1:1 DEvice Project

Outline of Project:

Research conducted by Leo Academy found that the digital sector now accounts for 7.7% of the UK economy and the Government has long since recognised that digital skills are an essential part of the UK’s long-term economic success. Digital inclusion is vital to employment participation, economic development, educational achievement, social and civic inclusion, health and wellbeing. Many people continue to be digitally excluded and, importantly, as technology changes there is a growing risk of a participation gap in terms of a person's ability to engage with technology. Inclusion is evolving with changes in technology and the way we teach.

Since October 2021 we have been working with Leo Academy and Bligh Primary School (one of the schools in our Trust) on a 1:1 Device Project across Year 3 and Year 4.

Project Aims:

Timbercroft is piloting the project for children to:

• have more opportunities to learn alongside peers;
• be given more problem solving opportunities;
• build skills and have opportunities to connect, collaborate and learn in new ways; ● foster creativity and critical thinking;
• promote self-learning by the students.

One of the aims is to use the technology for pupils, parents and parents/carers to work as a community to help our young learners thrive. This fits in with the vision of our learning beyond the school day. It will be a gradual migration starting with two classes with the partner classes continuing to use more traditional methods of teaching and learning in order for senior leaders to be able to analyse and measure the impact the project is predicted to have on the outcomes of the pupils. We know that some of our most disadvantaged children do not have access to technology or the affordances to have education beyond the school day.

What we are expecting from the project is to be able to extend it to 3 year groups over the next two academic years (once we have analysed the data and learned from the pilot) to allow the most vulnerable to access distance learning and improve life chances, followed by all KS2 pupils using the devices. The plan is for KS1 to then be introduced to the project, by using a 1:1 device in school, preparing the children for when they are able to take the devices home in KS2.

As part of our CPD Curriculum Strategy this will be disseminated to staff over a period that will sustain and embed the project in the future, building on improvements and feedback from staff, pupils and parents.