In a research done by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), it was found that schools see technology such as games consoles and smartphones as playing an important role in primary-aged children's education. 406 schools were explored to find out about the ICT use by students at school and at home. The interesting results help to ascertain which technologies schools consider most beneficial to students, and to see which technology pupils enjoy.

While the majority of schools indicated internet access at home and at school as the most beneficial technology for pupils, three quarters identify home access to educational games consoles like Nintendo DS as being helpful to children's educational development. Teachers are more likely to prefer that pupils have access to a mobile games console over a mobile phone. It was also found about the educational computer use in the home that the majority of surveyed schools identify that home computers are used for personal revision work involving free online and parent-purchased resources, with 64 % of schools providing teacher-directed homework that requires computer access at home. Another third agree that PCs are used at home for teacher directed homework linked to learning platform. Interestingly, only a quarter of schools believe that the majority of pupils use computers for entertainment and social networking exclusively, and not for educational activities.