ICT Matter Feb 2011

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TAKING SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY TO THE NEXT LEVEL

FEBRUARY 2011 / ISSUE 06

SHAR WITH E ME IT M YOUR ANAG ER

BLINDING ‘EM WITH SCIENCE Why ICT is critical to STEM subjects

BROAD’ HORIZONS One of Devon’s oldest primaries and newest academies talks technology

BEST OF BETT Highlights from the big IT show

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ell, that’s BETT wrapped up for another year. My feet are glad, but I have to say I’ll miss the opportunity to have so many major players in education ICT in one place. We relished the chance to speak to as many folk as possible for podcasts and the BETT review published in this issue (see page six). Techno Geek was also on the scene and many of you might have caught a glimpse of his enigmatic self among the hubbub of the EdExec stand.

If you missed the big event, never fear; we bring you the best of BETT in this issue, and you can also visit www.edexec.co.uk to catch up on podcasts and blogs from the four-day show.

In this issue we also take a look at the latest developments in science, technology engineering and maths (STEM), a hot subject with lots of developments to encourage training in this area for pupils and teachers alike. ICT runs rife in the area, so it’s a good corner of the curriculum to stay on top of.

As capital expenditure continues to be feeling the sharp shears of budget cuts, it’s a difficult time to know whether or not to invest in products. Schools like Broadclyst Primary, profiled on page 14, are exemplary of ICT best practice. One of Devon’s oldest schools and newest academies, this primary has made the latest ICT a major part of their offering, something only set to get better as the months of being a new academy go by.

How are you preparing for potential budget cuts? Do you have your own ways of raising money for capital purchases? We want to hear from you. Share your stories at www.edexec.co.uk. Here’s wishing you a very happy February. If it feels bleak, at least it’s a short month!

CONTENTS UPDATE SECTOR NEWS Top developments in ICT of the last month

JULIA DENNISON

HELP DESK TECHNO GEEK The Geek’s best of BETT

FOCUS ON BETT 2011 The best and brightest from the four-day event FEATURE Blinding ‘em with science Why ICT is critical to STEM subjects

IN PRACTICE CASE STUDY Broad’ horizons Devon’s oldest primary and newest academy is tranformed by technology

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NEWS & ANALYSIS

More than half of education professionals believe pupils’ mobile phones, iPods, and Xboxes will become part of the teaching tool kit in the next five years, according to a new survey.

Teachers, school leaders and local authority advisers said they expect the personal devices used by their pupils to become as much a part of the classroom as the home and become incorporated into lessons, according to the survey by Naace and Intellect, supported by RM. The survey also revealed that 60% of those polled felt their school had nowhere near enough technology, while more than half said they needed more training in the use of technology.

ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGY Over 90% of respondents consider technology as either an “essential” or “useful” teaching tool, with over 75% identifying it as the former. More than 80% of respondents consider technology is essential or useful for engaging with pupils and parents outside of school.

There is a clear divide between schools in their ability to use technology effectively. The survey showed that over half of respondents see their school as using technology only “somewhat effectively” at best.

Nearly half (42%) of respondents say their school is engaging effectively with pupils outside of the school, while only 35% felt that their school engaged effectively with parents.

Many education professionals feel they could benefit from more training in the use of technology, with over 50% of respondents stating they would benefit from additional training, and a further 20% think further training would be helpful but it’s not at the top of their priority list.

MORE WORK TO BE DONE Phil Hemmings, chair of the Intellect Education Group, said: “These findings are a clear indicator that ICT is now a fundamental part of the education landscape. Education professionals view it as a key teaching tool and an important way of communicating with pupils and parents. However, there is still much work to be done. Many professionals would like more training and the results of our sample indicate that further investment in technology is still required.”

