Schools could begin outsourcing their ICT following public sector budget cuts after the 2010 general election, a survey has indicated.

The study by Redshift Research on behalf of ICT provider The Stone Group found that budgetary restraint was the top concern for 84 per cent of schools this year.

Stone Group technical services manager Richard Stockdale told computing.co.uk that schools could be forced to look at outsourcing because they are increasingly run like businesses.

“There has historically been a reluctance to outsource IT in schools, but then they have never faced a situation like this one, where the funds available will be reduced,” he added.

The survey polled 200 ICT decision-makers in the UK education sector.