History brought to life in our schools

IMAGINE visiting the other side of Oldham, the country or the world without having to catch a bus, train or plane.

That’s what new technology is allowing the borough’s school pupils to do. Reporter Karen Doherty found out more . . .

A FLURRY of excited hands go up as primary school pupils are eager to ask Guy Fawkes a question.

History is brought to life for children at Our Lady’s RC Primary School, Moorside, thanks to the wonders of modern technology which allows them to chat with the gun powder plotter.

The Guy in this case is actor Liam McCormick, from The Royal Exchange, Manchester, who was beamed live into not one, but 11 classrooms in Oldham on November 5.

The technology is the largest installation of high definition, video conferencing equipment in Europe.

Competition

Since last autumn, all of the borough’s 93 primary schools have received the equipment thanks to £500,000 from the Government’s Standards Fund — in other local authorities individual schools have to pay for the equipment.

This is cutting edge stuff where the only limit is imagination. Teachers can use it in any classroom through interactive whiteboards to take part in video conferences with up to 37 other schools, although smaller groups allow better interaction. They can share lessons with partner schools in Oldham or on the other side of the world, and link up with organisations such as the National Space Centre.

Still in its infancy, projects in the borough have included a weekly storytime session to celebrate the National Year of Reading, an “X Factor”-style talent competition and new exercise sessions to get pupils’ brains into gear in the morning.

Firefighters gave a safety talk to members of the Small Oldham Schools group while the same group took part in the Guy Fawkes lesson.

Sam Forster leads Oldham’s video conferencing project and will carry out an evaluation before Christmas to find out who has used it, what for and their reactions.

She said: “Some schools were sceptical because it is new technology, some have been a bit panicked by it but others love it. The people who have started to use it are embracing it and at least three quarters of schools have used it at least once or more.

“Some have really got off and flown with it and are really independent. They have contact with museums, libraries and the space centre and one has a contact in America.”

Sam organises hooks such as the Wake and Shake and storytime sessions, broadcast from a base at Oldham’s Centre for Professional Development in Fitton Hill, to get schools involved and illustrate the potential.

And one area where video conferencing can be used is in school linking projects. Mostly established after Oldham riots in 2001, these bring pupils from predominantly white and Asian schools together in the classroom and playground.

“For community cohesion work it is huge,” added Sam. A lot of schools in Oldham have link schools and it is a much easier way of collaborating between two schools without actually going there.

“I would never suggest it replaces meeting each other, but it can be used to enhance it.”

But are children who have grown up with PCs, the internet and computer games impressed?

Maureen Taylor, head teacher at Our Lady’s, thinks so. She said: “The children love it, that’s the first thing to say.

“We have used it for things like firework safety and for literacy — things like story-sharing.

“Children right through the school have accessed it and staff have embraced it really well. They think it is a really exciting development, they can see the potential for future use and how it could be developed.”

The 11-strong Oldham Small Schools group is spearheading the video conferencing work.

Historically made up of the borough’s smallest schools, although some no longer are, they receive additional funding for IT which they would otherwise find it difficult to afford because of their size.

Pat Cliffe, video conferencing leader for the group, said: “At the moment it’s potential we are aiming for rather than what it’s actually doing right now. We are hoping it will help the small schools communicate with each other, other schools across Oldham and make links across the world — that’s what we are ultimately aiming for.”

Another fan is Liam who played Guy Fawkes.

He said: “For someone who loves gadgets it’s brilliant. I am still amazed by it and the possibilities are absolutely endless.”