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G ICT MATTERS ON THE WEB

STUDENT DEVICES BECOME KEY TEACHING TOOLS

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NEWS BYTES STUDENTS NOT TAUGHT ENOUGH IT The majority of students in the UK are not being taught the necessary IT skills to prepare them for future employment, according to Microsoft, which found that ‘Generation Five’ (16- to 18-year-olds) questions the approach schools take when teaching them about technology and are becoming self-taught on home computers. Seventy-one per cent of the 1,000 surveyed agree they learn more about technology outside of the classroom, with 58% believing that they have a greater level of understanding of IT than their teachers. The majority think using the internet outside of school provides them with the most important source of information about technology and only 39% of students believe their school’s investment in technology really gives them the skills they need for future work.

Blogging www.edexec.co.uk/ technogeek Tweeting twitter.com/edexec

Thoughts from BETT Techno Geek takes a look at this year’s BETT show and shares some of his thoughts about the show and what it means for ICT in the future

Podcasting and news www.edexec.co.uk

Follow us on twitter.com/ edExec (@EdExec) for the latest news updates and insight into the issues that affect the role of the business manager.

INTERNET SAFETY GETTING WORSE Pupils are increasingly using proxy websites that allow them to bypass internet filters to view banned websites in schools and the problem is getting worse. The number of proxy sites used in schoools has quadrupled since 2007, according to IBM, and now with many thousands of these sites being created every week the key challenge for ICT managers is to identify and block access to these new sites quickly. Worryingly, research

by Bloxx has found that it can often take up to two weeks before some of these sites are identified and blocked allowing pupils to freely roam the web unmonitored.

FAST FACT

71%

So it’s all over for another year; the fantastic BETT show has closed its doors and we are now left to digest where we are in the world of educational ICT. The first day at BETT was, as ever, a day for reassessing priorities. I had great intentions of posting a few blog posts covering the show, but only managed to squeak out three during the course of the show. The reason for this is that BETT never ceases to amaze. Every year it seems the boundaries are pushed and something new is on display and needs to be investigated.

It is incredible to see the amount of innovation, not just in the classroom, but in the back-end systems that enable you to understand how important the development of technology in ICT has been in changing the understanding of how we educate our children.

While at the show we asked a number of questions of the exhibitors and key educational figures to try and get a glimpse at how technology will rise to meet the challenges of spending cuts, and how schools have to adapt to the challenges technology poses. These are reflected in the podcast which you can get from the blog: http://www.edexec.co.uk/technogeek/ I was lucky enough to get to see a talk

by Stephen Heppell (heppell.net), a man who is something of a guru for those involved in education ICT. He spoke about how he sees the future role of technology in schools. It was inspiring to say the least.

He talked about how primary schools were looking to provide secondary education and about his involvement in a project that will see kids start in primary school and leave with a degree. All these changes will be driven from the bottom up, (which I’m sure will please the coalition no end!)

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The number of people using Twitter at BETT this year jumped astronomically, using the hash tag #bett2011. (If this sounds like

Greek, or indeed ‘geek’, to you, head over to the blog where there is a guide to using twitter for education.) This led to an extra layer of communication surrounding the event, which was used fairly effectively to organise people’s experiences of the show and promote their activities there. You can still head over to Twitter and follow up on what happened there.

Blogging As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t get the chance to blog as much as I would have liked but I did get to meet some fellow educational ICT bloggers in a seminar on the subject at the show. It was great to meet everyone and have a read of what other people are up to. I would recommend having a read of some of their musings:

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Danny Nicholson, freelance educational consultant and PGCE science lecturer (whiteboardblog.co.uk)

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Terry Freedman, independent educational ICT consultant (ictineducation.org)

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Dan Roberts, deputy headteacher, Saltash.net Community School, Cornwall (chickensaltash.edublogs.org)

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Gerald Haigh writes for various blogs and has a personal blog

(geraldhaighsblog.blogspot.com).

