Corseford wins TES Award

Capability Scotland's Corseford School was proud to accept an award for 'Outstanding ICT Learning Initiative of the Year' at a recent ceremony in London.

The Times Educational Supplement panel of judges decided to award a groundbreaking technology project known as "How was school today?" run by researchers at Dundee and Aberdeen universities in conjunction with the school.

Corseford faced tough competition from all over the UK and became the only Scottish school to be recognised at this year's awards.

The panel of judges thought the project to be an impressive winner. They said:

"It's a really good use of technology and it's been life changing for the youngsters who have been involved." 

The technology uses sensors to track the pupils as they move around the school -  gathering data and information that pupils can then edit into a story describing what they did at school. Pupils can then pass this onto their parents or carer when they return home at the end of the day.

As all the information is gathered using technology pupils and parents don't have to rely on staff remembering what they pupils did and deciding what information should be sent home.  Instead, it puts the pupil in control and gives them the opportunity to share information in a more natural, interactive way.

The software helps pupils to develop their language and communication skills and increases the number of people that pupils can communicate with throughout the day.  This includes parents who have been fully involved in the research project.

Sue Williams, headteacher at Corseford said:

"We are really so pleased to have won this award. The system is very useful to pupils, teachers, therapists and parents alike. It allows children to take control of the conversation without having to rely on help from us."

Dr Annalu Waller from the University of Dundee's School of Computing who helped to develop the technology said:

"Relating daily experiences is an essential part of developing both language and personality. With 'How was school today?' children are able to use computer generated language to share their own experiences in a more independent and natural way."

Jan Vallery, whose daughter Nicole was one of the pupils to test the software said: "We really enjoyed using How was school today? and hearing Nicole's story.  The programme enabled her to talk easily and answer questions quickly, prompting more interaction and giving us a very detailed insight into her day."

Nicole and Depute Head Teacher, Fiona Catterson, flew down to London for the ceremony . Fiona said:

"Nicole had a wonderful time. It was the first time she had been to London and she enjoyed every minute of it, from the taxi tour around town to collecting our award onstage at the Grosvenor Hotel."