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Classroom of the future - student teachers launch pioneering ICT project at Ripple Infants School

Friday 3 February 2006

The ICT revolution in schools, even at primary level, means that student teachers need to master a new set of skills and technologies around computing and multimedia that may not be fully understood at their placement schools.

Now, students on the Primary PGCE programme at the University of East London (UEL) are exploring exciting new developments in ICT as part of a unique training placement at Ripple Infants School in Barking, a DfES Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Test Bed Project school.

Almost half a million pounds has been invested in the school’s ICT facilities over the last four years, and there is now one computer for every two pupils, as compared with a national average of 1-8.

This week saw the launch of the new Ripple Infant ICT Demo, a collaborative project organised by David Morris, Senior Lecturer in ICT on UEL’s Primary PGCE programme, and Paul Jordan, Ripple Infants’ Deputy Head Teacher who manages the ICT Test Bed Project.

David said: “Not all teaching trainees get to witness excellent practice in ICT in a high resource setting when they go on school placements. I believe that UEL are unique in providing all our PGCE trainees with experience of working in a local school where the status of ICT is extremely high and where the use of ICT in teaching is exemplary.

“It is crucial that our students learn from this opportunity to see how ICT is integrated into the curriculum and how it has been used to transform teaching and learning at Ripple Infants.”

Paul Jordan added “Our most recent ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted gave us the confidence to welcome UEL PGCE students into our school to see ICT embedded throughout the curriculum. Teaching and consolidation technologies are used in over 95% of lessons. Our school web-site provides over 150 downloadable resources for stakeholders, while our home-‘lending’ computer scheme has allowed every child in Key Stage One to have access PC to use at home.

“ICT can be a very valuable teaching tool that can enrich lessons - but there’s nothing worse than using ICT just for “the sake of it”. My main message is to inspire trainees and for them to observe exceptional practice at first-hand. We look forward to building on this partnership in years to come.”

Ripple Infant ICT Demo sessions are running from 9.00 – 11.30 on six days between Monday 30 January and Thursday 9 February. Log on to http://www.ripple-i.bardaglea.org.uk for more details.

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For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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