Failure, what’s that? asks junior school

Mar 12 2008 by Hazel Ettienne, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A SCHOOL has turned itself around from being “failing” and in special measures” to having exemplary standards in ICT.

Five years ago Bradley Junior School was struggling with the behaviour and achievements of its pupils.

But it is now classed as an “improving school” and outstanding in its ICT teaching.

The school’s ICT coordinator and assistant head teacher, David Rushby, said: “We are delighted the school has made this progress.

“We want other similar schools to know that even though we might not be in line with Government targets on literacy and numeracy, there are certain subjects where we can be seen to be exemplary.”

This week marks the ‘test drive’ of the school’s Virtual Learning Environment, in line with the Government’s aim of ensuring all schools offer online spaces.

VLE aims to offer “communication and dialogue” between home and school 24/7.

And with the school website already achieving 10,000 hits a month the link is obviously well established.

When Mr Rushby joined the school five years ago he inherited an old computer suite and a very basic system.

But after the appointment of a new head teacher, Adele Stringer, and an action plan for change being put in place investment in ICT was seen as a necessity.

Over three years the school spent than £25,000, including an initial £15,000 on a new ICT suite including 20 personal computers and individual technology in each classroom in the form of interactive white boards (IWBs).

The transformation was astounding.

Getting children to “engage in learning” is a key strategy and once IWB were used instead of textbooks, challenging behaviour reduced considerably.

“Replacing a blackboard and textbooks with interactive time lines, power point presentations, photos from the National Gallery and web links, can massively improve teaching a subject like the Tudors and Henry VIII and the motivation of pupils,” said Mr Rushby.

Commitment by teaching staff and their hands-on approach to new technology and their own willingness to learn, led to a calmer environment and huge reduction in challenging behaviour.

One teacher commented that for the first time she could now teach lessons rather than merely manage classes.

The school left Special Measures in July, 2005, and the inspection by the Ofsted watchdog last summer showed the school to be making improving progress.

Particularly noted was outstanding standards in ICT, with 50% of pupils now leaving with level 5 or above in the subject, compared to 15% four-and-a-half years ago.