Best Practice Forum

Friday 9th February. 9.30-3.00pm
(Please Note new date and times)
Being E-Safe in an E-world: The pitfalls and the benefits of teaching in the 21st Century

With the review of the OFSTED framework to now include an aspect on E-Safety and a partnered section in the SFR and the ICT Frameworks, schools are now focussing on the development of E-Safety documentation and responsibilities. This BPF is developed to support schools in developing these to embed them during this year.

Coffee will be available along with a number of materials, books and software for you to evaluate from 9am

9.30: Welcomes and introduction to the day followed by Updates: what key issues have happened in schools over the term, what upcoming training is scheduled and a discussion of the outcomes of the BETT exhibition
10.00 E-safety Issues for Schools: Ruth Hammond - Safeguarding Manager, Becta an overview of the policy implications and practical solutions to safeguarding children in a digital word. This session was provided to schools leaders as part of the LGFL “E-Safety Conference” and was one of the most popular sessions. A preview of her session as well as her notes can be found on the LGFL E-Safety section followed by Q&A with Ruth Hammond11.00 Coffee
11.15 Katy Potts: E-Safety Resources- What’s out there for us? A look at the various resources (most of them free) available to schools to support e-safety in a practical classroom base as well as a policy driven focus

12.00 Exploring the resources- a chance to look at the resources seen during the sessions this morning and to evaluate their use for your school

12.30 Lunch

1.15-3pm- E-Safety Workshop
In feedback from schools, this BPF will include an afternoon practical implementation workshop allowing colleagues to work collaboratively to develop, adapt and collate a number of materials focussing particularly on E-Safety in schools. It is envisioned that by the end of the session a number of template “E-Safety” Policies and documents will have been drafted that all schools will be able to take away and implement in their school policy review

To confirm attendance, please contact Kathryn Ryan on 020 8496 5807 or Kathryn.Ryan@edu.lbwf.gov.uk

DFES Announce ICT Test to be non-statutory

As you will have been made aware through the communications to Head teachers from the DFES and NAA over the last week as well as the reports on the BBC News channels and websites, on the 9th January, at the BETT exhibition, it was announced that under discussion with a number of high level organisations and the NAA, the DFES has decided to NOT make the ICT Onscreen test for Year Nine a statutory requirement for schools to undertake. It is NOT- as reported in some news sources being scrapped outright in its entirety.

We understand this may be a relief for some schools and for others a piece of news that comes after much work had been done in implementing the test and getting the school prepared for this year’s cohort.

As consultants and advisors for ICT, we are disappointed that the first we heard about this news were the reports on the BBC News website, on the Friday before the announcement was made, but are aware that news about this when no decision had been made centrally would have led to a stalling of the test in schools.

In discussion with the NAA and QCA as well as National Strategies, it is recommended that schools still continue to plan to implement the test as planned for this year’s cohort.

While the test is not a statutory requirement, the positive tools it provides in moderation, exemplification and standardisation cannot be ignored, particularly for a subject as important as ICT, particularly in its detailed formative feedback on student and cohort development and attainment.

The test, after 2007, is planned to become an “On demand” style test, that schools would be able to implement at any time they feel appropriate and be used to gain a standardised assessment of students capabilities as well as a personalised formative feedback on each pupil.
As we receive more information about this development, we will keep schools up to date and informed.

To support subject leaders and discuss the issues regarding this change in Government policy, we will be holding and Emergency ICT Subject Leaders Network (for KS3 ICT Leaders) on Thursday 18th January at 4pm at the City Learning Centre which all schools are recommended to send a representative to.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss in more detail what this means for your school, please feel free to contact Christian Smith or Geoff Preston in the Secondary Strategies team who will be happy to support you.

KS3 Test Update 1

YOu've probably all seen the news about the ICT Test and the NAA over the last week or so
DFES will be making an announcement on Wednesday at Bett which we will update you on as soon as possible

Christian

Who's Going to BETT from LBWF?

Just to let people know, I'll be at Bett Weds and Friday
Peter will be there Wednesday
Geoff, Salim and Stuart will be there Thursday
Alistair will be there with Dickon Wednesday as well

So if you're there and want another opinion or just to bend our ears. please let us know

KS4 Support

This term we will be focussing on KS4 coursework. Apart from being an issue identified within this authority, it has also been highlighted as a problem by the National Strategy and by exam boards. It has become apparent that many of the unexpedidly low grades in recent years has often been due to issues with coursework. Problems have arisen throughout the whole coursework approach including setting and monitoring. We have seen several examples of incorrectly assessed or moderated coursework which has resulted in pupils being awarded grades that were below expectations.

Over the next two weeks we will be arranging meetings with each subject leader to ask the following questions...

Are you on track for all coursework for each pupil to be completed on time?
What are you doing about pupils who have not completed all coursework?
Have you identified borderline pupils (eg borderline C/D grades) and what is being done to help them raise their grades?
What is being done to ensure marking is consistent across the department?
How have you addressed the comments in last year's examiners' feedback? (It would be useful to have this document at the meeting.)

We are suggesting that during the meeting we will view some examples of recently completed Year 11 coursework (including an expected A and C grade student) so that we can ensure that marking is in accordance with the criteria set out by the examination board and is consistent across the borough. We hope this will be an opportunity to identify any obvious issues and to be able to extract good practice that can be shared with other departments across the borough before coursework is submitted.

This is particularly important if there were issues last year, including mass re-moderation and subsequent reduction of marks by the examination board, or if you are undertaking a course which is new to the school. It is also important for schools who received good grades in recent years so that we can see continued success and that good practice can be shared with others.

Best Xmas Sale Deal

We all did it- wandered round the sales and probably bought at least 1 thing for the computer
What was it!? Don't keep the good deals to yourself

Mine...
A 320gb external hard drive for £79 from PC World and a 2gb USB pen from PC World for £24
A DIVX Player hardrive for £100

BETT!?

It's only a week away!
Who's going?
What days?
What are you looking for?

This year, we'll have the usual competition, whoever posts the best freebie they can pick up from a supplier at Bett (without having bought anything first!) will win a prize at the next Best Practice Forum/Network Meeting

Is your school ready for the QCA Onscreen ICT Test for Year Nine?

This year is the last year of piloting the Onscreen ICT test for Y9’s before it becomes statutory in 2008.

Based on feedback from last year’s pilots, while subject teachers were generally prepared for the test and started to deliver test preparation sessions, they did not plan themselves enough curriculum time to adequately prepare the pupils fully. We have been supporting subject leaders over the past year to develop this and will continue to do so through the next few months.

One of the other key areas that the pilot schools found an issue was the administrative and logistic preparation for the test in terms of exams procedures, rules and allocations of staff and invigilators.

The test must to be run under exam procedures, and will have an effect on the availability of the ICT suites and technical staff during the test period for the rest of the school

To support schools in preparing the logistics of the test, we have agreed with John Smyth from the NAA to deliver a half day briefing and Q&A session for every exams officer in secondary schools in the LA. This session will provide an opportunity for questions to be answered directly from the NAA on issues such as extra time, readers and adequate timings between sessions in a school

The session will be held for all secondary schools on Monday 15^th January at the City Learning Centre, Billet Road, from 9.30 to 12.30 and is offered to all schools free of charge (this session will be offered again by the NAA after this year at a cost to schools). To register your exams officer at this session, please contact Kathryn Ryan on 020 8496 5807 before January 12^th.