St Faith's Prep
Digital Innovation
We live in an increasing digital world and we see it as our responsibility to teach pupils how to safely and intelligently harness the power of technology.
Our digital learning vision:
Our skilful integration of digital learning strategies into the traditional classroom equips pupils with the skills, confidence and abilities to intelligently exploit technology to enhance learning, communication and creativity. St Faith’s seeks to be innovative in the use of technology to prepare pupils for digital futures.
Implicit in our vision is:
The importance that digital skills will play in pupils’ lives and to collectively understand that equipping pupils for digital futures is a necessary outcome of a St Faith’s education.
That traditional ways of working e.g. writing by hand, are very valuable and should be retained, and to understand that we want to use digital tools in a discriminating and thoughtful way. We therefore have a blended approach, where we use digital tools to complement other ways of working.
Digital tools can support us in our aim to provide inclusive and equitable learning environments, where everyone can thrive.
What technology do we use at St Faith’s?
- Six dedicated technology suites equipped with a range of technologies
- VR headsets
- iPads are our mobile technology of choice: Shared sets of iPads for Foundation – Year 6, 1-1 iPads for Years 7 and 8 (equipped with keyboard and stylus)
- 1-1 iPads for some Learning Support pupils in Years 5 and 6 (where technology is a reasonable adjustment cited in an Educational Care Plan)
- Our main learning platform for pupils in Pre Prep – Year 4 is Seesaw
- Our main learning platform for pupils in Years 5 – 8 is Microsoft Teams/OneNote
How do we use technology at St Faith’s?
| Where? | Why? | What might you see pupils doing? |
|---|---|---|
| In Computing lessons | Our engaging and rigorous Computing curriculum can be accessed here | Using desktops, iPads, robotics and VR headsets Supporting each other with their learning Making decisions on what the best solution is for problems Linking their learning to real world scenarios Being challenged |
| Across the wider curriculum | We use technology to: Develop digital literacy skills Personalise learning Provide pupils with a range of formats to creatively present their understanding Develop research. critical thinking and problem solving skills Develop collaboration and communication skills |
In Year 3, we have recently used Augmented Reality to help pupils to carefully look at the structure of teeth and their position within the mouth, to aid their knowledge and understanding of diet and digestion.
Pupils can be seen using the iPad to record their work. For example, they may record a video of themselves explaining a concept, to demonstrate their understanding. You may see iPads being used in some PE and Games lessons to video pupils completing particular skills. Teachers will review the clips with pupils to provide instant feedback about their technique.Pupils use desktop computers and iPads to complete longer pieces of written work in some subjects. Completing this type of work digitally brings a number of advantages, for example the ability to easily move text between paragraphs, and to be able to work collaboratively on the same document. You may see pupils in lessons working on online adaptive quizzes. The quizzes tailor the level of difficulty to the child’s needs and provide instant feedback which can help to inform the next part of their learning journey. |
How do we help pupils to be safe when using technology?
Technology can be engaging and helpful, however using it does come with some risks and a key priority at St Faith’s is to teach pupils how to use digital tools safely. We do this in a range of ways:
We have a network agreement which clearly set out our code of conduct for using technology
The school has web filtering and monitoring in place which follows the relevant policies and guidance. Web filtering is also in place for pupils when using school iPads at home.
Pupils are taught about e-safety within both the Computing and Personal Social Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) curriculum
We create digital bulletins to support parents to keep their children safe at home Pupils are not allowed to use mobile phones on the school site
Pupils can only use their iPads when given permission to do so
