Curriculum Online

Micro Librarian Systems are pleased to announce that Eclipse 2 and Junior Librarian have been registered and approved to be purchased by Electronic Learning Credits (eLCs). Electronic Learning Credits (eLCs) will eventually be used to purchase software and content directly from the Curriculum Online portal. However it will be some time before this portal is fully operational and so in the interim, the government is to allocate the Electronic Learning Credits (eLCs) direct to schools via standards funding for them to purchase educational software and content direct with software suppliers.

To help make things clearer we have answered the frequently asked questions we receive from schools.

FAQ

Are all MLS products eligible to be purchased with Electronic Learning Credits (eLCs)?
Our main Library Management Systems - Eclipse 2 and Junior Librarian, have been registered and approved for purchase with Electronic Learning Credits (eLCs).

What is Curriculum Online?
Curriculum Online is an online catalogue of priced and free digital learning products at http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk to support the teaching of the Curriculum in England up to and including Key Stage 4. The catalogue is provided by the DfES as part of a programme to give £330m, between 2002 and 2006, to maintained schools in England to spend on software and web services.

Are you giving money to my school for Curriculum Online products?
Each LEA in England has been given money using the Standards Fund (Grant 618) for the following types of schools and other educational establishments

• Maintained primary schools
• Maintained secondary schools
• Maintained nursery schools
• Maintained nursery places in the independent sector
• Special schools
• Pupil referral units

The funding is known as electronic Learning Credits (eLCs) but is paid as cash to LEAs based on the number of schools in their area and the number of pupils at those schools. Each maintained school is entitled to £1000 as a starting point plus nearly £10 for each pupil at the school. Independent schools with maintained places will not receive the £1000 baseline figure but will receive the pupil allocation of nearly £10 for each maintained place.

In total the DfES is giving out £330m in the following batches:

LEAs must either give out the money to their schools or hold the money centrally with the schools’ agreement to make bulk purchases. Likewise, schools may combine eLC allocations for larger purchases.

If you don’t know if your school has received its allocation of eLC money, you should first check with the budget holder at your school. Then, if necessary, talk to your LEA and speak to the individual or team who distributes Standards Fund money received from the DfES. If you still cannot find the answer please contact the team at the DfES by completing an enquiry form on the Curriculum Online website or by telephone on 0870 000 2288.

Why do we have to spend our allocation by 31st August?
As with all Standards Fund money it must be spent by the end of the academic year to ensure its effective use. If the money has not been spent by the deadline, the DfES will reclaim the money from LEAs so it can be redistributed to other areas.

What am I allowed to buy using eLC money?
Electronic Learning Credits (eLCs) can only be spent on digital learning products advertised on the Curriculum Online website at http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk.

Currently our site is displaying over 20,000 digital learning products, of which over 5,000 are free of charge, with this number growing on a daily basis. Each product will have been certified as eligible for Curriculum Online by an approved supplier using our definition of a digital learning product.

These products will also be advertised in approved suppliers’ catalogues and can be purchased directly from the supplier if the product is displaying the Curriculum Online logo.

What is a digital learning product?
We broadly define a digital learning product as an item of software or a web service that is specifically targeted to support the teaching of the Curriculum in England.

The product may include items such as user manuals, technical support and the cost of distribution. It is unlikely though to include any items of hardware as these are not allowed unless they cost only a small fraction of the cost of the software and are sold as a package.

Why can’t I buy hardware such as a digital camera?
Curriculum Online is aimed at raising standards in Curriculum subjects by giving teachers software and web services that will help them teach in the classroom. If we allowed the money to be spent on other items, we might not achieve this aim.

If your school needs hardware or any other item that we do not provide, please talk to your LEA to see if other budgets are available.

How do I find and buy a product that is advertised on Curriculum Online?
Use our search facility to find products by selecting from various criteria including Key Stage/School Year, Subject and QCA Schemes of work. You can also look for cross curricula topics, SEN products, key words and the various methodologies within the “more search options” facility.

The search results give further details of the product and link to the websites of suppliers. Follow the link to the supplier’s website to find out how to order the product.

If the product is priced, you should tell the supplier if you are using your eLC money for the purchase. Using eLC money to pay for products does not alter the supplier’s ordering, distribution or invoicing system nor does it prevent suppliers from offering discounts to customers.

When you have received the product, the supplier will invoice your school directly. The expenditure must be recorded in your school’s accounts under Standards Fund Grant 618 and may be audited at a future date.

If the product is offered free of charge, details will be displayed on either the product details page and/or the supplier’s site describing how to obtain the product.

Do you provide a list of approved suppliers or products?
We do not publish a list of approved suppliers. If we did provide a list, this might encourage teachers to concentrate on well known suppliers within the industry rather than exploring the benefits of all the products on offer.

