IT PROVISION 2026 LEARNING TECHNOLOGY Over the past few years, the role and use of technology in learning has evolved rapidly and we are now comfortable that well specified and well used technology offers major benefits for pupils through their school life. At Claremont we see three different elements of this: the availability to all pupils of a consistent, reliable and high-quality laptop; the use of the Microsoft Teams environment throughout their learning both in school and at home; and the presence of fully interactive screens in all our learning spaces for use by both teachers and pupils. These are underpinned by continual investment in our infrastructure and in skills and training. MICROSOFT TEAMS AND ONENOTE At the heart of pupils learning is the Microsoft Teams environment. Pupils and their teachers are connected by the Teams and through this work is set, shared, discussed, reviewed and assessed. Teachers will set exercises and assignments and pupils will respond with handwritten or typed responses, sketches or comments which are visible immediately to the teacher who can guide, coach and comment in real time but leaving a permanent record for reflection and revision. OneNote provides the structure and tools for this, and the pupils' laptop and stylus enable them to engage easily and in a way which suits them. As the year progresses this OneNote builds up into a combined, comprehensive electronic record which brings together the "exercise book", the teacher's materials, the workings and the assignments -together with all of the pupil's reflections and teacher's comment and review. When all of this is combined with increasing use of on-line resources and on-line texts, we expect to see those cumbersome and heavy rucksacks full of books much reduced! INTERACTIVE CLASSROOMS Traditional projectors and screens in classrooms have been 'one way' - they transmit from teacher to pupil. The interactive screens we've installed provide two major advances over this traditional technology. Firstly, teachers and pupils can write, sketch or draw on the screen directly for the whole class. But more importantly our wireless connections allow any of the pupils to connect to the screen. This enables small groups to work together around a screen, allows individual pupils to showcase their work and allows a teacher or pupil to project from anywhere in the room. All of this supports a far more collaborative and reflective approach to learning which is so important in preparing pupils for the world of work. INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVICE PURCHASE SCHEME - YEAR 3 In 2023, following extensive work with pupils, teachers and informed by visits to other schools, we took the decision to standardise on the 'convertible' style laptop as the preferred device for all pupils in Junior School (Years 3-6). These devices are cost effective, manageable size and weight, reliable and have excellent writing and drawing support. This supports our objectives to continually transform and improve teaching and learning through considered use of the Microsoft Teams environment and in particular the OneNote 'digital exercise book' approach. Pupils will need their laptop from the start of Year 3. This will give the children access to an up-to-date device at home and at school from the start of Prep years. We anticipate a single device will serve the children well throughout their Year 3-6 journey. We should point out that these young children will not switch to learning in a totally digital environment. We will continue to utilise a range of teaching and learning methods, of which the digital environment will be one, to ensure the children's broad and balanced educational experience. The convertible laptop which operates either as a conventional laptop with keyboard or as a tablet is important to support both formal use (writing, researching topics) but also interactive use where materials are annotated, modified, shared and projected in a dynamic and flexible classroom or learning space. We know that many pupils entering Year 3 may be considered 'digital natives' but still have very limited exposure to keyboards and in particular to the MS Office suite. During Year 3 pupils will be steadily introduced to their devices, its power and functions - not only doing 'real work' during Year 3 but also preparing them for later years in school. We consider it essential for effective classroom learning that pupils have consistent devices at this age and that those devices are of sufficient quality. It is also essential that they are configured with the correct software, that they operate seamlessly with the school network, and that they carry the right tools for maintaining security and controlling access to internet resources in line with our safeguarding processes.
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