Parkstone Grammar School is an outstanding and heavily oversubscribed selective grammar school for girls with specialist status for science. Re-sited in Poole, Dorset in 1937, the school has 1050 pupils and over 100 members of staff. Recently in April 2008 PGS took on a second specialism in Modern Foreign Languages.
A different starting point: an Existing VLE that was frustrating to use and nobody liked.
As Network Manager, Craig Judd was responsible for finding a new learning platform that would meet their needs, having previously installed a different supplier’s VLE which had left the school feeling frustrated and had found it difficult to use. Craig and his team took off to BETT armed with a clipboard and a set of tough criteria to test all VLE suppliers and find a new solution.
The criteria was underpinned by:
- Ease of use
- Wide range of functionality
- Integration with SIMS
- Ability to create, tag, store and search for resources easily and quickly
- Three days later, Craig and his team had a clear winner: it’s learning.
"At BETT, it’s learning came up trumps, and the package ticked all the boxes. Eight months in it still ticks all the boxes."
- Craig Judd, Network Manager
Their objectives were swiftly met by the implementation of it’s learning:
- User uptake both staff and student now improved 100 %
- Staff find the 2 click process of creating courses fantastic
- Embedding the learning platform across the school is a breeze
Overcoming barriers
The greatest barrier was the damage caused by previous software with staff perception of Learning platforms. it's learning was deployed and swiftly these fears were allayed through simply logging on and starting to use the software so more and more teachers began using it’s learning. As soon as staff realise how easy it is to create courses and lessons they are away with making content and asking all sorts of additional questions of Craig and his team.
Each week sees yet more courses being provided by teachers resulting in greater choice for pupils, a wider availability of curriculum and non curriculum activities and ever deeper embedding of it’s learning across the entire school.
"The overall effects of adopting it’s learning have far exceeded my estimation in terms of early adopters and progress. Our pupils have taken to it like second nature. Apart from the initial migration from a previous VLE, day to day it’s learning administration is far easier than I could have hoped for."
- Craig Judd, Network Manager
Outcomes
For students
Since the introduction of it’s learning there has been a marked increase in the engagement of all pupils within many subjects. Students find the access to information in and out of lesson time of significant benefit, students interact with class mates and teachers in a live interactive manner. Specific students have found greater inclusion for those that are away from school for long periods of time due to illness.
For teachers
it’s learning has provided teachers with the tools, confidence and additional time needed to support personalised learning to help raise standards and inclusion for all. Teachers now share online schemes of work, lesson plans, homework and revision resources, which greatly benefits departments for lesson planning. It also has increased staff ICT skills. Staff who were not really ICT competent or confident have taken onboard the it’s learning VLE with open arms!
Next steps and opportunities
- Student usage of e-portfolios for writing blogs, sharing best practice within the school and creating lifelong learning opportunities
- Increased usage of the latest tools within it’s learning to include podcasting and video embedding