Digital Curriculum and Chromebooks
All parents need to complete the National Online Safety Parents Course:
Annual Certificate in Online Safety for Parents & Carers of Children aged 11-14
Chromebooks
Every student will receive their own Chromebook device which is loaned by the Trust in agreement with Parents / Carers when they join the Academy. The use of 1:1 devices in and beyond lessons is a key part of our Digital Strategy and is the gateway to the wealth of experiences and information available to students within and beyond their community. Parents are not expected to provide a financial contribution towards these!
Parents are required to collect a child’s device, it cannot be handed directly to students when first loaned, and you will need to sign a Loan Agreement Form - this will have been included in the enrolment pack. Students will also be required to sign an Acceptable Use Policy when they first use their devices in the Academy.
We strongly encourage parents to invest in a chromebook sleeve case to protect the device and ensure it lasts the required time while their child is attending the Academy, affordable covers can be easily found online.
Students are expected to take care of their device and responsible for ensuring it is brought to the Academy fully charged, every day, as part of their compulsory equipment list. Students should not leave their device charging overnight as this will shorten the battery life in a shorter space of time leading to complications in period 4 and 5 lessons should you be required to use it frequently throughout the day.
Digital Curriculum
The Digital Curriculum will ensure:
We provide opportunities to develop digital literacy, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.
Students have access to the world beyond the Academy, maximising their exposure to local and global contexts
Every teaching class has a Google Classroom through which they can access resources and learning tasks both within and beyond lessons.
Students have access to electronic textbooks
Where necessary and appropriate, teachers upload worksheets, tasks, Google Slides, extension tasks, linked videos/ YouTube clips, alternative instructions to the students Google Classroom.
Opportunities for students to engage with a variety of multimedia learning platforms independently e.g. SENECA, Tassomai, MyON
The intended Digital Curriculum will not:
Replace exercise books - students will be expected to complete written work by hand, including assessments, unless a digital medium is needed to enhance the learning experience e.g. when collaborating with others on a Google Doc.
Replace students opportunities or dedicated time to develop their handwriting skills, freewriting and ‘self checking’ skills for SPaG.
Replace the teacher as the main point of instruction and support - teachers will not become mere facilitators but will balance the delivery of their curriculum with direct instruction and input, alongside coaching students through digital tasks.