Staff and students at a secondary school are celebrating after becoming the first in the city to be awarded a hi-tech award. Bushfield Community College in Orton Goldhay is the only secondary school in the area to gain the Becta ICT mark after talented students demonstrated how technology can be imaginatively used to enhance lessons and school life. The prestigious award reflects excellence and significant progress in enhancing student achievement through the use of information and communication technology (ICT). Staff and students at the college were subjected to a visit from government agency Becta, which tested the school's use of ICT, including digital devices such as cameras and video recorders, against a rigorous set of criteria focusing on teaching and learning, assessment and leadership and management.
The assessment examined the evidence the college submitted for the ICT excellence awards and observed lessons before meeting with key teaching and associate college staff. Assessors also spoke to students and governors about how they were responding to continuous ICT development. Headteacher at the college Eric Winstone said, 'The college not only met the criteria but surpassed it and was asked to present a case study on the effective use of ICT to aid learning.'
