Technology allows Wimboldsley Primary School teachers in Middlewich to spend more time in the classroom (From Middlewich Guardian)

Technology allows Wimboldsley Primary School teachers in Middlewich to spend more time in the classroom

12:00pm Saturday 13th June 2009

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A MIDDLEWICH school is pioneering a new technology which hopes to half the amount of time teachers spend reporting.

Headteacher Mike Bousfield says that pupils at Wimboldsley Primary are getting the best education they can get after signing up for the ‘Classroom Monitor’.

Mr Bousfield, 44, reckons Wimboldsley is the first school in Middlewich to use the web-based tool and one of the first in Cheshire.

Classroom Monitor has helped teachers at the Nantwich Road school by letting them assess and record each individual child’s progress with an ongoing track.

Each student’s development can be viewed at a glance, flagging up any issues that need to be addressed, cutting down on paperwork and copious tests and maximising time in the classroom.

Mr Bousfield, who has been headteacher for four years and a teacher for 18 years, said: “It saves a lot of time for the teaching staff and myself and I can see it a the click of a button at school or at home.

“I wouldn’t say we have any technophobes at the school but we have teachers with a range of computer abilities and no one finds it difficult to use.

“It’s certainly a better system than when I was teaching in the dark ages and doing reports with a highlighter pen and masses of paper.

“The teachers have been very positive about it and the children know what they what they need to improve and what they are doing well.

“It also provides me with a very clear overview of how each pupil, class, year group and indeed the entire school is achieving.

“At the end of each term I can conduct an audit and spot any areas that need addressing and ensure that our pupils here at Wimboldsley Primary are getting the best education we can provide.”

The technology, which is based on the National Curriculum, is also being used to help teachers write annual reports and provide useful information like graphs to parents at parents’ evenings.

The Government has specified that by 2012, all primary schools need to provide real-time reporting to parents, keeping them informed about their child's progress.

Wimboldsley is already meeting this target three years ahead of schedule thanks to the Classroom Monitor.

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