A three-year deal has been agreed on copyright licensing for schools that ministers say will save up to £6 million.
The agreement has been reached between the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and the Department for Education (DfE).
It will mean that from April 2013, the DfE will manage a national CLA Schools Licence for all state-maintained schools in England. This licence allows schools to copy materials from books, magazines and websites legally. In addition, the deal will also include a new licence from the Music Publishers Association to cover items such as printed sheet music.
It follows the government's recommendations in the Hargreaves Review to simplify the licensing process for copyright users.
Schools minister David Laws said: “We are committed to reducing costs and red tape for schools. This new licence will free up schools' time and help make sure they can spend more money on the frontline instead of back office administrative costs."
Currently the CLA Schools Licence is managed by local authorities but problems have arisen because an increasing number of schools are converting to academy status.
The change will relieve local authorities and academies of the responsibility for administration of licensing and will save around £1.6 million in 2013/14, although savings across the three years are expected to reach £6 million.
The CLA has said it will continue to have direct contact with the schools sector to increase awareness and understanding about the use of copyright material.
Schools can find out more about the new agreement online at http://schools.cla.co.uk
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