The BBC Reports Schools spend more than five times as much on computer-based resources as on books, an analysis suggests.
The figures, reported by the Times Educational Supplement, also suggest schools spend two and a half times more money on exam fees than on books.
Ministers said numeracy and literacy hours had led to a rise in standards.
Balancing act
It is not a great surprise that more money is spent on computer-based resources than books. This indicates that e-resources are more in demand and also used more. Libraries are reluctant to meet this demand on the basis that books are more authoritative. This is quite true but books go out of date quicker. And this does not mean that the demand of e-resources can be ignored. So it is a matter of balancing the currency and authority of these two formats.