The Profile
Profiles of Professionals Working in the Education Sector
The Profile
Andew Davies had been Head of Clunbury C.E School for 5 years and in this time the school has excelled in its use of ICT, resulting in a Becta ICT Excellence award for the best primary school in 2007.
Do you have a background in ICT?
I’ve always been interested in ICT and the way it enhances teaching and learning. It’s a path that we decided to go down with this school amd now we’re just constantly expanding and developing what we’re doing. For example we’ve used Nintendo DS’s in the classroom to develop pupils’ maths skills and sentence structures and we try to exploit innovative uses of technology wherever possible. The pupils respond immensely well and it helps them engage with subjects in a new way. What I enjoy most is seeing what the
Can you briefly describe the type of school you work in?
We’re a small rural school of about 70 children plus a nursery situated in the rolling hills of South Shropshire.
What lead you to become a Headteacher?
I’ve been Headteacher for five years. I took on acting headship here for one term initially and that led into headship.
What do you think makes a good school leader?
Someone who has a clear vision as to where they want to take the school and the personal and professional skills to achieve that vision. But foremostly it’s someone that has the children’s wellbeing at heart.
What has been your biggest achievement?
Winning Becta’s ICT in excellence award for the best primary school in the county. It has involved them coming in here and we’ve done interviews for the Times Ed, the TES and Teachers TV and Sir Jim Rose has also been here, and we’re featured in the independent
78 •
School Management Today
primary curriculum review. This is a major achievement, particularly for a small primary and I now present key note speeches nationally on the development of ICT in school and look at ways pupils can embrace web technologies and pod casting throughout the curriculum. We’ve developed our own school website and do a lot of work with blogging and podcasting.
How does this benefit pupils?
It prepares pupils for life in the future and jobs that don’t even exist today and gives them a wealth of skills in a variety of different areas. We also do a lot of personalised learning which enables us to cater for the needs of individual pupils and help them achieve the most that they can. We’ve had a lot of interest as a result of the award and it actually gives the children a vision of what they can achieve and has also helped parents to engage much more in learning. We used to do newsletters for parents but now they can catch up with news online and on their i-phones and see the work that the pupils have been doing that very day, that has been saved on the learning platform.
children get out of it and seeing them leave school as fully-formed people ready for secondary school and life. We provide them with skills that they can carry into other areas of their lives and make their own futures. ICT is going to be more and more important, so we’re sure that the children have the skills to survive in the real world. We look at the benefits of using
ICT and the benefits to children and staff and we have the responsibility to prepare children. As a rural school ICT is especially important as it’s a way that we can communicate and collaborate with schools around the world. In the past we’ve collaborated with schools in Singapore and New York and worked closely, collaborating with a school in Wolverhampton at no cost to us. Video- conferencing with schools elsewhere is great when we’re both working on a similar task. One child in year 6 is currently working closely with a child in another school using videoconferencing, which helps build connections and friendships. We’re looking at ways in which we can move the school further forward, raising standards, conserving and sustaining what we’re doing and ensuring that our work is sustainable for the future.
NEWS & INFORMATION
NEWS & INFORMATION
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80