In this newsletter:

Professional Network – 30^th June

In School Support for ICT

People

Request for Information

Snippets

,Professional Network – Secondary ICT

The new name for what have previously been called ICT Subject Leader Network Meetings.

The meeting on June 30^th 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:

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.

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

Australia:

You may recall that I wrote in September to ask who was interested in teacher international development.  Well, we are off to Australia and the colleagues who are going might well be in touch with you as part of their research.  In fact, if you could support Nigel Sinclair (AST, Dereham Neatherd) who is co-leading this trip with some answers to these questions, he will be very grateful.  Colleagues will be reporting back during the ICT Subject Leader Network and the KS3 Network in the Summer Term.  The list of people going can be found in our Fronter room.

Staffing changes:

Wendy Styles returned to Lynn Grove High School at the beginning of January and will be working as ICT AST with a whole school focus on assessment.  Although school funded, Wendy can still provide some support for ICT across the county.  Please contact Seb in the first instance.

As part of the reorganisation (part 1) here at the Integrated Advisory Services we have welcomed Sheila Denny and Jill Duman to be formally part of the ICT Team.  We’ve always worked closely together anyway, but we are now back in the same room and you might meet Sheila or Jill, as all of us are working much more across all phases.

Courses:

We are planning some exciting courses around the use of Google Apps for Education as well as collaborating with Vital on a range of face to face and online courses.  Watch out for the new course brochure to be sent out soon.

Subject Leader Network for ICT      -      Spring Term 2011 - please book with Anne Mitchell

The following agenda is designed to develop your knowledge, understanding and skills in order to improve standards in your department

 Session 1

·        Brief updates

·        Impact of white paper on ICT

·        Functional skills incl. apprenticeships

·        Wolf report on Vocational Education (role of ICT Qualifications including IT Diploma)

Session 2

·        The Curriculum Review

·        What ICT should every pupil learn?

·        EBac, Gold Standard and ICT

Session 3

·        Developing learning and teaching through schemes of work

·        Examples for Y7 integrated curriculum, Year 9 and OCR

·        Choice of focus to work on

o       Considering differentiation

o       Behaviour and climate for learning

o       Developing subject knowledge

Session 4

·        Feedback from Teachers International Development – ICT Teachers in Australia

Session 5

·        Evaluating different tracking models (3 groups)

o       Vocational related qualifications (OCR, DIDA, BTec)

o       New GCSEs, IT Diploma

o       APP at KS3

Session 6

·        ICT across the curriculum

o       Effective models for tracking and development.

o       Progression or consolidation through cross-curricular teaching?

Norfolk ICT Conference

Free for Norfolk Schools, £154 per delegate for all other participants.  The Norfolk ICT Conference at the John Innes Centre has got some fabulous keynote speakers and will take place on 23rd and 24th March 2011.  Dawn Hallybone and Ewan McIntosh are confirmed keynote speakers.

Norfolk Learning Platform.

Norfolk Learning Content Network.

Update on APP.

Functional Skills.

New GCSEs in ICT.

Subject Leader Network.

New A Level Network.

IT Diploma Network.

My Illness.

Norfolk Learning Platform.
The main component of this is Fronter, which has now been made available to 38 schools, in which its use is consistently increasing as staff develop their expertise. At least one more secondary school will start using Fronter this academic year, as will all five PRUs. Our leading schools are reporting significant benefits to teaching and learning, as well as to whole school organisation. Contact Pip if you have any questions about your VLE use.

