The Government may have killed BSF, but the drive to transform learning is still very much alive, as Sally McKeown reports from Warrington
The Building Schools for the Future programme is alive and well in Leicester, but Warrington's plans were scuppered at the eleventh hour by the Coalition Government when it scrapped BSF. However, despite the different circumstances both communities have benefited enormously from the BSF process, creating networks, planning new approaches to teaching and learning and devising classrooms of the future.
In one week I attended two excellent but contrasting learning showcase events. One was in Leicester, hosted by Northgate with a keynote by Professor Stephen Heppell, (see "Leicester explores innovation for final BSF schools") and the other was in Warrington with an introduction by Dr Tim Rudd from Livelab which has been working with the authority to support the development of an action research and CPD programme across all schools.
he "Transforming Learning in Warrington: Sharing Innovation" event took place in a Classroom of the Future at William Beamont Community School and Specialist Sports College. Like many similar spaces, it had round tables, a choice of seating, a flexible layout and a side room with "green screen" technology. Unlike other such spaces, it also had a tepee. This was produced as part of a creative enquiry project for a Year 9 geography topic on Extreme Living. Teacher Andrew Grant explained, "We had a successful bid with Creative Partnerships and used it to work with a storyteller and two artists."
The learning spaces included a tepee and polystyrene igloo
Pupils started by identifying the key words associated with extreme climates, recording these on the interactive whiteboard and creating mindmaps. After working with a storyteller, they devised their own stories and videoed them with suitable backdrops. Working in groups, they used their Classroom of the Future as a site to create a tepee decorated with the school logo as well as a polystyrene igloo which brought their maths and design skills to the fore. Their teacher Andrew Grant found that the pupils remembered the key facts for Extreme Living much better and many more pupils than usual opted for GCSE geography.
Different sessions during the day highlighted the work of individual schools such as Bewsey Lodge Primary's work with the International Primary Curriculum and the Children’s University and the development of pupil voice to enhance curriculum innovation at St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School. Other sessions were more technology focused. Smarter Solutions showed how video and Web 2.0 technology could be used to record lessons which could be viewed live or stored for reflection.
Alex Summers from Lysander Community High School talked about visiting Denmark to learn from their experiences of using colour and zoning in learning spaces and the importance of comfortable seating. In maths and languages classes teachers had found that a change of layout could change the dynamics of the classroom. Sometimes it led to pupils working together, helping one another but it could also lead to too much social talk too.
Showcase for free and cost-effective technology
Any lingering feelings that good technology requires a lot of funding were dispelled by Judith Elshaw and Rob Moore from Woolston Community Primary School. They have gone for technology on a shoestring using free software including Comic Life (comes free with Apple computers) and a simple but effective range of hardware:
- Flip camera;
- Talk Time Mini cards;
- Mini PCs;
- Easi-Speak microphone/recorders;
- Nintendo DSI;
- Hue webcams.
The Talk Time recording cards cost a mere £7.99 and are ideal for children who think up a sentence but cannot hold it in their head long enough to get it on paper. They record their sentences and play them back as often as they want while they try writing them down.
The Nintendos are a boon for early morning maths activities sessions. They have made a real difference to one boy with ADHD who has to take a 'listening pill' each morning so he can cope with class time. Technology has also helped a child from Latvia who is profoundly deaf with no speech. Staff have created digital resources in Photo Story and PowerPoint, using Flip cameras to record a signed version and Easi-Speak for a soundtrack for hearing children.
Two key questions for any school hoping to implement technology are how to get enough hardware into the classroom and how to train staff to make the best use of it. Matthew Knowles from Stone Computers talked about AccessAbility, a scheme where parents pay a monthly fee, perhaps as little as £5 per month, to lease a mobile device for the child. There are no credit checks on parents and the school decides what is appropriate for their families' pockets. One of the key advantages is that every child will have the same kit and Stone Computers take charge of all the administration:
Stone will: insure the devices against loss, accidental damage and theft; provide cover in case parents lose their jobs; organise direct debits; chase non payers, preload relevant Microsoft software (eg Windows 7 and Office 2010); provide a three-year warranty and replace defective devices.
High school has mixed economy of iPads, iPods and mobile phones
Systems manager Simon Taylor-Jones and maths teacher Daley Thompson, from Sir Thomas Boteler CE High School, revealed their recipe for success. Their school has a mixed economy of iPads, iPods, netbooks and mobile phones. To start with there were issues with the reliability of equipment and the staff's ability to plan lessons round the different devices. Now staff are beginning to embrace technology more readily. The school has a maths Facebook page and there are ICT champions in each department with an in-house accreditation scheme at bronze, silver and gold levels.
Tim Rudd (left) was pleased with the progress Warrington has made. He said, "It is a great credit to the schools that all this has also been achieved in a climate of austerity and uncertainty. The next phase however, will need to build on this success and seek to embed a sustainable culture of innovation and develop new partnership to attract research and development resources."
With their increasing emphasis on training, curriculum ideas and networking, the schools in Warrington seem well placed to make the best use of whatever technology may come their way. It would be nice if one day they could also complete their Schools of the Future dreams to accommodate their learners.
More information
AccesAbility
Easi-Speak microphone/recorders and Talk Time Mini cards
Flip camera
Hue webcams
Livelab
Smarter Solutions
"Transforming Learning in Warrington: Sharing Innovation" was organised by Warrington local authority with support from Livelab, Mouchel and Futurelab
Sally McKeown is a freelance writer and is an expert in special needs and inclusion
