Summer 2011 ICT Newsletter
In this newsletter:
Professional Network – 30th June
In School Support for ICT
People
Request for Information
TeachMeet East
Snippets
,Professional Network – Secondary ICT
The new name for what have previously been called ICT Subject Leader Network Meetings.
Date | Time | Venue |
30/06/2011 15/11/2011 26/03/2012 THERE IS 17/11/2011 27/03/2012 | 09:30-16:00 09:30-16:00 09:30-16:00 NO MEETING 09:30-16:00 09:30-16:00 | Norwich Professional Development Centre Norwich Professional Development Centre Norwich Professional Development Centre IN JUNE 2011 AT THE WEST NORFOLK PDC West Norfolk Professional Development Centre West Norfolk Professional Development Centre |
The meeting on June 30th will be led by Kathryn Tipper, ICT Adviser for Suffolk. The objectives are
·To ensure subject leaders are kept abreast of international, national and local developments and issues relating to the curriculum and the Subject Leader’s role.
·To facilitate cooperation, mutual support and sharing of resources and ideas amongst subject leaders
·To provide an opportunity to raise the level of competence and confidence in areas of subject leadership and management, teaching and learning and achievement of all pupils.
·To develop a coherent approach to ICT Across the Curriculum.
· Review the implementation of the current GCSE and other specifications.
· Offer an opportunity for discussion and debate, particularly in relation to curriculum development
As part of the Summer Network we will take a closer look at the new GCSE, consider the value of different qualifications for the future, to explore image manipulation techniques and their place in the curriculum. We will also look at “20 cool tools for teachers that take 3 minutes to learn” and we will take the opportunity to explore these, and other tools, in more depth and consider where and how we could use these to reinvigorate the ICT curriculum in our schools.
Costings
The best value for money is to be had by signing up for the Professional Networks package that has been advertised to schools thus in the Services to Schools Brochure:
Professional Networks Our professional networks enable groups of practitioners to keep up with key developments, receive specialist advice and training and collaborate with teachers in similar roles across Norfolk.
Core Networks: English, Mathematics, Science, ICT (subject and whole school) |
½ Day of in School Support (flexible) Online Community and e-mail Support Whole Training Day/Network per Term (face to face) LA schools: £500 per Network Academies: £550 per network |
Please contact Danni Youngs email: danielle.youngs@norfolk.gov.uk
direct dial 01603 303304
Note that you’ll need to ensure that your school has specified that they have bought this package for ICT.
Alternatively you can pay for individual meetings at the rate of £160 each (or £180 for academies)
In-school support for ICT
Apart from the half-day of support that you get by buying the Professional Network package above,your school can buy advice and support either on a day or half-day basis (£640 or £330 for LA schools, £680 or £360 for academies) oras part of the Secondary Flex package advertised to schools thus in the Services to Schools Brochure:
Secondary Flex
Bespoke School Improvement and Professional Development
The Integrated Education Advisory Service has a track record of effective secondary school improvement. Our successful approaches are tried and tested and supported by contemporary theory. We understand that the key to school improvement is capacity building through strategically designed, sustainable and manageable models of support which lead to a real change in the way teachers think about their practice.
We also have the expertise necessary to help you establish or monitor the quality of provision. Normally this would be based on inspection criteria, but this can always be tailored to school needs. This may take the form of:
• Subject Health Checks (all subjects covered)
• Key Issue Audits (e.g. Behaviour, Assessment)
• Whole school ‘Mocksted’
Our expertise of working at whole school level, with departments and individuals is second to none. Some of our work has been part of national developments, for example developing assessment resources. Whilst addressing identified issues, we will always aim for impact that leads to sustainable improvement. Our key areas of expertise include:
• Designing a personalised CPD programme to improve teaching and learning
• Increasing good and outstanding practice in the classroom
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Intelligent use of data and performance tracking to raise attainment
• Developing systems of effective self and departmental evaluation
• Developing effective Line Management
• Department tracking and target setting using data analysis
• Support for NQTs, new subject leaders and individual teachers
• Effective systems of student intervention and academic monitoring
• Brokerage of support through:
o Clear identification of most suitable support, strategies or intervention
o Support for monitoring the effectiveness of agreed measures
o Evaluation of impact
• Advice and Support for all the key aspects of school improvement
o Pastoral leadership
o Behaviour, Attendance and SEAL
o Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
o Gifted and Talented provision
o Preparation for inspection
• Strategic Planning, Building a Vision and Systems Leadership
Schools can purchase in whole day units of support, for example:
3 days - £1920 5 days - £3200 10 days - £6400
Please contact Danni Youngs, email: danielle.youngs@norfolk.gov.uk
direct dial 01603 303304
People
As you all know, we’re all in this together and the budget cuts mean radical changes in personnel.
