platforms like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint before the start of the new school year.

From next month, Microsoft licensing changes will leave users of Glow - Scotland’s national digital learning environment - unable to download the desktop application of such tools through their account.

A government spokesperson said they were first made aware of the situation last summer, but potential changes were only confirmed by a blog post from Glow in June.

It is now understood that some councils will have to fill the gap in digital resources by funding individual deals with IT providers.

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson told The Herald newspaper its IT teams “are working closely with Microsoft” to ensure “uninterrupted access” to all its Office tools.

The added costs “are still to be finalised”.

The potential extra cost comes as nearly a quarter of Scottish councils fear bankruptcy for the 2024/25 financial year, according to research by the Local Government Information Unit.

In December local government umbrella body Cosla said councils required more than £14bn in the budget just to "stand still".

A Cosla spokesperson said:

"A process of engagement is ongoing between Education Scotland and individual local authorities on the changes to licensing, with support from the Scottish Government, Digital Office for Scottish Local Government and COSLA. Progress is being made towards the resolution of any outstanding issues before school’s return." 

Scottish Labour education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy has also written to education minister Jenny Gilruth asking for “urgent clarity and action” from the government.