The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) was a
UK government-funded gateway to educational resources on the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. It featured many individually selected links to resources and materials deemed to be of high quality. The NGfL was specifically set up to support English schools; separate 'grids' were set up for schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The NGfL portal was launched in November 1998, as the portal for the
DfES
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system (including higher education and adult learning) as well as children's services in England.
Th ...
National Grid for Learning strategy. This programme aimed to help learners and educators in the United Kingdom benefit from
information and communications technology
Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications ( telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...
(ICT). It was one of several new programmes initiated by the new
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
government which took office in May 1997 and had a linked budget of earmarked funds to be spent on schools internet connections and ICT. The portal was funded and managed by the Government's lead agency for ICT in education,
Becta
Becta, originally known as the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, was a non-departmental public body (popularly known as a Quango) funded by the Department for Education and its predecessor departments, in the United Kingd ...
(British Educational Communications and Technology Agency).
Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs) were created in 2000 under the auspices of what was at the time the
Department for Education and Skills, (DfES) to secure lower prices for
broadband
In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...
connections and services for schools by aggregating demand across a region and entering into region wide contracts. Since then, these consortia have expanded their remit and have taken over some of the original aims of the NGfL.
On 13 April 2006, Becta closed the National Grid for Learning portal, stating that it was "improving its offer to teachers by rationalising the number of different services it provides for schools and teaching staff". According to the agency, "this is being achieved by integrating valued components of the NGfL into its existing services".
The concept of the NGfL lives on, however. The RBCs have worked collaboratively since 2001, and have since been actively joined in their partnership by equivalent organizations in Northern Ireland (C2kNI), Scotland (Glow) and Wales (NGfL Cymru) to form the
national education network (NEN), utilizing the
JANET
Janet may refer to:
Names
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* Janet (French singer) (1939–2011)
Surname
* Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table
* Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...
network to provide a single, secure private network available to provide shared resources amongst all UK schools.
What is the NEN?
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In 2019, London Grid for Learning bought the "National Grid for Learning" trademark as part of its plan to expand broadband connectivity for schools and public authorities.
See also
* London Grid for Learning
* Regional Broadband Consortium
References
Further reading
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
A gigantic online swapshop
''describes a North West Learning Grid project called the National Digital Resource Bank.''
External links
National Education Network
NI Grid for Learning
Glow (Scotland)
NGfL Cymru
Education in the United Kingdom
Governmental educational technology organizations
Information technology organisations based in the United Kingdom