About SEGfL

SEGfL covers a large geographical area. It is a populous consortium with over eight million residents and seventeen very different Local Authorities. SEGfL has 3,046 schools with 56,800 teachers and over 1,000,000 pupils. 2,090 SEGfL schools have broadband connections (December 2007.)

SEGfL is a consortium with a lead authority (Bracknell Forest). Schools' interests are represented through the Steering Group, which is responsible for all decisions and has a representative from each member authority. The Steering Group is chaired by the Director of Education from Bracknell Forest and is supported by the SEGfL Project Director and the SEGfL Project Office.

The principal interests of SEGfL are managed through Task Groups, chaired by Local Authority representatives.

Vision

The role of SEGfL is varied and its main functions are changing. SEGfL's key aim remains to connect every school in the region to broadband services which are both fit for purpose and sustainable: broadband services that can facilitate digital communications in all areas of the curriculum and every aspect of school life.

SEGfL provides an excellent forum for liaison between its member authorities and is a powerful advocate for the region's schools and learners. It has also been an accelerator, enabling member authorities to demonstrate the economies and benefits of aggregating whole council broadband services where appropriate.

Increasingly, SEGfL is driving pilot broadband projects and exploring ways that schools can make the very best use of new communications technologies. Connected schools are discovering that they can use the wealth of online resources to transform the effectiveness of teaching and school management. Whether through their eLCs or by taking advantage of sponsored materials, schools are discovering that the availability of high quality digital materials is allowing teachers to place exciting challenges in front of their learners.

SEGfL supports the view that peer to peer communications between learners may yet have the biggest impact. Consequently, SEGfL development funds are being used to support video conferencing between schools through our portal. Many schools are benefiting from the direct support of the region. All schools will benefit from sharing the experiences of the pathfinders.

Benefits

SEGfL has supported Kent County Council in making seventy important historical film clips available via broadband for teachers and pupils. The video-clips are available through the award winning schools history website 'The Learning Curve' from the National Archives. The earliest film is of Folkestone in 1904, with elegant dresses, policemen, a fight and a single car. Other Kent clips take you on a tour along Canterbury High Street in the 1920s. A few more cars, different dresses, someone carrying a wooden leg and buildings that still exist today. Other clips cover historical events, from 1904 to 1969, including the Suffragist Movement, the First and Second World Wars and the Cold War.

Video conferencing is high on the agenda. Clusters of schools are looking at how best to deliver interactive lessons remotely. An Arts College is investigating how to share ideas and outcomes by including learners in centres as diverse as a young offenders unit, a hospital school and a classroom in Africa. A group of primary schools, set in contrasting environments, is using SEGfL broadband video connections to monitor wildlife and is experimenting with broadcast sessions to share news with each other. This exploits the power of the region to bring together learners from many different localities.

SEGfL Office Location