Tech4Teachers – Berrymede Infant and Junior School.
Case study: Berrymede Infants School
Why is closing the digital divide so important?
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had an immensely negative impact on education of all children, but the children have not all been affected equally. Children from the poorest backgrounds struggle the most and access to digital technology has been the main factor contributing to this divide. The issue of digital exclusion needs to be addressed in order to give all children equal educational opportunities.”
How will this programme help you?
“Teachers are the backbone of our education system. It is crucial that they are equipped with the latest technology which allows them to efficiently plan and teach both face to face and online lessons. “
How did lockdown impact you and your school? What challenges did you face with homeschooling?
“The main challenge of home schooling during lockdowns was the lack of appropriate equipment and internet access among our pupils and staff. The school prioritised the children and ensured that those who were in need were provided with a laptop. However, it meant that we did not have enough equality equipment to give out to staff to allow them to teach from home. As a result, many staff members still had to come to school to deliver online sessions.”
What size of school are you?
“We are an infant school situated in the heart of a council estate. We are in an area of high deprivation and 30% of our pupils receive Pupil Premium. We have three forms in Reception and two forms in year 1 and year 2. We employ 8 full time teachers, 7 classroom assistants and two SEN assistants who support our pupils with SEND. There are currently 166 pupils on roll.”
What are you most looking forward to about the programme?
“We are grateful for the programme as it has allowed us to equip all our teaching staff with new , fast computers. Everyone is now able to plan lessons more efficiently, participate in online training sessions and teach from home if the situation requires it again.”
What plans will this tech allow you to realise?
“This equipment has allowed the teaching staff to participate in online training directly from home which has been particularly helpful in the case of twilight sessions that finish in the evening. Some staff members who are in the process of gaining additional qualification can be more efficient with faster technology. The staff generally feed back that the computers are very fast which makes lesson planning a lot faster.”