| School name: | South Parade Primary School |  |
| School/college address: | Fairfield Road
Ossett Wakefield West Yorkshire WF5 0DZ England | |
| School phone number: | 01924 302875 | |
| Number of pupils in school(s) - male: | 146 | |
| Number of pupils in school(s) - female: | 143 | |
| Number of staff in school(s): | 47 | |
| Name | Position (e.g. Headteacher, parent, etc.) | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Mrs Liz Normanton | Science Co-ordinator/Foundation Stage | South Parade School |
| Ms Nina Heron | Deputy Headteacher/ICT Co-ordinator | South Parade School |
| Mrs Jayne Kennedy | Geography Co-ordinator/Key Stage 1 Teacher | South Parade School |
| Mrs Debbie Harrison | Parent/Teaching Assistant in Key Stage 1 | South Parade School |
| Mrs Jean Scholes | Higher Level Teaching Assistant in Key Stage 2 | South Parade School |
| Miss Jen Rowland | Newly Qualified Teacher in Key Stage 2 | South Parade School |
The key skills, strengths and roles of each team member are: (200 words)
Liz Normanton
Science specialist. Intends to use this project as a way of promoting the fun elements of science and plans to establish a science club in the school.
Nina Heron
ICT specialist. Keen to integrate ICT into outdoor learning. Has had a key role in co-ordinating the development of the outdoor area.
Jayne Kennedy
Very interested in the environment and ICT and is hoping to develop her own knowledge through her involvement in the project.
Debbie Harrison
Has been closely involved with the project from the start. Has strong links with the local community, living in close proximity to school and leading a local Rainbow group. Is involved in taking children on residentials to Hornsea.
Jean Scholes
Leads a PPA team. Supports special needs children and their parents.
Jen Rowland
Scientific and environmental background. Enthusiastic newly qualified teacher. Has been part of the team from the onset of the project. Is involved with Children Challenging Industry project.
Additional support is also given by Louise Wale, Foundation coordinator, Carol Adamson, maths coordinator, David Dransfield, June Moore HLTA, Governor and Colin Pitchforth, caretaker who lives on the site.
Topic area of proposal: Processes and Living Things - Ecology/environment
Briefly, the aim of our proposal is: (50 words)
We aim to introduce the use of mobile technology PDAs used with Wild Key to help and identify the species found in our newly developing outdoor environment. We will use the information logged using Wild Data to record when and where species are found, which will also help us to plan the future development of the area by extending the range of species.
Pupil type to benefit: All
Age range to benefit from proposal: 3-11
Learning outcomes from our proposal: (50 words)
• Use mobile technology to stimulate an awareness of and enjoyment in the natural environment.
• Allow science to permeate the curriculum.
• Foster respect for the environment.
• Raise standards and expectations in science for all pupils.
• Forge links within school and with the wider community.
Our reasons for developing this particular proposal: (100 words)
Due to the introduction of the National framework, amalgamation of 2 schools and a new school building, science at South Parade has not been a priority. Now the opportunity has arisen to focus on the development of an excellent science curriculum, giving all children access to the outdoor learning environment, encouraging a long-term interest in science and involve them in creating a sustainable future.
We aim to encourage children to use the mobile technologies to support their learning to identify species and to feed the future development of the site. It will also support the wider community by offering our outdoor learning area to others.
Detailed description of our proposal: (300 words)
Within the past year fundraising efforts have been used to buy raised beds, greenhouse, compost bins and a shed for our newly developed outdoor area. There has been involvement of parents, teachers, governors, caretaker and children in constructing, planning and the development of the site.
We have developed a thematic curriculum to incorporate outdoor environment activities and PPA has been restructured to incorporate small group work, therefore making the use of this mobile technology suitable to use during PPA sessions.
