GRANGE VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

							HAMSTREET PRIMARY
     SCHOOL




    I.C.T. POLICY
                Hamstreet Primary School
                     I.C.T. POLICY
"There's a light shining brightly on technology right now. This is a very exciting time to be
alive and to be involved in technology and in education.
The real revolution that technology brings to society extends well beyond how to use
computers, or in school terms, computer literacy. It is more complex than integrating
computers across the curriculum or learning about multimedia or even using the Internet. The
profound impact is that information communications technology is completely reorganising
how, where, when, with whom, and even why people work. The concept of the very structure
of the way that many people work today, the job, is finished. " Alan November


Vision
We want every child in Hamstreet School not just to be confident users of ICT but to be
confident e-learners. We want then to enjoy the benefits and recognise the role of ICT in the
wider world. We want the staff to be both confident and knowledgeable in delivering ICT
using the most up to date equipment we can manage and for all pupils to achieve excellent
levels of skills and knowledge by the end of Keystage 1 and Keystage 2.


Rationale
Information and communication technology (ICT) contributes to the school curriculum by
preparing all young people to participate in a rapidly changing society in which work and
other forms of activity are increasingly dependent on ICT. The subject develops pupils
information skills, including the ability to use information sources and ICT tools to help them
find, explore, develop, analyse, exchange and present information and to support their
problem solving, investigative and expressive work. An essential part of ICT capability is
being discriminating about information and the ways in which it may be used, and making
informed judgements about when and how to apply aspects of ICT to achieve maximum
benefit. Pupils also develop understanding of the implications of ICT for working life and
society. The use of ICT significantly enhances teaching and learning in other subjects by
enabling rapid access to knowledge, information and experiences from a wide range of
sources. The use of ICT throughout the curriculum encourages critical thinking, imagination
and creativity, problem solving, initiative and independence, teamwork and reflection.
(Source: SCAA: draft proposals for the National Curriculum, June 1999)


As ICT underpins today’s modern lifestyle it is essential that all pupils gain the confidence
and ability that they need in this subject, to prepare them for the challenge of a rapidly
developing and changing technological world.




                                              2
Aims of ICT
At Hamstreet Primary School our aims are that:

    ICT be presented as a creative and fascinating process in which children are
   
     encouraged to use their own initiative, imagination, reasoning and investigative skills;

    Children appreciate the relevance of ICT in our society and that they see it as an
   
     essential tool for learning, communication, finding information and for controlling and
     understanding their environment;

    Children receive equal opportunity to develop their ICT capability, with the use of ICT
   
     being planned for in line with its status as a core National Curriculum subject;

    Differentiation is planned for in each area of the ICT curriculum so that children
   
     achieve to the best of their ability;

    Children learn to work individually and collaboratively;
   

    Children have a heightened interest and awareness of ICT through the regular display
   
     of their ICT enhanced work in the classrooms and around the school, and the positive
     attitude of staff towards the use of ICT.

Principles for the teaching and learning of ICT

With limited ICT resources available in each classroom, it is essential that the organisation of
those resources be such that there is a demonstrable equality of access. This is achieved by
adopting the following organisational and pedagogical strategies as appropriate to the activity
being taught:

 Planning activities that allow sufficient time for all individuals to take part.

 Effective teaching input (whole class, group or individual) to allow completion of task
  without further teacher intervention.

 Planning short, time limited, skills focused activities.

 Identify clear learning objectives in planning and teacher input.

 Working individually, in pairs, or in small groups taking into account equality of access.

 Splitting larger projects into clearly defined pieces with different groups or individuals
  taking on responsibility for specific parts,

 Maintaining ICT registers/task lists etc. to encourage individuals to complete tasks at
  appropriate times when equipment is available, and to provide evidence of equality of
  access.

 Clear instructions in the event of being “stuck” or equipment failure (e.g. use of class
  “experts”).

 Allow opportunities for work to be printed for display, evidence, publishing on the school
  web site etc.

