The BBC has received the government's permission to use £150 million of licence fee money to launch an online digital curriculum service for schools.

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell said that in giving the go ahead for the new service she was attaching "the strongest ever series of conditions" to ensure a valuable new service for schools.

However, the use of the internet in schools has had little impact on exam results, according to a study commissioned by the Department for Education.

The study, published by the government funded British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, could find "no consistent relationship" between computer use and pupil achievement in any subject at any age.