The next step would be the purchase of PDAs - with Wild Key the children will be able to identify species, with Wild Data they will investigate, log, monitor and record the evolution of our newly established wild environment. This will allow us to log seasonal and cyclical changes from a baseline and monitor how our outside area develops each year. For example,selecting habitats that will encourage specific and more varied species to visit our site. This information will feed into the future development of our outdoor area. Outdoor learning is a national priority and is also an integral part of our school development plan.
The use of mobile technology will extend professional development for all staff, it will also support staff further to develop a cross-curricular approach. The Wild Key will also be used to compare the coastal environment with our school site during our annual residential visit to Hornsea.
We already have links which we hope to develop further with Woodlands Trust, RHS, Potato Council, Million Green Fingers, B&Q Better Neighbourhood grants, NEWTS, Flying Slug, Skelton Grange, Earnshaws and Groundworks. We hope to become involved in national projects linking to RSPB, Spring Watch, Open Future School eg recording the number of birds, ladybirds etc.
Outline of how our team would implement our proposal over a period of not more than 24 weeks: (300 words, bulleted lists accepted)
Nov 07
• Wild Key and Wild Data first seen at Science Conference Woolley Hall by science coordinator and NQT.
• Information passed to ICT co-ordinator, contact made to Wild Key regarding hardware, software, training needs, implementation and costs.
• Phonecalls were made to Wakefield ICT support - Denise Evans re technical support and feedback from project already running in our authority. She was able to support our research and reduce technical problems. Suitability of the current wireless system was also discussed in order to use the system fully.
January 08
• Regular team meetings to discuss and write the proposal.
February 08
• Meetings continue to discuss and write proposal.
• Wireless network to be checked as a robust system is required (updating system may need to be part of our bid).
If we were successful the following outline sequence would be used over the first term:
• INSET training for staff and eco-councillors (1 or 2 children from each class)
• Several weeks' training during staff meetings and an INSET day would be set aside for the project
- Session 1 Introduction.
- Session 2 Uploading and downloading, fieldwork.
- Session 3 Embedding in the cross curricular planning.
- Session 4 Eco-coucillors and staff to introduce the resource during a whole school assembly. All children to be involved with an emphasis on their ownership of the project.
- Session 5 Planning a science week around the launch of the project.
• All children to have the opportunity to use the resource during Science Week then to be used with each class led by eco councillors and staff.
• We plan to invite local community groups, other schools, press and established links to a presentation of the resource.
• Evaluation and monitoring will be ongoing by the team and eco councillors, with fortnightly team meetings to review how it is being used and discuss ways forward.
The monitoring procedures we will use during the project are: (200 words, bulleted lists accepted)
• Regular checks would be made by ICT coordinator to keep to budget.
• Termly audit to inform the action plan including any need for additional keys or other resources by ICT and science co-ordinator.
• Regular staff meetings to discuss any problems, need for further training etc and to monitor the use of the PDAs.
• Log how often and by which year groups the equipment is used.
• Monitor planning to check standards, evidence and teaching and learning.
• Observations by science co-ordinator.
• Monitor the need for future INSET.
• Regular newsletters for parents and meetings with other schools.
The evaluation procedures we will use at the end of the 25 weeks to check the effectiveness of our project are: (200 words, bulleted lists accepted)
• Evidence of using both Wild Key and Wild Data plus any other uses for PDAs within science, ie camera and video function and other cross-curricular links.
• Introduction of and development of a Science Club.
• Within the first year we would hope that the use of Wild Key and Wild Data would be embedded in the school routines with Pond Watch, Bird Watch etc.
• It is a long-term project - by monitoring data collected of species found on our site it will feed into further plans. Success or failure in a particular area will be clearly seen and research can then be undertaken to rectify this whether it be introduction of plants to attract a particular species or increasing drainage etc
As our team is large, enthusiastic and with a varied background this should ensure evaluation should be both critical and reflective.
• Staff professional development will be measured by introduction of and use of PDAs as an innovative and new resource to our school setting.
Itemised costs of putting your proposal into practice within a maximum budget of £5,000 or equivalent in Euros:
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