Northlands Primary School & Nursery ICT Policy July 2015 1
Information and Communications Technology Policy Introduction Purpose: Information and communication technology is becoming an ever-more important part of our daily lives, whether at home or at play. It has the potential to transform education, by bringing exciting new resources from around the world right into the classroom and enhancing the experience of teaching and learning for both pupils and teachers alike. There is already a growing body of evidence that access to information and communication technology can provide a real educational advantage. (Source: Rosemary Butler, NA Secretary for Education and Children). What do we understand by the term ICT? Information, Communication and Technology is a common requirement for all subjects with the exception of PE. It is a key skill along with mathematical skills. Information Technology (IT) comprises the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to employ information and communication technologies appropriately. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are the computing and communications facilities and features that support teaching and learning. The focus is on the subject being taught or studies and skills being applied within a variety of contexts, rather than developing pupils specific skills. Contained in this document is our policy regarding the delivery of ICT skills. This entitlement has been shaped by the Foundation Phase and National Curriculum programmes of study for ICT and by every other subject. More explicitly, the ICT requires that In foundation Phase, pupils should be taught to become familiar with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hardware and software. They learn how to use ICT confidently and purposefully to achieve specific outcomes. They start to use ICT to develop their ideas and record their creative work. At KS2 pupils should be given opportunities to build on the knowledge, understanding and skills acquired in Foundation Phase. They should be taught to use a greater range of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools and information, sources and media appropriate to their work. They amend their work and present it with some thought to its audience. They assess the value of ICT in their working practices. The School s Aims Our aim is to develop staff and pupils who are confident, responsible and effective users of ICT. We strive to do this aim by helping: To use ICT to improve the quality of work, raise self-esteem, confidence and motivation for learning. The improvement of the physical environment, resources and teaching and learning will be matched by the raised attainment of the children. All to use ICT with purpose and enjoyment and to develop the necessary skills to exploit ICT. All to become independent users of ICT, be able to evaluate the benefits of ICT and its impact on society. 2
The school to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and all children to reach the highest standards of achievements. To develop pupils literacy and numeracy skills through the use of ICT To maintain efficient performance of IT equipment through robust and clear technical support that will ensure minimal disruption to teaching. To keep pace with educational developments in ICT and have a commitment to teachers having the necessary tools and training to do their jobs effectively. The school s curriculum organisation Class teachers are responsible for the planning and delivery of ICT lessons. We currently use the Inspire Curriculum together with Rising Stars Computing scheme of work as guidance for the skills which should be taught within ICT. Each class has 1 hour each week devoted to the teaching of ICT skills in the Computer Suite situated in upper school and a smaller suite in lower school. In addition to this, the suite is available at all other times for cross curricular activities and teachers are expected to book the room in advance using the timetable situated in the staff room. There is also a bank of laptops to be used within classrooms as well as IPADs. These can be booked out in advance using the timetable in the staff room. A laptop and an interactive whiteboard are also available in each classroom for teacher use. In addition each classroom has their own laptop/table top computer to be used by pupils. Internet connection is possible throughout the school via a wireless connection. The ICT suite and Art room also have an Interactive Whiteboard. Roles and responsibilities The roles and responsibilities with regard to ICT are as follows: The Head teacher carries out the following responsibilities: (These must include Data Protection and compliance with other legal requirements) Liaison with feeder schools and or receiving schools Health and safety policy and practice Ensuring the effective use of ICT for management and administrative purposes Meeting statutory requirements Curriculum development The following responsibilities are carried out by the ICT subject leader: Ensuring the consistent implementation of the ICT policy Ensuring that pupils use ICT appropriately across the Curriculum as seen through lesson observations and monitoring visits. Ensure ICT progression Ensuring continuity between year groups Purchasing/organising ICT resources Identifying what ICT support is needed by individual staff and arranging in-service support for staff. Reviewing the ICT policy Communication with the ICT technician 3
Carrying out monitoring and reporting back to the Headteacher. Collect, analyse and distribute, where applicable, information relating to the subject to the relevant people. Teachers It is the responsibility of each class teacher to ensure their class are taught all elements of the ICT curriculum, including e-safety, through the planning and delivery of lessons. Teachers to ensure that their pupils sign and return the e-safety Appropriate Use Policy and understand their own responsibilities re: Acceptable Use. Teachers will assess pupils - ongoing formative assessment of the pupils will determine what is to be covered next and what will need to be reinforced. Reporting ICT faults to the ICT subject leader/technician by emailing BIS Solutions. support@bissolutions.co.uk Pupils It is the responsibility of each pupil to ensure that they follow the Acceptable Use Policy and e-safety policy and treat all ICT equipment appropriately and safely. Equal Opportunities At Northlands Primary School and Nursery we teach ICT to all children, whatever their ability, age, gender or race. ICT forms part of our school curriculum policy to provide a broad and balanced education for all children. We provide learning opportunities that are matched to the specific needs of children with learning difficulties. In some instances the use of ICT has a considerable impact on the quality of work that children produce; it increases their confidence and motivation and allows access to parts of the curriculum to which the children would otherwise not have had. When planning work in ICT, we take into account the targets in the children s Individual Education Plans (IEPs). More Able and Talented children are catered for when class teachers undertake ICT planning. Health and Safety: The school follows the advice and guidelines set out by the Health and Safety Executive, relating to the safe use of the internet, computers, projectors and interactive whiteboards. The school has a separate E-Safety Policy. Rules of use are on display anywhere from where children can access the internet. They understand these rules and they know that they are expected to follow them. It is the responsibility of individual teachers to look after all equipment in their classrooms. Pupils should be shown how to operate them appropriately. All computers should be safely stored, cared for and correctly switched off at the end of each day. 4