A big thank you to everyone I met at the BETT show. It was great to meet so many fantastic people, all working together to ensure that schools are able to meet the challenges ahead

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ALWAYS A GOOD BETT Following another successful BETT Show last month, Matt Jane considers what we can learn from technology on offer and how schools can use this to enhance their learning environments

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he BETT Show 2011 proved that ICT in education is still a huge area for schools to consider, with new innovations and working practices showcased at the event, which took place at London’s Olympia between 12-15 January. The visitors flooded into the show (quite literally during the downpour on Friday’s event) and there was a general feeling among exhibitors that those in attendance were actively seeking advice on implementing more useful systems in their school or getting better use of their existing ICT. One of the key factors at this year’s BETT Show was the impact of shrinking school budgets on schools’ use of ICT equipment.

Many of the visitors were looking for innovations that they could implement without spending huge sums of money. Ray Barker from BESA explained that while the government would suggest money has been ring-fenced, the reality is that smaller amounts of money, particularly those associated with ICT, have been halved or disappeared altogether. “This will have an impact on the amount of money schools have to spend on resources generally,” says Barker.

“However, it will really focus the minds of schools on what ICT can do for them. In the past there has been a lot of funding for whiteboards, software, and training. Schools have just taken that and done something with it, but not given the thought as to how this will work within their development plan.”

Instead of schools being in a position to invest in ICT in great swathes, budgets will need to be carefully allocated in-line with educational need and development. “Schools will need to be much more creative in solving their problems,” says Barker. “If they have a problem with boys’ reading, for example, they may invest in an iPad or some e-books. That is a solution to a particular issue, because people will be looking for results.” He suggests that pupils having their own technology will drive this agenda, making it more of a bottom-up rather than top-down situation.

Schools were advised to prioritise their ICT spending as this could potentially save them thousands of pounds. “Select what you are going to prioritise and you can then afford to put aside money for things you wouldn’t have before,” explains Eleanor Lee from Northgate.

One method of making investments go further is to purchase ICT that can be used across different curriculum areas. “Many schools buy software for a specific project, but we are now seeing lots of examples where schools buy a product for a course, but they are using software in other areas too, such as PE,” explains Colin Hussey from Serif.

“Essentially they are looking at how the product can be spread more widely across the school.”

THE THIRD DIMENSION There were scores of people wearing dark glasses at stands around BETT, not because of any glaring sunlight, but to experience the latest 3D products.

Technology is rapidly developing 3D capabilities, which are particularly relevant in education. “With 3D quickly gaining interest, any school investing in new short-throw projectors should future-proof their investment with 3D capable functionality,” recommends Neale Williams from NEC. “3D was a hot topic at this year’s BETT Show,” he continues. “Content is still limited but with excellent 3D technology available and a keen demand, the content providers will no doubt be working closely with educators to develop material to support the curriculum.” He highlights the findings of a recent study that showed positive levels of inclusions and knowledge absorption around 3D, reinforcing its huge potential benefits as a teaching tool.

VIRTUAL KIT There are around 15 servers in the average secondary school, all using power and generating heat, which adds to air conditioning costs. Ray Fleming from Microsoft suggests server and desktop virtualisation are cost-effective and environmentally-friendly ways forward.

Fleming explains the concept of virtualising servers: “You can turn these into virtual servers, so you will basically have three boxes instead of 15 and they are all doing the same job. That will save £15k for an average secondary school every year.”

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There has been a lot of funding for whiteboards, software, and training but schools have not given a thought as to how it will work A BETTER TEAM IN SCHOOLS

Some of the advice coming from the stands at BETT was the need to have teaching staff who are better trained to use the equipment schools are investing in. Ian Curtis from Promethean suggests new technology is designed to improve teachers’ use of interactivity and to make the devices more intuitive to use. “Spending is one thing, but making sure teachers are getting the most from their return on investment, particularly their investment in interactive technology, is the key to real value,” he says.