                                                 3
Differentiation & SEN

Pupils with special educational needs will be entitled to the same access to ICT as their
peers. In planning lessons teachers will identify the learning goals for the majority of children
as well as extension activities for the more able. Consideration will be given to modifying the
task, or providing peer or adult support, for children with difficulty. It is important to note that
pupils with learning difficulties may achieve well in ICT and should be given every opportunity
to provide support for others.

Teachers liaise with the SENCO on the use of ICT to improve SEN pupil involvement in the
curriculum. For instance, to improve writing and presentation, to practice skills or to focus on
the interpretation of graphs.

The school has a school based SEN tutor who uses a variety of software designed to identify
specific problems and to support and target those problems on a regular basis, both
individually and as small groups within the ICT suite.

Gifted and talented pupils are identified and activities are being developed to extend their
abilities. When possible they will be given opportunities to join with other pupils in projects
that will stretch them.

Present resource provision

The school now has a computer suite with an interactive Whiteboard and 16 RM Windowbox
computers managed through a CC3 network server complete with enough pre-loaded
software to deliver the new ICT curriculum. Each machine has Internet access. The computer
suite is also equipped with a videoconferencing system and colour laser printer, 2 colour
desk jet printers and 2 scanners.
All classrooms have an Interactive whiteboard and Internet access.

In addition to this, there is a variety of other ICT equipment in school including; Roamers,
Pixies, CD and tape recorders, video and DVD players, video cameras, radios, televisions,
headphones, sensors and detectors and digital microscopes and cameras in every
classroom

A variety of software is available for all machines. This has been catalogued and curriculum
co-ordinators are being encouraged to identify and purchase software to fill the gaps.

To ensure that copyright laws are adhered to, all software is purchased with appropriate
licences and staff, pupils and parents are not permitted to run software brought in from
outside school on school machines.

An Internet policy has been developed in order to allow the safe and efficient use of the
Internet for both staff and pupils in an educational context.

To ensure continuity in the event of the absence or change in staff there is a copy of all user
names, log-ins and passwords held in the ICT co-ordinator file in the ICT suite. The
coordinator is developing a ‘How to….’ help file to be kept in the ICT suite.




                                                 4
Present curricular plans

A 2-year rolling programme from the QCA Exemplar Scheme of Work has been implemented
since September 1999. These plans have been adapted and some additional units have
been created to support our more creative approach to the curriculum and to ensure that the
ICT is relevant to the area being taught.

Current resources are sufficient to support the delivery of the QCA Exemplar Scheme of
Work. However, curriculum co-ordinators will need to identify any additional software
required as we move towards delivering 20% of the whole curriculum through the use of ICT.

Current planning for ICT is included in Long term planning and is also noted in each topic
area medium term plans. The objective is to embed ICT within all other areas of the
curriculum wherever possible. Planning should include assessment opportunities where
applicable.

In ICT, as with all subjects, in order to develop the continuity and progression of teaching and
learning, a balance between whole class, individual and group work, and direct teaching,
pupil investigation and skills practice should be planned throughout the school.

Staff confidence and expertise will be developed through training sessions provided by the
ICT Co-ordinator and external agencies.

Support will be given, where possible, with ICT planning and teaching by the ICT co-ordinator
and ICT Teaching Assistant.

After school computer clubs are held for Years 3 to 6 on a weekly rota basis and pupils are
allowed access to the ICT suite during weekly homework club and the sue of ICT permission
cards during the day.



Entitlement to the ICT curriculum

All children should have access to the use of ICT regardless of gender, race, cultural
background or physical or sensory disability. Where use of a school computer proves difficult
for a child because of a disability, the school will endeavour to provide specialist equipment
and software to enable access. Children with learning difficulties can also be given greater
access to the whole curriculum through the use of ICT. Their motivation can be heightened
and they are able to improve the accuracy and presentation of their work. This in turn can
raise self-esteem.

Planning for ICT in the Early years needs to be considered carefully if children are to begin to
gain confidence in the use of ICT. A range of appropriate hardware, software and activities
needs to be offered.

A planned curriculum based on the QCA Scheme of Work should ensure progression, but
planning needs to match the learning opportunities offered with the children’s age, abilities
and skills. Quite often there are huge differences in ability between children who have access
to home computers and those who do not. Task matching may include provision of different
software, varying the amount/type of support given, varying the tasks, varying the groupings
etc.