We do not provide a list of products as we advertise over 20,000 products and many have very similar titles. Instead, use our search facility to find the right group of products to suit your needs or enter key words in “more search options” to look for the title of a product.

If you are not sure if a supplier is approved and cannot find their products on our site, please contact the Curriculum Online team at the DfES by completing an enquiry form on the Curriculum Online website or by telephone on 0870 000 2288.

How can I advertise a product on Curriculum Online?
Priced and free products are advertised on our site by Content Providers. Teachers are also able to share free products with other teachers.

A Content Provider is an organisation or individual, approved by DfES who can legally supply the product. To become approved, applicants must agree to the DfES Terms, have at least one eligible product and pass a financial check. Currently over 300 companies are approved Content Providers.

The Content Provider decides if their products are eligible for Curriculum Online and places and maintains details of the products on our site. The Content Provider may either provide this software free of charge or sell the product for eLC funding through an approved Retailer.

A Retailer is an organisation or individual, approved by DfES who has been given permission to sell a product on behalf of a Content Provider and receive eLC money in return. To become approved, Retailers must agree to the DfES Terms and pass a financial check. Currently over 250 companies are approved Retailers.

Some organisations apply to be both a Content Provider and a Retailer to supply and sell their own products and receive eLC money in return.

To become a Content Provider and/or Retailer for Curriculum Online, please visit http://register.curriculumonline.gov.uk to begin the registration process that is managed on behalf of DfES by the British Educational Communications & Technology Agency (Becta).

Teachers who would like to make a resource freely available can add content via the Teacher Resource Exchange at http://tre.ngfl.gov.uk

Can I use your logos?
Currently, only approved suppliers are permitted to use and display the Curriculum Online logos. However, if you would like to use our logos for any other purpose, please ask for permission by completing an enquiry form on Curriculum Online website or by telephoning 0870 000 2288.

Approved Content Providers and Retailers must agree to the contract terms and guidelines sent to them before they receive the Curriculum Online logo. Once the terms and guidelines have been signed by both parties (and in the case of Content Providers, once a product is advertised on our site), Content Providers and Retailers are allowed to use the Curriculum Online logo on their promotional material.

I’m a Content Provider/Retailer and I need help, where can I find it?
The Supplier Centre on our site contains useful information on using our site and several important functions, including –

• Adding links to products that you sell
• Managing your own products on our site
• eLC monthly sales returns (make these 3, links to the relevant pages)

You will also find an explanation of how to advertise products on our site and how to amend your product records. This document can be viewed here. (link to tech. doc)

You can log on to the Supplier Centre by clicking on “My Profile” in the top left hand corner of any page and entering your supplier user name (i.e. SUP_XXXX, where XXXX is your unique supplier ID) and password.

All suppliers are issued with two user names and passwords. Here are some common questions and answers about their use -

(a) When do I use my SUP_XXXX username?
To log on to the Portal under ‘my profile’ and to load tagged resource XML files via the tagging tool, native FTP or SOAP.

(b) How do I get a reminder of my SUP_XXXX username?
Go to ‘my profile’ on the Portal and select the ‘forgotten your password?’ link, enter your registered email address and a reminder will be sent to you.

(c) When do I use my registration username?
Only to maintain your registration details at http://register.curriculumonline.gov.uk.

(d) How do I get a reminder of my registration username?
Go to ‘login’ on http://register.curriculumonline.gov.uk and select the ‘clicking here’ link, input your registered email address and a reminder will be sent to you.

(e) How to change my registration details?
Go to ‘login’ on http://register.curriculumonline.gov.uk and update your details. These new details will appear on our website the following day.

If you have a query that cannot be answered from the information in the Supplier Centre, please contact the Curriculum Online team at the DfES by telephone on 0870 000 2288

I’m a teacher and I need some further information, where can I find it?
The Teacher Centre on our site contains a lot of useful information including –

• Advice on the technical requirements of using Curriculum Online products
• Guidance on the use of digital products in the classroom
• The process of adding a product to our site as a teacher (links to the pages)
• You can access the Teacher Centre by clicking on the link on the left hand side of the screen.

If you have a query that cannot be answered from the information in the Teacher Centre, please contact the Curriculum Online team at the DfES by telephone on 0870 000 2288.

Can you help me use the Curriculum Online website?
At the top of every page there is a “Help” button which will give more information about the displayed page.

For example –

• From the search page if the 'help' button is clicked, information will be displayed on how to use the search;
• From the product information page if the 'help' button is clicked, information will be displayed on the layout and contents of the product information page.

If you have any questions regarding eLearning Credits please contact our Sales Team on 0161 449 9357.

Curriculum Online can be found at the following URL www.curriculumonline.gov.uk

Products Currently Available with eLearning Credits

• Eclipse
• Junior Librarian
• SearchStar and The Curriculum Information Literacy pack + WebOPAC