Headteacher calls for govt subsidies to support broadband in schools

The government should consider introducing subsidies so that schools can afford to maintain broadband connections more easily, says a headteacher.

Alan Simpson, of Seaton Primary School in the Axe Valley, north Devon, said the school was having difficulties paying an annual fee of £8,000 in order to keep its broadband connection, reports the Midweek Herald.

Broadband can be used as a very effective learning tool in a school environment, while communication costs can potentially be reduced using VoIP solutions, but Seaton Primary School has suffered a drop in pupil intake and so is struggling to fund the resource.

Mr Simpson told the paper: "We will be okay for this year, but we could struggle in future, depending on what numbers are coming in."

Broadband has been a controversial subject in the UK for some time, especially in relation to funding the roll-out of next-generation networks.

The government recently pledged to ensure every UK home has a connection speed of at least two megabits per second by 2012.