There is no denying the power of Information and Communications Technology in today's digital world. Therefore in July 2013, a group of staff, governors and parents formed a working party to plan future ICT requirements for our school. 

We have considered what technology best suits the requirements of our children and site, as well as our budget.

During February half term, we have installed a wireless network throughout the school. This has enabled us to use mobile devices to connect to the internet for the purposes of teaching and learning. Previously ICT was delivered either in the ICT suite or via the teacher’s desktop in the classroom.  By installing wireless this has enabled ICT to be available anywhere and anytime in the school. The cost of this has been shared 50/50 by school and the PTA.

We have researched extensively to ascertain what the best mobile device is for Chevening Primary School. A lot of schools in the Sevenoaks area are successfully using Apple products such as iPads, iPods and MacBook’s. A recent visit to the BETT annual conference (the biggest learning technology event in the world) confirmed our belief that Apple products are the best way forward.

iPads are agile enough to meet the learning needs of any subject, any age and all abilities. These devices will enable our children to use information technology through the curriculum in their classrooms; mirroring more closely how we all use technology at home. They can be used as a whole class teaching tool and can even be ‘reflected’ onto the class Interactive Whiteboard.

Because of the wide range of apps available, and the functionality of the iPad, there is a wide range of potential other uses, for example:

-  Internet access for research (eg: mobile versions of Britannica, Wikipedia etc.)

- Specific educational apps for spelling, maths etc

- Drawing and animation apps

- Watching video / listening to educational podcasts

- Taking photographs and videos, and editing them

- Voice recording for revision and replaying teacher instructions. Make podcasts etc.

- Word games and puzzles

- Revision apps

- Video Conferencing

- Read or create an eBook

- Use certain games for inspiration for creative writing, eg Epic Citadel

- Learn the keys of a piano with a virtual keyboard

- Use as a classroom voting system

- Calendar

- Creative tools such as picture book makers

- Sound monitor, calculator, stopwatch, countdown timers and other tools

- Download an atlas, predict the weather, Google Earth etc.

- GPS can be used with apps such as ‘Geocache’ for orienteering

Therefore as our first phase, we have purchased the following:

17 x iPad 2 for the children

7 x iPad 2 for the class teachers

In addition, safety cases, charging docks and other relevant software and licences have been acquired. This has cost approximately £9,000, which the PTA has kindly agreed to fund.  We are very grateful for the support of all parents who ensure that PTA events are so successful and in turn so beneficial to school life. Our school would not be able to finance this purchase otherwise.

The second phase of our ICT strategy which we hope to achieve over the next few years is as follows. Firstly our computers are nearing the end of their useful life (5 years old) and therefore need replacing.  We are in the envious position of currently having 30 desktop computers, which we would like to continue, so the children don’t have to share during lessons. We are considering laptops as well as conventional desktops. No decisions have yet been made.

Our interactive whiteboards are either 7 or 8 years old. We would like to replace them with promethean LED screens (http://www.prometheanworld.com/gb/english/education/products/interactive-flat-panel-displays/activpanel-touch/). We require 8 in total, allowing for 1 in each classroom, as well as the ICT suite. They are currently priced at approximately £3,200 each including installation.

We would like to increase our iPads to 30, to allow one per child when used in the classroom. This requires purchasing another 15 devices.

To increase our broadband capacity to support the additional mobile devices, from 4Mb up to possibly 10Mb.  This will incur additional cost.

For any of this to become reality we need your support please. We hope you may be able to contribute to this project.

We look forward to improving our ICT provision at Chevening Primary School which will ensure all our children benefit from cutting edge technology.