"... a model of open source school computing is emerging which could save the UK taxpayer billions of pounds...The Government does not produce figures for the total cost of ICT in schools. [R]esearch shows however that when staffing and power use are included a typical secondary school will spend between £100,000 - £200,000 per year on ICT. Scale this figure for the whole UK and it approximates to over £½ billion per year.

Contrary to common perception, however, only a small fraction of the cost of ICT in schools is spent on computers and software - 60% of the cost is on technical support and 20% on electricity. Quite simply, school networks have become too complex for the purpose they serve.

The answer is to simplify the school ICT infrastructure and lower services by outsourcing more services."

More: http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=560