Any laptops being removed from the laptop cabinet should be removed and/or supervised by an adult and replaced and/or supervised by an adult. At no time should any child carry 2 laptops and should not be removing them without adult knowledge. Laptops that are dropped should be reported to the ICT coordinator and an incident form completed. It is important that any problem be reported immediately to the subject leader. If there is any fear of an electrical fault, the equipment must be switched off immediately and all plugs removed safely from the class by an adult. Sockets and plugs must be checked during the annual LEA inspection. All equipment must be available for this and display the appropriate sticker. Computers must be kept away from sources of water; such as water trays, wet play areas or sinks. No child should have their water bottle next to a laptop. Monitoring The teaching of ICT is monitored by the subject leader and the Senior Leadership Team. This is done through monitoring of planning and lesson observations. ICT usage should be evident across the curriculum, where appropriate, to support learning. The ICT co-ordinator is responsible for supporting colleagues in the teaching of ICT, for keeping informed about current developments in the subject and for providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. As part of the school s self-review cycle the subject leader will be given time to carry out lesson observations, evaluate planning, pupil s work and listen to learners. They will complete a monitoring report which will be forwarded to the Head teacher. The ICT co-ordinator will also take part in annual learning walks accompanied by pupils and a member of the leadership team. Teaching and Learning Styles Teachers are expected to employ a range of strategies and to use their professional judgements to decide on the most appropriate: These will include: Using the IWB to demonstrate to a group of pupils or the whole class Leading a group or class discussion about the benefits and limitations of ICT Individual or paired work Collaborative writing and design work in groups Where one pupil is used to demonstrate or teach a skill to others, the teacher feels confident that this is of benefit to all those involved Pupils are equally active and involved in the task, and all have equal access to ICT facilities Differentiated work and activities, possibilities for extension work Teachers who intervene where appropriate to reinforce an idea or teach a new point The use of appropriate digital learning resources. Pupils will be given the opportunity to work individually, in pairs and in groups. The teacher will organise groupings to ensure that all children achieve their full potential. 5
Access to ICT Our ICT equipment is deployed in the following way: Laptops within every class (available within day-today lessons) Interactive whiteboard within each class room (including computer suite and art room) 30 networked computers in the Computer Suite in upper school (KS2) and 16 in the Computer Suite in the lower school (KS1) Bank of IPads that can be moved around the school where required Each teacher is provided with their own laptop Printer facilities Digital cameras for use by the Staff and for use by the children Internet connections and network connections available in the computer suite and classes Appropriate resources can be accessed through the network All staff and pupils have their own individual username and password for logging on to the network and saving work. Provision is made for pupils to use ICT equipment outside lessons during lunch times and after school during homework club. An ICT club provides further opportunities for skill development. For management and administrative purposes the following ICT equipment and software is available; 3 computers in the office, I computer in the Head teacher s office and access to Target Tracker via the internet as required by administrators and teachers throughout the school. A variety of hardware is available for work based on control (Lego/ Beebots/ Data Logger/ Weather Station) Online Access The school encourages use by pupils of the rich information resources available on the internet, together with the development of appropriate skills to analyse and evaluate such resources. These skills will be fundamental in the society our pupils are entering. The school expects that all staff will investigate the possibilities of using such information where appropriate within the curriculum and that staff will provide guidance and instruction to all pupils in the appropriate use of such resources. Staff must ensure that all information published on the Internet does not contain information that is likely to compromise a pupil or member of staff. All members of staff need to be aware of the possible misuse of an on-line access and their responsibilities towards pupils. The school uses fire walled services to ensure that confidential material is unavailable to pupils, and filters Internet sites, which are undesirable for pupils. The school compiles with all appropriate legislative requirements such as those contained in the Data Protection and Computer Resources Acts. 6
School website The subject leader is responsible for ensuring that the school s website is updated. This acts as a communicational tool between staff, parents and pupils. It provides information about the school as well as photographs and samples of work. Learning Platform Every member of staff has their own email account. This is an integral communicational tool at our school. The ICT subject leader is responsible for setting up accounts for new staff members. Assessment Formative assessment is carried out by teachers in the course of their teaching. Records will be kept for the work undertaken, particularly the ICT activities identified for this purpose. ICT results are recorded annually and targets are set for the following year. The school has a computerised end of year report. Other documents and appendices related to ICT see: Staff Acceptable Use Policy/Code of Conduct Pupil Acceptable Use Policy/Code of Conduct E-Safety Policy 7