Norfolk Learning Content Network.
Increasing numbers of networks (groups of schools) in each phase have gained significant funding from the NLCN being managed by Johannes. Even with the comprehensive publicity of the project via the web, Twitter, e-bulletins, Fronter news as well as actual meetings and networks, we still need more of you to think of innovative ideas for resources and courses to develop for Norfolk. If you cannot find the answer to your questions on the various support sites and materials contact Johannes for help

Update on APP.
Many schools are starting to make good use of the database and are getting to grips with building more opportunities for assessment into schemes of work.  We are looking to develop this during the next project meeting on Tues 2nd WNPDC and Fri 5th March 2010 Norwich PDC. Have you checked the APP Resources recently? Last change was to the ICT Database in December 09 but Wendy is still working on it

Functional Skills.
Sec Ed have released a Functional Skills supplement in their newsletter It is now in the general Functional Skills Room. The ICT FS folder will be closed off shortly and the materials will only be found in the FS Room from then on. This is because we view the collaborative aspects of FS make separate information points uneccessary. The FS material seen on the Strategy Managers’ Briefing day will be being placed in the FS Room. Don’t forget the final Draft specifications are out or just about to be released
5th Feb 2010 was the final submission date for FS specification accreditation by Ofqual for the examining bodies. The decision date is the 19th March so we will know by Easter.

New GCSEs in ICT.
Specifications for new ICT GCSE courses have now been approved for AQA, OCR and Edexel.  Edexel seems to be the exam board of choice in Norfolk, for those departments offering an academic qualification at KS4.  Most departments are offering a vocational qualification and some are increasing the breadth of the curriculum offer with additional units for from which the students choose.

Subject Leader Network.
Our termly subject leader network will take place at West Norfolk PDC on March 29th and at City Academy Norwich on March 30th.  We are looking forward to trying out some ideas of using the flexible learning space provided by the ‘Future Zone’ at CAN.  Please book with Anne Mitchell.

New A Level Network.
Kim Williams at Wymondham College is running the first A Level Network for us in Wymondham College at1:30 on the 15th March. A number of schools have already booked with Anne Mitchell. If you do A Levels you need to do the same. We think it could follow the same pattern as other succesful Networks with self-help groups starting up and discussion of current issues and their solutions supporting the further improvement of our A Level results.

IT Diploma Network.
We are holding our first IT Diploma network for all practitioners involved in delivering the IT Diploma in Norfolk.  The meeting will take place on March 23rd at the PDC in Norwich.  We will be joined by SSAT Diploma support experts, who will give advice on the extended project.  We will also join colleagues from Cisco virtually to discuss a diploma visit opportunity to their headquarters.

My Illness.
I would like to pass on my thanks to all of you for your kind comments when you heard of my illness especially those whose videos I will treasure.
For those of you who are unaware and think I’m losing it even more than normal and for those of you are know a little but are curious, I have an inoperable Cancer with secondaries which, thank goodness, is very slow growing. Physically I am as fit as ever, but no one is certain about the duration of this state of well-being. Because of this I am, as the old pop star says on leaving the Identity Parade round on ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’, considering my options. I’ll keep you all posted. Richard.

There are some useful new resources from the strategy available on the website:

Three new sets of materials covering Handling data, Problem solving and Evaluating have been added to the Removing barriers to progress in ICT series. Using video clips from classrooms, these materials illustrate a range of approaches to help strengthen this key area of ICT capability.

This is organised by NAGC and entrants must make a video clip of what it means to them to be gifted and talented in today’s society. The clip must contain our It’s Alright to be Bright! four line wording and should be original, humorous and have universal appeal.

Please find more details here:YouTube Competition.pdf

GCSE ICT 2010 | Draft Specifications Online

The E2BN Annual Conference is being held this year on the 23rd & 24th June.

For those of you who are not aware of it this is a mini BETT or NAACE with lots of focussed and interesting seminars for teachers, more time for sensible conversations and for seeing equipment and software. Its free because we are part of E2BN; they provide our broadband and all the resources we can access on it, which you can see here as well. There is a Dinner on the Tuesday night which the sponsors provide. Accomodation cost is £85 for the night.

I guarantee you will find something to interest you. Richard.

http://www.conference.e2bn.org/  is the main site and points to the booking page.

http://conference.e2bn.org/article.php?ID=52  to see what other teachers think about it.