Agenda item

An opportunity to see what it will look like and understand how it will benefit all teachers and pupils across the Scottish Borders.

2.1       The Chairman also extended a welcome to Catherine Thomson, Quality Improvement Officer, who gave a presentation on the Inspire Learning Programme and explained how the programme would benefit all teachers and pupils across the Scottish Borders.  Ms Thomson advised that the programme was a £16m investment in a world-class digital learning environment for all pupils.  The programme was a key part of the Digital Learning Strategy and would transform teaching and learning in schools for the benefit of children and young people now and into the future.  It included plans for iPads to be provided to all P6-S6 pupils and shared devices at a ratio of one for every five P1-P5 pupils.  The rationale was aimed at raising attainment and to support equity and inclusion for all children and young people and putting them at the heart of education with improved outcomes and success.  The effective deployment of digital technology in schools would ensure children and young people developed a level of general and specialised digital skills that were vital for learning, life and work in an increased digital world.  It would not be about having an iPad as a device, but a tool used to enhanced learning, teaching and assessment.  The national expectation of this new digital solution would allow learners to select and make use of the high-quality resources and equipment; a deployed wide variety of innovative and creative resources and teaching approach; increased responsibility to become more independent in learning; and increased employability skills.

2.2      The partnership with CGI throughout the programme brought benefit of having expert knowledge of the wider IT marketplace and the Apple iPad was chosen because the project team had researched a number of current devices and platforms for learning and had also looked at the pros and cons of each one and as a result the iPad was the best value option.  Ms Thomson went on to explain that the introduced Inspire Learning would be more current and more up to date in a very connected world.  It would improve how we communicate, change the way we communicate with each other and within families and would change how we live.  Inspire Learning would be adaptable, flexible and impact on how we learn and work.  It would collaborate change in the way we connect in the classroom with the teachers and other schools, in Scotland and the world and put Scottish Borders on the global map.  Inspire Learning was personal, collaborative and mobile to bring excellence.  The feedback given to youngsters would move quicker through their learning and would be used to improve teaching.  Ms Thomson also explained that this would be a big drive towards bringing forward digital strategy.  It was not just about iPads, it was about piecing all things together through the Pillars of Inspire Learning through: professional learning and teaching, strategic planning, correct infrastructure and environment, the clusters and school leaders.  Ms Thomson advised that the teacher iPad deployment programme would commence on Monday 17 June in Selkirk and continue until Friday 28 June 2019 to Hawick, Kelso, Berwickshire, Eyemouth, Earlston, Jedburgh, Peebles, Galashiels and Peebles.  Pupil deployment would be August/December; Selkirk, Kelso and Hawick; January/March: Earlston, Peebles, Eyemouth; April June: Galashiels, Jedburgh, Berwickshire.  Ms Thomson also clarified the next steps through the training plan for secondary schools, with the Apple teacher sign up and the digital learning strategy in place.  The Inspire teams would include CGI and Apple and would allow secondment opportunities for teaching staff for 23 months, with project teams, clusters and school leads, an executive board and an education strategic group formed.

2.3     Inspire Learning Consultant, Andrew Jewell, was welcomed to the meeting and continued the presentation.  I-Pads were passed around and it was explained how technology could best enhance education.  Volunteers took part in an interactive exercise with the iPads, taking photographs of angles in the room, which Mr Jewell later showed on the main screen, demonstrating how individual iPads could be locked, how they could be locked in one app, and an example of a text book which had been produced by a teacher using an app.  Mr Jewell gave many examples on how the iPads would be used in schools and at home.  The facility to lock and unlock the iPad was available and teachers would be able to view any iPad in the class.  The iPads would allow teachers and parents to view live examples of pupils work.  Teachers would have the facility to give instant feedback, the lessons would be more active, be interactive and direct learning would be carried out during the course of the lessons.  This Inspire Learning Programme would make technology in schools a better experience in learning.  The Chairman thanked the speakers for the very comprehensive presentation and wished them well in the implementation of the project.