The recent government plans to give schools more autonomy over investments and ICT decisions was a key talking point at the show, with several visitors undecided over whether having fewer LA controls would be an advantage or a potential banana skin. Those in favour of more autonomy suggest it presents schools with an opportunity to move quickly with decisions and create ICT solutions that are right for them.

John Botham from D-Link warns the impact of budget cuts will also affect the level of support that local authorities will be able to provide. “The LA will have to take the brunt of the cuts, so schools may not be able to get the training budget for staff, unless they have a training budget already aligned,” he says. “If the LA is taking the brunt of the cuts, there will be a difficulty in local schools working together as the LA traditionally made this happen.”

Software was another key theme for addressing the need to drive cost efficiencies.

Margaret Allen from Promethean suggests that schools can get better use from their existing investments, such as interactive whiteboards, if the software available for them is improved. “If the software is being used effectively, then the whiteboards will be used effectively too,” she says.

Clockwise from left | An interactive table and sophisticated colour printing in action

POSITIVE INTERACTIONS Interactive technology was everywhere at BETT, evolving to allow more schools to take advantage of it. “Short-throw projection, combined with an interactive whiteboard, provides the ideal solution for smaller classrooms, allowing children to gather close to the front of the class with the teacher without any restriction to movement or any shadowing or glare,” recommends Neale Williams from NEC Display Solutions.

Similarly, interactive projectors, which essentially combine a whiteboard and projector in one unit with the use of a pen, allowing any surface to become an interactive learning space, were popular at the show.

Sue Burgess from Epson explains that this technology can also be mounted vertically so that a table could become an interactive whiteboard.

Phil Gaut from Samsung says interactive whiteboards can help students build their “confidence to interact with classmates, present to an audience and explore new ways of learning”. He adds that advanced capabilities in whiteboard technology mean teachers can use the whiteboard in a way that suits them.

Tom Gibson from Panasonic also spoke of the importance of multi-touch boards, which allow multiple users to interact with a whiteboard at any time.

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BETTER MANAGED

The way technology is procured and managed could also have a bearing on the cost effectiveness of investments. For example, Alan Hutt, speaking at the ‘Someone ate my budget’ seminar, suggested schools consider renting software on a termly basis. If items are only used during certain times of the year, the option of renting could work well with the school set up. It is a way of viewing software as a service.

With ICT investments, there is a lot more to consider than the initial outlay. Dion Smith from Samsung suggests schools will need to look more at the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a device. He says there are “clear costs savings that can be made through aligning your investments to the typical usage experienced among students, staff and administrators”.

Nieve Cavanagh from Casio agrees, stressing the importance of TCO in terms of consumables, service, and maintenance and running costs. “Projectors, for example, use lamps that are very expensive,” she says.

“There are alternative technologies, like LED lasers, which last for up to 20,000 hours without the need for replacement lamps. This can save £1,500 over the life of the projector, even if it might mean a slightly increased upfront investment at the beginning.”

The management of technology is essential to ensure equipment does not go missing or end up being used inappropriately. James Brown from Selectamark Security suggests tracking equipment as a way to achieve this. “Knowing where equipment is and being able to keep track of it for end-of-year audits in particular, as well as being able to identify with a barcode and tracking software enables schools to keep track of where particular items are and prevent them from going missing,” he says.

While schools may find the increased pressures placed upon them by budgetary restraints and increased control over their investments a daunting prospect, the reassurances offered by advancements in ICT will be welcomed. The BETT show illustrated once again that technology will be at the forefront of advancing the education experience and, from the evidence of this year’s show, the boundaries will continue to be pushed, even in times of frugality, so that schools can continue to offer pupils exceptional learning experiences across the curriculum.

CASTING OUT ICT Matters has recorded a series of podcasts featuring the best of the advice, comments and reactions to the BETT Show.

Visit www.edexec.co.uk to listen to the latest podcast and follow the link through to our YouTube channel for even more content.

These feature interviews with leading industry experts and cover a range of themes.

