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Going Global
Start date: Sep 1, 2014, End date: Aug 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Background:- Emerging Technology (ET). We are aware that our children are growing up in a fast changing world & are keen to prepare them for the world of work. In the last 2 years we have heavily invested in the latest IT technologies, particularly i-pads, which we have integrated throughout the curriculum. We have shared our experiences with schools but now wish to gain more innovative ideas from European countries & expand our teaching into the fields of coding & programming. We have identified staff training needs in order to stay ahead of the curve. We expect our newly acquired knowledge to improve standards of teaching & deliver high quality learning outcomes for the children. Family Engagement (FE). We are situated within a diverse community. In recent years the profile of our school has changed & we have noted increased numbers of disengaged parents. This has the knock-on negative effect within the school of learner behaviours, & decreasing attendance figures. We have 2 key objectives: - Keep up to date with developments within the field of Emerging Technologies to effectively teach our staff, pupils & local community & engaging ‘hard to reach’ parents. Participants:- ET - Our ICT coordinators & E Learning leaders have successfully managed the implementation of iPads throughout the school & established a valuable group of pupil Digital Leaders. Both are highly motivated & have a particular interest in & knowledge of ICT. Their infectious enthusiasm has inspired other teachers to engage with new technologies. Due their prior experience of delivering high quality training sessions & on-going technical support, we feel confident that they will be able to effectively cascade this newly acquired knowledge through to all of our staff & pupils. FE- Our long serving Headteacher (our former Early Years coordinator) will attend FE in Early Years course. She is the ideal candidate because of her experience in; establishing excellent relationships with parents & families, Foundation Phase practice & studying of Emilia Reggio. Our School Improvement Plan reflects the increase in disengaged parents & we have highlighted the need to rejuvenate our efforts to engage them. Engaging hard to reach parents has been proven to have a disproportionately positive effect on student learning & achievement & also combat several poverty & deprivation issues surrounding education. Therefore we will be appointing & investing in a Family Engagement Officer (FEO) who will accompany the Head on this course. We are hopeful that this visit will inspire our FEO as he/she begins this vitally important role for our school. Description of activities:- 1. Our ICT Coordinator & E. Learning Leader are to attend a course on Emerging Technologies in Croatia focusing on i-pads, coding & programming. They will be shown how their effective teaching & learning can impact on raising the attainment of their pupils. This will enable our staff to network with IT experts from other European countries to improve their own ICT teaching. 2. Our Deputy Headteacher & newly appointed Family Liaison Officer are to attend a course on Family Engagement in Early Years, Reggio, Italy. Italy is a renowned centre of excellence for Early Years education & is known for it's ability to foster excellent, trusting & supportive relationships with parents & intergenerational family members. We will also be exploring a Reggio setting whilst in Italy to observe first-hand how they are able to successfully engage their parents in their child's learning process & reduce unauthorised absences. Methodology:- In Croatia; "there are more teachers using ICT in more than 25% of lessons, above the EU average; student use of computers in class is above the EU mean & more students are in schools where teachers have spent between 1&3 days on ICT professional level." (Survey of Schools: ICT Education, 2012). Family Engagement; "In the primary age range the impact caused by different levels of parental involvement is much bigger than differences associated with variations in the quality of schools. The scale of the impact is evident across all social classes and all ethnic groups." (Desforges 2003). Results & Long Term Benefits:- The purchase & implementation of emerging technologies & strategies as observed & studied on course in Croatia; the monitoring & evaluation of ICT lessons; engage pupils in consultation of their opinions on the ICT improvements; the attendance & feedback of Intergenerational workshop; children's increased levels of basic skills & ICT standards throughout the school. The implementation & monitoring of Family Engagement initiatives as observed & studied on course in Italy; the attendance & feedback from Intergenerational workshops LEA & cluster school presentation; the achievement of 'Investors in Families' accreditation.
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