We were very happy to restart our Primary Awards Program after the initial lockdown with a grant to St. John’s C. of E. Infants and Nursery School (VC). Alice Aharon (Executive Headteacher) put in a bid for a desktop computer and a Zenbook for use by pupils, TAs, teachers and parents.
Applications for one (or perhaps two) computers are often difficult to pass through our criteria as we want to ensure our limited funds are primarily helping the school’s pupils directly. Although we know how much preparation and assessment teachers have to do on a daily basis, much of it using I.T., we would find it hard to justify e.g. purchasing a new computer for a single member of staff to use.
However, after Alice supplied some well-reasoned additional information we were convinced the new equipment would directly (hands-on) benefit a large number of pupils as well as many others in the school community:
At present, our nursery classes do not easily engage with ICT and start their technology development as the only equipment available to them is out of date. The addition of good ICT equipment will motivate the teaching staff and children and enable use and activities around new technologies.
The computers would be located in our nursery classroom area that is adjacent to our office. All pupils passing through the school would have the benefit of using the computers to start their IT education from a very early point. This would benefit our current pupils and all incoming cohorts. At present, our capacity to teach children at this early age is not as we would desire due to the lack of resources and age of equipment available to them. It would increase the learning options available to them . This would enhance and have a very positive effect on their learning.
The terminals would also provide strong support to our wider community, as we find increasingly there is a need to provide guidance to families in completing the many forms to support their children's education. This can include 30-hour childcare applications, Free school meal applications, Free milk applications, benefit support applications, school transfer details. Our staff are called upon to support the community in this way, and the terminals can be used for this purpose.