                                               5
Health and Safety

Children should not be responsible for moving heavy ICT equipment around the school. They
may load software but should not be given the responsibility of plugging in and switching
machines on without a member of staff present.

Food and drink should not be consumed near ICT equipment.

It is the responsibility of staff to ensure that classroom ICT equipment is stored securely,
cleaned regularly and that their class or themselves leave the ICT Suite clean and tidy after
use.

Staff should ensure that the children are seated at the computers comfortably and be aware
of the dangers of continuous use (e.g. eye/wrist strain etc).
Pupils should not use a computer continuously for more than 50 minutes.

An adult should always supervise children when they are accessing information via the
Internet. The service provider does filter information but staff are ultimately responsible for
information accessed by pupils. Please refer to our Internet Safety policy

We abide by the Health and Safety guidelines as shown on the BECTA website.
(www.becta.org.uk)

Assessment and record keeping

On-going formative assessment is an integral part of good practice. Its main purpose is to
enable the teacher to match work to the abilities and needs of the children and ensure
progression in learning.

The school is involved in trialling an on-line monitoring and assessment system that will
provide both formative and summative assessment and this will be developed in the future.

Samples of work are kept for each child. These will be stored in the individual child’s area on
the server in a year folder and a selection of examples will be kept in the Keystage portfolio
to facilitate judgement of levels.

Samples should be annotated or a written record kept detailing the activity and level of skills.
For Reception children it may not always be practical to keep samples of work, but we have a
record booklet and observations, photographs and discussions are recorded.

Each class will also keep an ICT log to record the children’s activities and achievements
during the year.



Data Protection Act

Any individual has the right in law to view information held about him or her on a computer
system. Care should be taken about any sensitive information concerning child protection
issues, etc. If a report is composed and printed on the system, it should immediately be
deleted and hard copies kept in the appropriate files in the care of the Child Protection
Officer.



                                               6
Links to the School Improvement Plan.

The ICT Co-ordinator produces a 3 year budget and action plan outlining the targets for the
following 3 years. This is used to inform the School Improvement Plan. A regular report is
produced for each Governing body termly meeting and a presentation is made to the
governors when requested about present and future developments of ICT.

An annual audit of resources is undertaken to ensure that hardware and software are kept as
up to date as possible and that obsolete or broken machines are scrapped or repaired.



Staff Development

Staff training needs will be met by:

  Auditing staff skills and confidence in the use of ICT regularly through the Hands on
 
   Support Matrix and Personal Skills audits.

  Arranging training for individuals as required, either through the audit or following
 
   individual development interviews.

  Regular staff meetings.
 

  The ICT Co-ordinator with the ICT TA should attend conferences, courses and co-
 
   ordinator twilight sessions. They should support and train staff as far as possible.

  Curriculum Co-ordinators attending courses on how to integrate ICT into the subject
 
   areas that they manage.



Monitoring

The ICT co-ordinator monitors ICT planning at least annually and the use of ICT within
subject areas is reviewed by the subject co-ordinator. Long and Medium term planning is
submitted to the Headteacher and copied to the ICT co-ordinator.
Pupils work is monitored and examples placed in the ICT Portfolio. ICT is monitored by the
Headteacher and the ICT co-ordinator, if appropriate, during classroom observations,
through pupil questioning, and through schoolwalks to observe the use of and inclusion of
ICT in classwork/display.

The Governors are kept informed of the ICT co-ordinator's work by regular updates at the
termly Governors meetings and parents are kept informed through the website or regular
newsletters.




                                            7
Extra ICT enhancing activities

 Extension work linked to Tuesday ICT activities.
 Weekly Homework club includes the use of the ICT suite.
 Use of Webquests is being developed to encourage the use of ICT both in and out of
  school through the school website.

Roles and Responsibilities.
Senior Management
The overall responsibility for the use of ICT rests with the senior management of the school.
The Head, in consultation with staff:
 determines the ways ICT should support, enrich and extend the curriculum;
 decides the provision and allocation of resources ;
 decides ways in which developments can be assessed, and records maintained ;
 ensures that ICT is used in a way to achieve the aims and objectives of the school;
 ensures that there is an ICT policy, and identifies an ICT co-ordinator.

