Case Studies An ICT club with a difference ‘At lunchtime once a week, children in Years 5 and 6 at London’s Poplar Primary School gather for a homework club with a difference. Description of activities: Pupils have access to the school's ICT suite to do their homework - a great help for those who don't have a computer at home. But because Adelle Conick, the club co-ordinator, is also one of the school's ICT classroom assistants, it means the pupils have the opportunity to brush up on their software skills. They can build websites, design posters, create animations, or put together a PowerPoint presentation to spice up their work. ‘The club is not a lesson,’ emphasises Adelle. ‘It's informal, and they listen to music while they work. They can ‘ask me questions about how they go about a certain project, but | try to encourage them towards a more independent approach.’ Initiating a club like this was a natural extension to the way Adelle has worked and progressed since she joined the school five years ago as a classroom support assistant. Then she had a City and Guilds in computers and maths as well as CLAIT (computer literacy and information technology) qualifications, but it didn’t take long for her technical skills to be recognised and for her to fill the new role of ICT classroom assistant. Now, apart from using her skills outside school hours, she also works closely with teachers to ensure that learning ‘objectives link in with the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Her knowledge of the curriculum has obvious benefits for the club. In addition, by running the sessions, she helps to free up valuable time for teachers to focus on their other work. Benefits of activities: This is an example of how schools might devetop their classroom assistants to carry out a range of other work. In Adelle’s case, the school has drawn on and developed her obvious technical flair to the advantage of teachers and pupils. ‘Teachers tell me what they want to do, and I show them and the pupils how. | also look after the system, which means that, if something goes wrong, it’s fixed immediately - and the teacher doesn’t have to go off looking for an IT person instead of getting on with teaching.” She also takes small groups of Year 1 children to the ICT suite for a grounding in basic computer skills. ‘Even with 60 children in reception, we are able to offer individual tuition and ease their transition into KS1. It's had an impact on the pupils’ skills and abilities, and Year 1 teachers have commented on this.” Contact/Website: + Name: Mrs K Davies + Position: Headteacher + E-mail: poplarprimaryschool@merton.gov.uk + Web site: http://www.poplar:merton.sch.uk Study Support CO-ORDINATOR