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Cluster Proposal Sept 2000
| Name of cluster |
St Ives Learning Community |
|
Principal contacts for cluster: |
John Farmer, Director of Technology, St Ivo School, St.Ives
Nigel Battey, Headteacher,Thorndown Junior
School, St.Ives
Sue Payne, Headteacher, Wheatfields Junior School, St.Ives
|
| Schools wishing to participate |
Eastfield Infants School |
Headteacher Mrs L Parsons |
| Hemingford Grey
Primary School |
Headteacher Miss L Strommen |
| Holywell Church of England Primary
School |
Headteacher Mrs J Wright |
| St Ivo School and Community Education |
Head M Mahoney |
| Thorndown Infants School
|
Headteacher Mrs J Wall |
| Thorndown Junior
School |
Headteacher N Battey |
|
Westfield Junior School |
Headteacher A
Burgess |
| Wheatfields Infants School
|
Headteacher Miss J Sinclair |
| Wheatfields Junior School
|
Headteacher Mrs S Payne |
| Other partners |
Families in St Ives and its surrounding area |
| It is anticipated that other
partners will be invited to be actively associated with the project in the future,
including: |
Local community organisations and resource providers
such as Broad Leas Community Centre, St Ives St
Ivo Recreation Centre
Churches, mosque and other religious organisations
Playgroups, nurseries and child carers
Local authority services including:
Cambridgeshire Libraries and Schools Library Service networks
Norris Museum, St Ives
National information agencies for young people and families, in
particular:
Parents Information Network National Youth Agency |
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| Summary of proposal |
| We propose to develop an
interactive, web-based network to connect the St Ives learning community. The network will
initially include the cluster of St Ivo School and its immediate feeder schools at infant
and junior levels. |
| The project will incorporate the
following areas of development: |
- A working community-wide intranet, using email, bulletin boards, own
school areas and a gallery for pupils ' work
- consistent and progressive approaches to information handling
- electronic approaches to curriculum work
- linking parents, families and the wider community more closely to
children's learning
- cross-phase collaboration to improve ICT skills and subject knowledge
|
| Two pilot projects will provide
opportunities for the cluster schools to explore the possibilities, to develop their
skills, to test and to develop the St Ives Learning Community. |
- "Partners in Learning": a primary to secondary transition
initiative involving Year 6 pupils and their parents or carers. In collaboration with
Cambridgeshire Libraries, Schools Libraries Service and other providers or suppliers of
educational resources and information for parents and young people
- Bubbles: a collaborative, cross-phase and curriculum-related project
introduced some 4 years ago, to develop scientific investigation skills amongst Year 6
pupils and continued in Year 7 at St Ivo School.
|
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| Organisation |
| We anticipate that the project
will be implemented and co-ordinated through 4 key management/ development functions: |
- A co-ordinating group, made up of representatives from all partner
schools and LEA staff to meet 1 or 2 times per year and oversee the strategic development
of the initiative.
- A planning / steering group, made up of representatives of each
school and including the technical support staff. This group meets 1 or 2 times per term
and is responsible for the detailed development of the project.
- Groups within each establishment to meet with the technical team to
plan their own specific development.
|
| The technical team meet with the Broadband
providers and existing ICT service providers to liaise and plan for technical development
of the project. The planning / steering group (2) will plan
and prioritise development. Its first task will be to compile a development plan, defining
objectives, time-related targets for both short and long term development and tasks
against which to monitor progress and evaluate achievements. Provision should be made for
evaluation of the impact of the initiative on the three target user groups: teachers and
other school staff; pupils; and families. |
| Progress will be reported to
the co-ordinating group, (1) which will in turn communicate via the LEA
member to the LEA. |
Cross-phase collaboration: Across the cluster there are many examples
of curriculum-related and transition activities between pre-school and infant, infant and
junior, and primary and secondary levels - all involving staff and pupils.
Inter-school activities include music and sports events held on a
regular basis
- Collaboration with local cultural services: Schools
at all levels have developed links with the public library and Norris
Museum - for story-telling opportunities, strengthening resource-based
learning skills, and encouraging use of information resources
(particularly local studies materials) for curriculum-related projects.
St Ivo’s Partners in Learning initiative for Year 6/7 children and
parents, started 2 years ago, has involved close collaboration with St
Ives Library for a parents’ evening and a family
"Info-Quest" session. [see Supplementary Information for a
report on the initiative.]
