Schools warming to BYOD

British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) survey shows a growing appetite for bring your own

More schools are considering adopting a bring-your-own strategy as more pupils now own tablet devices at home.

In total, 67 per cent of schools surveyed by BESA in its Tablets and Apps in Schools study, believe this method of product adoption is important compared with 52 per cent in 2012.

The organisation questioned 632 UK schools (327 primary, 305 secondary) in May, and interestingly the research also showed that schools are becoming more confident in making decisions about their own ICT policy rather than waiting for government guidance.

Caroline Wright, director of BESA, said: "The growing interest in BYOD schemes comes with many important considerations for schools given that the device is owned by a pupil rather than the school.

"We recommend a formal school policy which covers issues such as software licensing, [and] will cover associated costs including IT support, remote connectivity to the school's network and procedure when a student leaves the school."