The ICT Co-ordinator has responsibility for the ICT within the school. The Headteacher and
the Finance Sub Committee allocate funding for equipment and contracts.

The ICT Co-ordinator

The ICT Co-ordinator has the following responsibilities:

Raising standards in ICT as a National Curriculum subject.
Ensuring that a comprehensive scheme of work for ICT is taught.
Training and supporting staff in the delivery of the scheme of work and in the use of
hardware and software resources.
Training and supporting the work of the ICT Teaching Assistant
Assembling and producing teaching resources, including assessment and target setting
guidance.
Identifying and sharing effective ways of teaching using ICT
Co-ordinating ICT across the whole of the curriculum
Monitoring the progress of the school against the development plan
Managing the school's ICT resources
With the ICT Technician, sorting out faults and problems with the software and hardware.
Installing and configuring the software
Advising on the purchase and replacement of equipment and consumables.
Management of the school network
Overseeing the inventory of hardware and software
Internet filtering and the maintenance of e-mail accounts
Overseeing the timetable for the use of the ICT suite and laptops
Writing and developing policy and development information
Reviewing the school's ICT and Internet Policies
Preparing the ICT development plan
Managing the school website
Overseeing the use of display in the ICT suite


                                              8
Keeping abreast of new LEA initiatives in ICT and being aware of new developments in ICT
through attending Conferences, courses and twilights

Curriculum Co-ordinators/Class Teachers

To continue to integrate ICT into the long term plans for their subjects.
In consultation with the ICT Co-ordinator to purchase software packages that enhance ICT in
their subject areas.
To identify for staff where ICT can be used effectively within their subject.
To ensure all children have equal and appropriate access regardless of gender or race.

ICT Teaching Assistant.

To support children and staff in the ICT suite and the classroom as needed.
To maintain displays in the ICT suite.
To keep up to date with software developments.
To train and support other TAs
To problem solve hardware issues on a daily basis
To maintain the network back-up system.

Technician.

To provide field support services for 2 hours every week.
To resolve hardware problems, clean equipment and install software as identified in the on-
line issue log.
To maintain the network and install updates and patches when necessary.

Support Staff.

To improve their ICT skills through encouragement and support
To begin to integrate ICT into the curriculum
To ensure that children are receiving the ICT learning experiences that they are entitled to.

Management Information

Monitoring information.
The school undertakes regular monitoring activities in Numeracy and Literacy. The results
from these are entered into a data base. The information is used to inform future planning
and to track pupils’ progress which enables us to make an early identification of
underachievers or those needing extra support.


School Liaison, transfer and transition.
Our school administration system makes it easy for all Information on children joining or
leaving our school to be transferred electronically both mid-term and for the Keystage 2 to 3
transition. All the DfES returns are also submitted this way. This means that information is
passed on quickly and efficiently.




                                               9
Home-school Links

The school has a website which is used to publish information about the school and some of
our activities. We are consulting with our parents about the possibility of communicating
information, such as newsletters, electronically and if this is acceptable and feasible we are
moving towards most communication being via the Internet.

We regularly inform parents of new initiatives through newsletters, the website and evening
workshops, as with the VLE presentation.

Following our involvement in a 4 Year project looking at the use of a Virtual Learning
Platform to facilitate communication, collaboration and home/school links, we are now
looking at ways to develop the use of the VLE for Home/School communication.


Review and evaluation procedures

The everyday use of ICT is developing rapidly, with new technology being produced all the
time. This policy therefore will be reviewed yearly, and revised bi-annually. The ICT Co-
ordinator will liaise regularly with staff, both at staff meetings and informally, to monitor the
effectiveness of the policy and the Scheme of Work. Meetings with subject co-ordinators will
also ensure that the use of ICT across the curriculum is planned for and evaluated. This
evaluation will be used to inform the School Improvement Plan

Mrs G Hollamby ,
ICT Co-ordinator
Reviewed January 2011
ICT POLICY.DOC




                                               10