- Religious organisations regularly collaborate with schools across the
cluster to assist in school assembly programmes.
- Multicultural groups and county support services:
Current projects to support multicultural pupils include Eastfield’s
"Preparation for School" and English Language teaching and St
Ivo's after-school study support club, funded through National
Opportunity funding and co-ordinated by the LEA’s Multicultural
Educational Service.
- Teacher training: Collaboration with Homerton and other teacher
training establishments is common to all the cluster schools.
- Higher education: St Ivo has been involved in a number of research
and development projects with higher education institutions, in particular the University
of Cambridge, (as a member of SUPER, a consortium of research schools) and the University
of Central England, Centre for Information Research and Training.
- Careers, Social Services and local businesses: ongoing contacts with
various schools.
|
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| Raising standards |
|
| The focus of the project will be the
raising of standards in thinking and learning skills, in particular information
skills. Creativity and problem-solving will be intrinsic to these skills. As this
will be tackled through curriculum-related cross-phase project work, there will be a
parallel raising of standards in subject knowledge and understanding. Similarly, literacy
and numeracy skills will be integral to any curriculum-related project, in line
with National Curriculum requirements for most subject areas. |
| The St Ives Learning
Community initiative will aim: |
- To raise pupil standards through, in particular;
|
- more effective use of ICT, including Internet access, with guidance
and activities to encourage better information retrieval and active engagement with
learning resources to develop creativity, knowledge and lifelong learning skills
- accessing and developing new resources for learning involving
interactive and multimedia technologies
- pupils communicating and working collaboratively within and between
schools (via Bulletin boards, email, video conferencing and web camera work)
- offering an opportunity for pupils' work and school activities to be
displayed and celebrated
|
- To increase staff capability,
through in particular;
|
- sharing ICT expertise and subject knowledge (by collaborating in
development of curriculum-related projects between primary schools and with secondary
teachers and support staff)
- developing access to and use of ICT (for example: in using broadband
technologies, such as e-mail bulletin board for lesson preparation, in using broadband
capability access for video/audio in classroom teaching, for management/communication
between schools
- developing expertise in teaching thinking and learning skills (by
collaborating in resource creation, and promoting the use of resources such as conceptual
frameworks, interactive/multi-media templates, quizzes and games for pupils).
- collaborative training programmes (in for example, developing web
pages or video conferencing)
|
To support family learning, through in
particular;
|
providing opportunities to access school
information and learning resources more effectively (for example increasing parents'
awareness of homework assignments and study skills to encourage learning)
- Providing opportunities for parents and other family members to
contribute (ICT expertise, subject knowledge, community and business contacts) to their
own children's and other local schools
- Providing learning opportunities for parents and other family
members, in participating in school-focused activities, increasing their own skills in
ICT, etc.
|
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| Two pilot projects are envisaged,
through which this set of aims will be explored and developed: |
| "Partners in Learning":
|
A primary to secondary transition initiative
involving Year 6 pupils and their parents or carers. In collaboration with Cambridgeshire
Libraries, Schools Libraries Service and other providers or suppliers of educational
resources and information for parents and young people. |
| Bubbles: |
A collaborative, cross-phase and
curriculum-related project introduced some 4 years ago, to develop scientific
investigation skills amongst Year 6 pupils and continued in their first term of Year 7 at
St Ivo School. The project will incorporate the
following areas of development:
- A working community-wide intranet, using email, bulletin boards, own school areas and a
gallery for pupils ' work
- consistent and progressive approaches to information handling
- electronic approaches to curriculum work
- linking parents, families and the wider community more closely to children's learning
- cross-phase collaboration to improve ICT skills and subject knowledge
|
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Learning opportunities |
| The project aims to establish a working
structure inside which resources will be developed and the processes of collaboration and
sharing will be supported and encouraged. |
| 8 theme areas have been identified
that cross the Key Stages. |
- Within each theme area, there are resources appropriate for
KS1, KS2/3 and KS3.
These resources will be developed in collaboration
with the schools and the technical team. The resources will be linked to subject activity
and will be a combination of existing resources placed electronically on screen, selected
web sites and specifically developed video clips.
- Each theme area has a bulletin board where 'subject' related
questions could be asked and answered. St Ivo staff designated as Primary liaison staff
can help here in particular.
