A co-ordinator in an extended school commented (TES Primary Forum, October 20) on the fact that computer systems across the various agencies dealing with children - schools and social care for example - have grown up separately and do not easily “talk” to each other. That is going to be a growing problem as the Every Child Matters agenda progresses. Demand will solve it eventually, of course, and the first sign of this is the launch by Capita of its “Integrated Children’s System” which is designed to give social workers access to school data on attendance, behaviour and special needs. It is a significant step forward, and a clear sign of the way that pupil data management is going to develop.

www.capitaes.co.uk