Churchend Primary School
Churchend Primary school in Reading has an intake of 266 pupils and was given an “outstanding” grade in their 2005 Ofsted inspection. Ofsted reported that the teaching of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was of “very good quality”. However, the school recognised that further improvements were possible and that they needed to address the problems they were experiencing with ICT equipment and infrastructure.
Churchend Primary contracted Launch Concepts Limited to perform a full strategic review of ICT provision and use, both inside the school and in pupil’s homes, and build a 5-year ICT vision and development plan to embed ICT in to all areas of the school life and raise standards across the curriculum.
Launch Concepts Limited worked in a close partnership with the school and engaged with governors, parents and carers, the local authority and private industry to explore and build support for appropriate alternative means of achieving a sustainable ICT infrastructure that is used effectively to enhance learning and teaching across the curriculum.
The impact of the changes, following the ICT strategic review, were immediately visible in the classroom, creating a buzz amongst staff and pupils to deliver even greater changes. Consequently, the planning of the ICT curriculum was extensively revised across the whole-school to ensure the appropriate inclusion across all curriculum areas and year groups to improve learning and develop the ICT capabilities of pupils.
Through dedicated time and resource, competitive tender, negotiation and challenges to conventional thinking, Launch Concepts identified and delivered cost savings of approximately 25% on the ICT capital investment in the first year. Further, Launch Concepts delivered a detailed 5-year development plan and accurate ICT budget forecast to dramatically increase the number of computers per classroom and create a new media suite reflecting the ambitions of Churchend Primary, while achieving approximately 30% cost savings over this period.
Launch Concepts is now working in partnership with Churchend Primary to deliver the development plan, acting as the ICT Coordinator, managing the desktop support provider and working with all staff at the school to maximise the benefit from ICT. In 2008, Churchend Primary was again given an “outstanding” grade in their Ofsted inspection.