Clockwise from left | Sinead Coffey and Francis Maitland at the EdExec stand; balloons in the National Hall

GOING GREEN Tackling technology’s environmental impact was a point of concern throughout the BETT Show. Nieve Cavanagh from Casio suggests this is actually becoming more of an issue for schools. She believes schools will be looking to make sure the equipment they purchase does not contain any hazardous materials and that it will have a long lifespan.

Chris Kendall from AMX says the green agenda can be fulfilled through centrally managing technology. “For example,” he says, “if a school is using a lot of projectors, to be able to control when these are turned off and also monitoring when the filters and lamps need changing will bring a range of benefits.”

There are also significant financial rewards to monitoring energy ouput. Mike Cordner, bid manager for Invensys IMServ points out that England and Wales spend £400-500m on energy. “If every state school saved just 10%, that’s between £40-50m to feed back into the front line.”

He suggests one of the easiest ways to cut costs is through turning devices off rather than leaving them on standby, as a device on standby uses 80% of the energy it uses when it is turned on. Also, only heating the school in areas that are being used will dramatically reduce the environmental impact. “Pupils are going to be the biggest driver of behaviour change, supported by the technologies that automatically control energy usage,” he adds.

The latest software can also have an effect of energy saving and, in turn, bring down costs. Ray Fleming from Microsoft suggests the new version of Windows is making it a lot easier to turn machines off when not in use. “You can set [the computers] to switch on at 8.30 and off at 4 o’clock,” he explains. “With older versions of Windows you had to change every computer. With current versions you just make one change at the centre then they are all set up to save power.” For an average secondary school, this could save around £10k a year.

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Stemming the tide Despite the progress being made, there are still considerable challenges in engaging learners in STEM subjects. ICT, along with other factors can help boost the appeal.

Matthew Jane finds out how

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hile the recent Ofsted report suggests science teaching is improving in secondary schools, there are still considerable challenges facing schools in promoting science, technology, engineering, and maths, or STEM subjects, to pupils.

The challenges of engaging learners in STEM subjects are not a new phenomenon, with the subjects seen as more ‘academic’ and therefore more challenging to less able students. Jayne Warburton from 3P Learning says schools are under pressure to achieve in this area. “Maths particularly is a subject that most students need to achieve at least a C grade at GCSE to further their education. However, unfortunately many students have a ‘can’t do maths’ attitude, making this difficult,” she says.

She adds that many schools often struggle to find interesting new ways to teach these subjects. “My perception is that a lot of these subjects can be deemed as ‘boy subjects’ and therefore encouraging a higher number of girls to take this up can prove a challenge,” says Warburton.

Despite the improvements in the field of STEM education, a recent survey from the Confederation of British Industry found that nearly half of employers have difficulty recruiting staff with STEM skills.

Margaret Allen from Promethean says the urgency of this message is getting through. “It was reported that the number of students taking separate sciences at GCSE rocketed by a third this year,” she says. “This

The use of ICT, particularly programmes that encourage children to personalise their learning spaces and work at their own level, makes the subject more appealing

move away from ‘single’ and ‘combined’ science courses allows learners to study biology, chemistry and physics in greater depth, and it is thought that it will also prepare students more effectively for further study at A-level.”

TACKLING THE ISSUE

One of the main tools for boosting achievement in STEM subjects is through the quality of teaching.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), suggests the improvements outlined by Ofsted are a result of excellent teachers who inspire learners. “High quality initial teacher training and ongoing professional development is key to ensuring this continues,” he says. “The challenge for the nation’s future economy is not to ensure that the best scientists are even better but to increase the number of high-level technicians.”

Allen suggests teachers need to overcome any negative preconceptions they may have of the STEM subjects, particularly in primary schools, where teachers may be inclined to other subjects. She highlights a recent Royal Society report that raises concerns over the low number of primary teachers with specialist education in maths and science.

