Views & Opinion Is your IT driving school
improvement? Comment by Steve Smith, director of learning, Capita Managed IT Solutions
There has been an explosion in education technology in recent years, bringing a plethora of exciting and innovative products in to schools.
But for schools today, making decisions about purchasing IT can be like walking into the most exciting sweet shop where you are surrounded by an enticing array of wonderful colours, flavours and smells – yet you have a limited amount of pocket money to spend. So, what can schools do to exploit the technological revolution in a way that will meet the needs of their students and staff – but also fit their budget?
Consider the school improvement plan
New technologies regularly come to market that are designed to better engage pupils in their learning, keep parents informed or save teachers time. Knowing what you want IT to achieve for your school is the essential first step to getting the right technology and infrastructure in the place where it will make the greatest difference. Senior leaders have a very clear idea of what they want to achieve in their school. The agreed objectives are already set out in the school improvement plan so this is a good place to start when it comes to looking at where technology might help. One head I visited wanted to improve outcomes in history and so introduced affordable green screen technology into lessons. By doing this, students could experience what it was like to be surrounded by the sights and sounds of Victorian England and their interest in the subject was instantly ignited.
Another school for pupils with special educational needs wanted to give students the chance to enjoy experiences and environments that would otherwise be off limits to them. The school used the same technology as the previous head, but in a very different way. The green screen allowed the school to take pupils virtually to places they otherwise wouldn’t be able to visit, such as the slopes of a mountain.
Custom IT solutions that fit your school
A school’s objective might be to boost students’ maths scores, make learning more interactive or support children with special education needs and disabilities. Whatever it is, senior leaders need the right kit that is available at the right price.
Any number of suppliers will be only too willing to show you their latest offerings, which can come with a price tag that takes little account of schools’ budgetary constraints. Why pay for a full software package when a Google app will do? And for that matter, why pay for comprehensive IT support when online or occasional support is all you need?
One of the tricks to getting the balance right though is to find a trusted IT partner that is more familiar with both the classroom and the whole school. A long-term partner will have the technology expertise available so they can custom fit the IT to both the school’s budget and its improvement goals.
When technology is tailored to a school’s individual needs and budget, it can be a key enabling factor to allow the school to meet its improvement goals – and a crucial dynamic in ensuring that students receive the most appropriate learning experience.
16
www.education-today.co.uk
Is the next Head of Ofsted likely to be an American and does it
really matter? Comment by Dr. Matt O’Leary, Reader in Education, Birmingham City University
Never one to shy away from a challenge and with a tendency to attract confrontation, the Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw is a formidable character who has caused controversy amongst politicians and practitioners alike during his term in office.
Now two years later the government has decided to call time on Sir Michael’s tenure and recent press reports suggest they are looking to the US for his replacement. But what does this tell us about the relationship between the Department for Education and Ofsted in England? And does it really matter where the next chief inspector comes from?
Ofsted is a non-ministerial government department that is technically meant to be independent, working with not for the government. Yet since its creation, the reality is that the boundaries between the extent of its independence from and collaboration with government have often remained blurred.
There have been times when the teaching profession and its unions have accused Ofsted of being little more than a political puppet. Yet equally, there have been frequent clashes between the inspectorate and the government over education policy and their interpretation of each other’s remits. And it is the latter that has been at the heart of recent developments.
Only six months ago, in a statement to mark the first 100 days of the Conservative government, David Cameron announced that he wanted every school in the country to become an academy and that it would be a priority of this parliament to make it happen. However, recently, Ofsted has become a significant fly in the government’s academy conversion ointment. Inspection outcomes have seen numerous academies previously rated as outstanding schools having slipped to inadequate or requiring improvement since their conversion. Needless to say, such judgements have exacerbated existing tensions between Whitehall and the inspectorate.
Not happy with what some in government perceive as Sir Michael’s criticism of academies and determined not to be thrown off course, the Department of Education has decided to flex its statutory muscle and replace him. It is anticipated that his successor is likely to be someone who shares the principles underpinning the government’s academisation and free schools agenda. The ideological similarities between US charter schools and academies and free schools in the UK mean that it is not surprising that some of the names touted to date are those with close affiliations to the US movement. Whether Sir Michael’s successor comes from the US or closer to home is not what should concern us most in this debate. Naturally whoever succeeds him should have a detailed understanding of the cultural, educational, economic, political and social makeup of England and the challenges it currently faces. What should concern us most, however, is that the Department for Education continues to have the power to impose its political agenda on what is meant to be an independent inspectorate of the Crown and to appoint/remove its leader whenever it wishes.
The end of Sir Michael’s tenure raises important questions about reform. Is it time to reform the relationship between the state and Ofsted? Should there be a clear separation of power between the two in the same way that there is between the state and the judiciary? And whilst we’re at it, is it also time to rethink the inspectorate’s role and who chooses its chief inspector?
March 2016
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