Anne Mitchell, our wonderful admin assistant, is leaving us in mid June, to be replaced (as if that were possible!) by Danni Youngs danielle.youngs@norfolk.gov.uk . Direct dial 01603 303304. If you would like to get in touch with Anne, you can do so via email until June 14th and then via Seb.
Many of you will be aware that Wendy Styles moved in January to be AST at Lynn Grove High School. Johannes Ahrenfelt and Pip Cartwright are moving on too, they are both looking to work more closely with businesses and are fast developing innovative ideas around QR Codes. Some of you may have met Sheila Denny, who has been supporting primary ICT in Norfolk for 10 years. Sheila is looking forward to enjoy an early retirement.
Jill Duman is taking up her post as ICT Adviser within the Integrated Education Advisory Services. Jill has been supporting primary schools for over 8 years and is already working on some transition projects with Cliff Park and Lynn Grove High Schools. Sebastian Gasse is taking up a new post within the Educational Achievement, Improvement and Governance Section of Children’s Services. He will continue to support secondary ICT as part of his new role.
Please stay in touch:
Jill Duman
Jill.duman@norfolk.gov.uk
01603 307785
Sebastian Gasse
Sebastian.gasse@norfolk.gov.uk
@sebgasse m 07876137936 w 01603 307714
Toby Jones (AST) at Notre Dame High School is currently not very well and undergoing surgery. If you wish to send messages of support or a ‘get well’ card, you can do so via Notre Dame High School.
Nigel Sinclair (AST) would like to hear from you if you are interested in joint projects following the TIPD trip, or if you are interested in support for ICT.
Request for information
Charlotte Land of City Academy Norwich would like to hear from people teaching or planning to teach the OCR iMedia Course. Please contact her directly on charlotte.land@cityacademynorwich.org.
TeachMeet East
The next Teachmeet East will take place on June 25th - a fabulous opportunity to share ideas with colleagues keen to innovate with ICT.
Snippets from the blogosphere
(some of these have been sourced from other newsletters)
10 Interesting way to use a mobile phone in the classroom (I like no. 8…)
Ofcom release report on parents understanding of internet
Teachers TV closed, but archives to be available
Government publishes response to the Wolf Review of Vocational Education
The Department published its response to the Wolf Review recently. Please see the quote from the introduction and a link below.
We will take action on all of Professor Wolf’s individual recommendations, and in doing so, deliver on three key themes.
We will:
- Ensure that all young people study and achieve in English and mathematics, ideally to GCSE A*-C, by the age of 19. For those young people who are not immediately able to achieve these qualifications, we will identify high quality English and maths qualifications that will enable them to progress to GCSE later. We will also reform GCSE to ensure that they are a more reliable indicator of achievement in the basics, in particular by ensuring that GCSEs are reformed alongside our current review of the National Curriculum.
- Reform performance tables and funding rules to remove the perverse incentives which have served only to devalue vocational education, while pushing young people into qualification routes that do not allow them to move into work or further learning. Those vocational qualifications that attract performance points will be the very best for young people – in terms of their content, assessment and progression.
- Look at the experience of other countries to simplify Apprenticeships, remove bureaucracy and make them easier for employers to offer.
This is a substantial programme of reform that will transform the lives of young people. While system change on this scale cannot happen overnight, we are determined to act as quickly as possible to ensure that improvements can begin to have a positive impact for young people as soon as possible and urge all delivery partners to do the same.
We are also delighted that Professor Wolf has agreed that she will continue to provide advice to the Government as plans for implementation are developed in more detail and then delivered. Working closely with Government officials, she will ensure the spirit and detail of the review is implemented and will provide Ministers with regular updates on progress.
This document sets out the Government’s response to Professor Wolf’s recommendations. We accept all of them, and what follows sets out how we will take them forward. Rather than simply take each recommendation in turn, it considers her report thematically and sets out how the Government will implement not just the letter but the spirit of her report, transforming the quality of vocational education for young people in this country.
Full document available here.
Data handling using large data sets?
Free access to 1911 census for schools
In March 2011 the great census took place and schools connected to the National Education Network have been invited to join a project that gives free access to the 1911 census online.
Until the end of the Summer term (31 July 2011) findmypast.co.uk is offering schools free access to research the 1911 census online database. Follow the link to search for people and places in the 1911 census for England and Wales.
For further details click here.
Keywords: communication, GCSE, ict, information, newsletter, norfolk, Professional Network, subject leaders, summer2011, technology