Andrea Forbes from Texas Instruments says getting pupils excited about STEM subjects is the first step. “There are a number of good projects that aim to do this – the Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) project to name one. Innovation and invention are what will help drive society forward and some of the greatest things to come out of the 21st century are linked to STEM. Being aware of this can be a fantastic motivator for pupils.”

Collaborative working can also help overcome the barriers to effective STEM education. Forbes says: “Another challenge is to get maths and science

departments working together to share common themes, such as data logging, and resources.” She highlights the work of the Science Learning Centre South East, which regularly hosts STEM days to bring subject leaders and teachers together to collaborate.

STEM FROM TECHNOLOGY

Warburton suggests using ICT to promote the more ‘academic’ subjects. “The use of ICT, particularly programmes that encourage children to personalise their learning spaces and work at their own level, makes the subject more appealing,” she says.

“With the instant feedback provided it enables children to see how they are progressing and they can get support without necessarily having to ask the teacher.

“It’s also positive as teachers have longer to teach and explore new methods of teaching. Another key benefit is the large variety of hardware and software available – this increases the flexibility and scope of what it can achieve,” continues Warburton, who adds that, provided it is incorporated as part of a well-considered plan, ICT can increase intake in STEM subjects and boost the appeal.

Teachers need to access innovative teaching materials and tools to help bring subjects to life.

“Interactive technology can be a valuable tool in achieving this,” says Allen, “providing teachers with flexible and exciting opportunities to capture and retain student’s interest.”

The important consideration when exploring ICT in this area is to ensure staff are sufficiently trained to use it. A lack of professional development is not down to a lack of faith, argues Andy Kemp, head of maths at Taunton School.

“The majority of teachers recognise the benefits of technology for teaching, particularly in STEM subjects, and few would argue that they can get the most out of ICT without training of some description.”

While there are challenges to engaging learners in STEM subjects, there are fortunately a wealth of resources to help learners get the best experience from these lessons. A combination of exciting, ‘hands on’ learning and ICT innovations to support this can help staff boost the appeal of these subjects and get more from their learners as a result.

KEY FACTS Schools must engage learners in STEM from an early age STEM subjects are essential for areas such as medical research and green fuel development Teacher training is key to delivering exciting STEM lessons Technology can help engage learners in these subjects, as long as it is incorporated as part of a considered plan Taking lessons outside the classroom can make them more exciting and deliver ‘real-life’ experiences

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX Engaging learners in STEM subjects does not just have to take place in the classroom. Indeed, it may be easier to get pupils excited about the subject matter if the lessons can be delivered in a different, real-life setting.

Bryn Robinson, managing director at Travelbound, says many learners find hands-on learning much more effective that learning about science from a textbook. “After all, what could be more compelling and memorable that visiting fascinating destinations, such as the Euro Space Centre in Belgium and the northern lights in Iceland?” he says.

“There’s a world of experience beyond the classroom with school science trips like these taking traditional lessons to another dimension.”

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A new-fashioned approach Broadclyst Community Primary School is one of Devon’s oldest primary schools and newest academies, transformed by technology. Julia Dennison spoke to principal Jonathan Bishop at BETT to find out more SCHOOL Broadclyst Community Primary School LOCATION Exeter PRINCIPAL Jonathan Bishop TYPE 5-11 academy PUPILS 420

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roadclyst Community Primary School celebrated its bicentenary the same year it became an academy. Founded in 1810 outside of Exeter, it is England’s oldest operating primary school, an ‘outstanding’ school that became independent under the academy programme in September. The school has around 420 pupils, aged five to 11, who have shown impressive results, with 90% of pupils achieving level 4 or above

in Key Stage 2 tests, considerably higher than the national average of 73%.

The school stands by technology as integral to achieving this success, which is why it was appropriate ICT Matters met with principal Jonathan Bishop and governor Henry Massey during the bustle of last month’s BETT show. The school’s vision surrounding ICT is one of complete inclusion, ensuring one PC per pupil in Year 6 for the last decade and remaining open to new developments in technology.