- Each theme area also has a showcase area where selected work
can be placed on display.
|
| The project also supports and develops
specific teaching and learning strategies that will benefit all students and teachers. A
combination of approaches, help sheets, tutorials, FAQ's and templates will support and
develop work with thinking skills, information handling and ICT skills as well as literacy
and numeracy. |
| The project will encourage further access
to established gateways such as Cambridgeshire "Sourcerer" and will also support
the direct use of email between all staff within the St Ives learning community. In the
future it would aim to help collaboration through the use of video conferencing. |
| At the management level, staff involved on
co-ordinating and steering groups will need some training so that they can participate in
the work of the groups. |
| Technical teams will need training and
support so that they can work with the new technology. They will also need training so
that they can work effectively within schools and with groups of staff, pupils and
parents. |
| Staff will need training so that they can
a) access the learning resources, b) use software applications, templates and web based
resources c) participate in the further development of the project. |
| Pupils will need training so that they can
effectively use the range of new resources made available to them. |
| Parents will need workshop sessions so
that they are aware of the resources available to them and how best to use them to support
their children's work. |
| |
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| Partnership |
| The cluster has been formed around the
historical St Ives group of schools, but it is envisaged that this will be broadened to
include all members of the St Ives learning community. This means that the cluster will
not only involve St Ivo and its feeder Primary Schools as noted on Page 1, but hopefully
also other agencies within the area, such as St Ives Library and the Norris Museum. |
| All head teachers and some senior staff of
all the schools have been involved from the outset in the formulation of this proposal.
The cluster believes that if our proposal is to work in practice, then all members of the
cluster must be committed to its success. |
| This cluster sees the opportunities that
Broadband can offer for opening up the learning community to all by working in
partnership. This will include cross phase links, inter school links, school to library
links, etc. |
| This will mean that all parts of the cluster
partnership will be exploring opportunities to enhance our learning community, to the
benefit of all members of that community. |
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| Role of Partners Within the Cluster |
| At this
stage it is hard to identify the clear-cut roles of each partner. We believe that the
success of the project will lie in the fact that all partners will have a role to play,
but these roles will be intertwined, through the collaborative approach. The close liaison
network that already exists between the schools in the cluster will be a vital foundation
on which to develop our broadband project. |
|
Primaries establish the firm foundation of learning. Their particular role
will be to secure the confidence of the staff, children and parents in the
concepts of information skills and thinking skills and the use of the
broadband network to maximise learning potential. Several staff in our primary
schools are especially interested in exploiting any opportunity to enable
young children to learn from the experience of older children, as long as the
starting point is appropriate to the age group. They are also very keen to
provide the opportunity in their primary schools, and increase the practice,
for older children to work alongside younger ones in order to clarify and
extend their own expertise. |
|
NOF training at both primary and secondary levels has enabled a number of
teachers to develop their technical skills in web page authoring, and they
express a strong interest in applying these skills to a collaborative project
such as the broadband initiative offers. |
|
If required by other partners, an important contribution of secondary school
staff may be to enrich the knowledge base of curriculum-linked projects
developed with broadband technology. Organisational links of particular
interest to primary schools may develop from the business and
careers-education relationships that are well-developed at secondary level. St
Ivo Resource Centre staff, and other technical support staff (Science,
Technology and ICT) may additionally be able to contribute to networked
projects in ways not possible in existing cross-phase initiatives. |
The role of local
authority agencies, particularly the ICT support services, the Schools
Library Service and the public library service, will be critical to the
development of the project if it is to become fully integrated in national
networks and the wider learning community. It is likely that they will
continue to provide practical services and resource materials, but
increasingly to develop the access to, and the navigational tools required
to benefit from, electronic information networks. It is anticipated that
"Sourcerer " will feature largely in the educational resource
base on the Learning Community network. Other partners, such as the Norris
Museum would widen access to information and resources further. It is
hoped that the roles of these contributors would become more inter-active
as the project developed. For example, one or more of these providers
might wish to develop a pilot project with the cluster group, preferably
in one of the focus areas of increasing staff capability, raising pupil
standards in thinking and learning skills or supporting family learning. |
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| Priorities |
| School |
- All of the schools involved have development in ICT
and staff training in ICT as priority development areas. It is hoped
that this initiative will improve the quality and speed of such
development and training in a cohesive, co-operative manner, with a
cross-cluster sharing of expertise.
