Some of Scotland’s cash-strapped councils face having to pay to ensure that pupils and staff have continuing access to important IT resources, The Herald can reveal.

Last week The Herald reported that school users across the country could lose access to full versions of popular software such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Government and council officials have been aware of the impending change since August last year, but have been unable to specify which schools will be affected and how.

Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson has written to education secretary Jenny Gilruth demanding a statement on the situation, while the EIS teaching union has also called for clarity.

Until now users of Scotland's national digital learning platform - called Glow - have been able to download and install the full version of Microsoft Office on personal devices. This has been possible through a free A1 Plus licence currently in use in Scotland, but Microsoft has announced that the service will end on 1 August 2024.

Although some councils already have their own IT arrangements in addition to the national provision, The Herald can now reveal that at least some local authorities could be forced to fund individual deals with IT providers in order to maintain access to vital software.

Perth and Kinross Council has confirmed that it is currently taking action to ensure “uninterrupted access” to all Microsoft Office tools from 1 August 2024. The council does not yet know how much it will have to spend in order to achieve this.

A council spokesperson said:

"We are aware of the implications that the impending changes to the Microsoft licensing will have for staff and young people.  At present our IT teams are working closely with Microsoft to establish a workaround to enable uninterrupted access to the full versions and functionality of Office 365 tools and Microsoft Access.  This will ensure no young person is disadvantaged.

“Full details including any associated costs are still to be finalised."

The Herald understands that Perth and Kinross Council officials had been warned about the significant impact of the impending licence change. For example, in a document prepared “on behalf of” the area’s Business Education Subject Network, officials were warned that “it is not possible to deliver the highly successful, popular and valuable Admin & IT qualifications offered by the SQA” if teacher and pupils do not have full access to the offline version of Microsoft Office tools.

The briefing goes on to itemise a list of features in Word, PowerPoint and Excel that are not available in the online-only versions of each application but which are “essential to the delivery of the course.” It adds that the list is “not exhaustive” and that teachers are “aware of additional issues”. The document also points out that Microsoft Access, which is used to teach about databases, “does not exist in web version.”

Concerns have also been raised that the switch to online-only applications will cause problems in schools with unreliable internet, and that pupils from deprived background may be disadvantaged.

A spokesperson for COSLA, which represents Scottish councils, said:

"A process of engagement is ongoing between Education Scotland and individual Local Authorities on the changes to licensing, with support from the Scottish Government, Digital Office for Scottish Local Government and COSLA. Progress is being made towards the resolution of any outstanding issues before school’s return."

The Herald asked the Scottish Government if it would provide additional funding for councils who had to secure individual deals with Microsoft in order to continue full access to Microsoft Office, including offline tools.

We also asked why the government had decided not to secure an upgraded licence for Scotland, and whether officials had been aware of the problems with Admin & IT course delivery before making that decision.

Their spokesperson said:

“The Scottish Government and Education Scotland are working closely with local authorities on this issue. We provide central access to a range of free online services through Glow to support learners. Local authorities are responsible for the provision of education and any additional IT resources required by them are purchased locally to meet local circumstances.

“Regardless of each local authority’s licencing decisions, Glow users will continue to have access to a range of Microsoft applications from 1 August through the web. Many local authorities already have alternative licencing arrangements in place where web-based applications do not provide a full level of functionality for a limited number of courses or the individual needs of some pupils and students. We are working to ensure that provision is in place across the country.

“The situation in Scotland and Wales is distinct as the Welsh ‘Hwb’ model is expected to be used by all schools across that nation, whereas Glow is designed to enable local authority autonomy, with councils opting-in to use its services in a variety of different ways to support local delivery.”