90% Of pupils at Broadclyst achieved level 4 or above in Key Stage 2 tests

BETT-ing on technology As useful as the BETT show is for learning about innovations in educational technology, Bishop warns schools to be wary of buying off-the-shelf solutions and expecting them to do wonders. “You’ve got to look at your setting, space and children so therefore it’s not about buying something from the BETT Show,” he says. “The technology is relatively simple: buy an interactive whiteboard, projector, or voting button – but how you bring that together to support children’s learning [is the difficulty].”

For Bishop, the hardest bit is curriculum innovation. “You have to be innovative in your thinking about curriculum and it is that that drives us every time – not technology,” he underlines. “You can sit 60 kids in front of 60 PCs but you’re not necessarily going to get good quality learning,”

Learning virtually Bishop has a big-picture approach to education. Part of becoming an academy means Broadclyst is tasked with helping underachieving schools achieve better results and collaboration is something that comes naturally to the school, having worked successfully to collaborate with schools not just locally, but around the world – from the Netherlands to America. “Sharing good practice and supporting one another is something we’re good at and want to continue to do,” Bishop confirms. For him, ICT facilitates and enables children to work together, allowing them to

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surpass the boundaries of the four-walled classroom and learn wherever they are, whether it be in another country or ill in hospital.

One of the innovations Broadclyst has found most successful to encourage this kind of learning is through a bespoke VLE, where pupils can see their assignments and watch the lesson they’ve learned, for example, online while away from school, allowing them to collaborate with friends.

“We’re constantly looking at where we can personalise learning through online learning opportunities,” says Bishop. “A good curriculum is not only about giving skills and knowledge, but using and applying it in different situations. Then it’s not just remote learning, it’s about application, and to do that, you have to work in groups and to work in groups requires tools of communication and collaboration.”

Primary-aged pupils are digital natives, growing up among the tools required from a young age – including blogging, using wikis and social networking. “Children of quite a young age are working in a much more sophisticated way than we give them credit for,” Bishop adds. “They don’t have the fear of the technology that the adults have historically had.”

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“I don’t think it is right to cut back on technology when technology is the medium of the age and the platform that can really empower and engage and support learning” Technology and the primary curriculum Technology is helping kids learn to read in more ways than ever. “You don’t just read by reading books,” says Bishop.

“Reading books is great, but most of us spend a lot of time reading in a variety of formats, so you don’t just read newspapers, but Twitter feeds too.”

Video has also become an important tool at Broadclyst. “Video is a very powerful medium in the age in which we live,” says Bishop. Broadclyst has a TV studio where children can collaborate to film mock TV shows, but using video doesn’t necessarily have to be that high-tech or expensive. “You can take a mobile phone and you can film, edit and publish from wherever you are. That level of connectivity, when harnessed and channelled with good educational objectives, allows the world to be your oyster.”

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Investing in ICT Broadclyst is fully committed to investing in useful technology, hence Bishop and his colleagues coming all the way to London to attend BETT. “It’s about spending your resources appropriately to deliver high quality education,” says Bishop. “It’s about prioritisation in a time of cut backs.

I don’t necessarily think it is right to cut back on technology when technology is the medium of the age and the platform that can really empower and engage and support learning.”

Technological innovations that have inspired Bishop and his colleagues at BETT include 3D, which Bishop hopes will make education “really live” within the classroom. Server virtualisation was also a common theme at BETT and something Broadclyst is undergoing, having virtualised a few of its servers already.

“Management through virtualisation of your systems is a good way of cutting costs,” says Bishop. “Going from 15 servers down to four is energy-efficient and cost-effective longer term.”

Cost-saving in this way helps free up money for the important things: mainly, of course, educating children, something Broadclyst as an academy will undoubtedly continue to do as successfully as ever.