- This initiative will enhance the working
partnership between all the cluster schools. It will enable additional
purposeful cross-curricular, cross-phase liaison.
- This proposal will help the further development of
community involvement and participation in children’s learning, with
access available to non-school members of the St Ives learning
community.
|
| LEA |
- Priorities 1 and 2 in the Cambridgeshire County
Education Development Plan highlight the aims of raising standards in
literacy and numeracy. This proposal has the potential to contribute to
LEA objectives, with accessible literacy and numeracy resources
available to all, staff sharing literacy and numeracy expertise across
schools and across phases, and literacy and numeracy work
"showcased".
- This initiative also reflects the current County
EDP Priority 3, aiming to raise standards in under achieving subjects,
such as ICT.
- Priority 5 of the EDP is to improve access to
participation and motivation in education. This initiative should
improve access to participation and motivation for all members of the St
Ives learning community, including children, staff and parents.
|
| National |
| This
initiative directly reflects a number of key national initiatives and
developments: |
- NGfL – This proposal will enable all parts of the
St Ives cluster to develop their ICT and "connectivity"
capabilities in a supportive, cohesive manner. We will be able to share
expertise and developments across the cluster, thus enhancing NGfL
development for all.
- New Opportunities Fund ICT training for staff in
school. A key element of this proposal is the impact it will have on
staff training in ICT. It complements the Government’s aims for staff
training through the New Opportunities Fund.
- Lifelong Learning. The St Ives learning community
will be open to all, with access to a range of learning opportunities
for adults and children. This initiative could also be relevant to
future plans supporting Government aims to set up local learning centres
through the Learn Direct initiative.
- Curriculum 2000. This proposal should enable
developments of many parts of Curriculum 2000, with implications for
raising standards and opening up development opportunities across
subject areas, in citizenship and in the Key Skills highlighted in all
curriculum subjects.
|
| Curriculum
guidance for the Foundation stage: This project would realise the
possibility of allowing even the youngest children to access the world of
ICT within the areas outlined in "Knowledge and understanding of the
world". |
| Technology |
| Within
the 9 schools, ICT resources range from the most basic provision in most
primary schools to the more developed connectivity of St Ivo: stand alone
PCs, networked Acorn computers, small networks of PCs connected to the
Internet and large networks connecting many PC workstations, |
| Examples of
achievement from within the cluster include |
|
| The
structure that links the learning community is to be essentially web
based. The broadband connectivity will make this geographical cluster of
schools into a Wide Area Network and give considerable improvements to
access time and the type and quality of resources that are available. In
the first phase of development, the project would aim to link all schools
to the WAN, allowing all students and staff to access resources. The
structure in the demonstration program is intended to encourage
inter-activity. Extending access to, and use of electronic mail will be
key functions of the Bulletin boards,. These will be integral features of
all the theme areas, and will offer opportunities for all types of user
(pupils, parents and carers, teachers, support staff, and other partners
involved in the St Ives Learning Community) to contribute to different
strands of discussion. |
| An
enhanced technical team, most likely based at St Ivo School, will
initially establish the network structure and then spend time in each
school, working with groups of staff, pupils and parents. |
| Teacher
resources, links to identified web sites, video clips and showcase
materials will be loaded onto the network from workstations in any part of
the network and the technical team will aim to support staff teams in
becoming competent in these tasks. |
| Tutorials,
help sheets, email and a help line will support this work. |
| In a
later phase, interactive learning packages will be incorporated as
applications are developed by commercial providers and as local expertise
in web-authoring increases. Video-conferencing will be developed, aiming
to provide simultaneous conferencing in 2 or more schools within the
cluster, or between other supporting agencies and schools. |
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| Supplementary
Information |
| Supporting resources are attached to
the hard copy version of the Proposal. If electronic versions |
-
Functions and theoretical structure of the St Ives Learning Community
website
-
Prototype "Home Page" for St Ives Learning Community (Print out
from html file listed below)
-
Demonstration program on disc "The St Ives Learning Community":
html file created for cluster planning group meeting Sept 2000
-
Partners in Learning: summary report of events in 1999
-
St Ivo Partners in Learning as a case-study by Parents Information Network
-
Developing "Bubbles" with Broadband
-
Wheatfields Junior School: World Wide Web Home
Page and Prospectus
-
"Learning Families": Research project
with University of Central England: Press release
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