Digital Devices at Stamford

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We feel that it is vitally important to prepare young people for the world in which they will live, study and work. At the Stamford Schools, we believe that the 4Cs of collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and complex problem solving are essential skills, along with organisation and an understanding of metacognition. Students value the opportunity to develop these skills, which can be enhanced by the appropriate use of digital technology. 

We believe that digital devices have an important role to play in creating engaging lessons in the classroom. Learning does not end beyond the physical classroom, and the ability to use technology to create intellectually stimulating opportunities at home in preparation for work in class is extremely important. Digital literacy is a skill which needs developing through experience, and this supports our students' lifelong learning journey. 

We want to give our students the life skills and understanding for them to thrive during their school and higher education experiences and allow them to develop their digital literacy to enhance their employability in future.

Microsoft state that in “the next two decades, 90% of jobs will require some form of digital proficiency”. Improving digital literacy will support Stamford Schools' students in their future professional lives. 

The skills most valued in the next decade are forecast to be:

· Analytical thinking and innovation

· Active learning and learning strategies

· Complex problem-solving

· Critical thinking and analysis

· Creativity, originality and initiative 

· Creating and organising digital work

· Resilience and flexibility 

· Communicating effectively 

· Managing and collaborating on projects 

Teaching that considers these skills and enables the students to practise and develop them will be an essential part of the device use.

Mobile devices are not necessarily to be used in all lessons. Technology is a tool to enhance and, in some cases, transform the pupils’ learning experiences. Our vision is that students and teachers use technology where it is appropriate to facilitate the exposure to the 4Cs (collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and complex problem solving) and enhance opportunities for students to excel.  That said, we would expect, as a minimum, that students bring their devices to school every day, charged and ready to be used. 

No; contrary to popular belief, the pen is not going to become extinct! We fully appreciate that, for the foreseeable future, the examination process will be assessed by handwritten work; therefore, writing remains a fundamental skill. However, by scanning to Teams Assignment and OneNote, teachers can mark and give feedback quickly and efficiently. Work can be efficiently stored using OneDrive and OneNote for easy retrieval and revision purposes. 

Typing is a key skill, and it allows the use of the whole host of accessibility tools that Office 365 provides to aid learners of all abilities. It also allows for drafts of work to be created and amended easily, depending on the feedback given. 

There has been a considerable shift in recent years in schools to reduce the usage of physical textbooks and move towards more online resources. The device we will be using allows greater flexibility for combining digital and online resources with current textbook use. As we continue on our digital learning journey we will naturally be reducing the use of paper and exercise books in favour of digital work where it best suits the needs of teachers and learners. The benefit to organisation, the flexibility of working habits for students and our aim to reduce our environmental footprint is an important aspect to consider. We will be looking to see how we can achieve greater efficiencies in future. 

At the Stamford Schools, we have high expectations of behaviour in the classroom and online. We have considered digital safeguarding and security and, as a consequence, we have systems and processes in place to monitor the students’ activity when using their devices. Teachers have access to a platform which allows monitoring and management of student devices, and, together with our Digital Leaders, we are creating a Code of Conduct, so that our students are responsible digital citizens. 

IT skills lessons for the sake of learning IT skills tend to be relatively ineffective. However, we know that even though young people are billed as “digital natives” this doesn’t always translate into knowledge in work-related skills. Therefore, when we issue devices, students will be given a basic tutorial in their use. With regular use of the devices across the curriculum, we are confident that the students will be able to develop their understanding of how to best apply Microsoft tools to aid their learning. In addition, the IT Service department at Stamford have created a series of help videos in the Technology in Education SharePoint site. Year 7 and 8 pupils will also be given some training in Office 365 skills during their computing lessons.

From September, our Digital Leaders, students who have a passion for technology and who want to have a role in leading and developing this across the schools, will be supporting the IT department in showcasing digital skills with their peers. There will be advertised sessions at lunchtimes and after school, where students can be given support with their use of the device. We are also launching an exciting house competition across Stamford School and Stamford High School, where Microsoft badges can be gained which contribute to a digital house competition, like the current merit or reading passport competitions. 

All our teaching staff have had a Surface Pro device from Microsoft for the last four years, so we have chosen to supply all pupils with a similar Microsoft Surface Device. In years three to six they will have a Microsoft Surface Go 2 Tablet device and in the Stamford Schools, a Microsoft Pro 7+ Device. All devices will be issued with the Microsoft Classroom 2 Pen.

We were at the forefront of using new technology for educational purposes, and commissioned a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme about 8 years ago. However, we found that having multiple types of devices, with different device capabilities, battery life and operating systems, deflected from the technology that supports learning. We had our teachers having to troubleshoot issues during lessons. With the Microsoft Surface device, the battery life will exceed requirements for its balanced use in the classroom, and the devices are the same as the teacher's device with the same operating system. 

We are insuring all devices for accidental damage and theft. We will have a process in place to provide a temporary replacement if your child’s device is damaged, or a permanent replacement if it is stolen. Please note if lost that there is an excess of £500 which will be charged per claim on pupil devices, any damage to the device will be charged up to £150 dependant on what is damaged. Lost Surface Pens are chargeable at £20, Keyboards £95 and Chargers £70.    

All pupils here at Stamford have access to SharePoint which has videos and help guides about our "Core Toolkit" to support them in the use of Office 365. Pupils also have access to the myStamfordIT portal, which has a "knowledge-base" provision to help the pupils with practical issues with their device, but also a facility to log support requests to the IT Support Team. There are members of the technical support team available to help between 8am-5pm Monday to Friday in Clapton House - Stamford School, Room 44 -  in Stamford 6th Form and the IT Office - in Stamford Junior School (AM only).