Next Friday, 17th June, Athelstan Primary School will be unveiling the brand new learning space won as first prize through RM Education's 2011 Learning Spaces Competition. Athelstan Primary School was one of over 150 schools entering RM Education's national competition to create the dream classroom, winning the first prize of £20,000 of equipment.
Pupils at the school worked with staff to design a much needed up-to-date Special Educational Needs (SEN) intervention room. While the school has been committed to providing an exciting and interactive environment through its existing intervention room, improved ICT resources were very much a priority to ensure the school fully embraces it's vision "To be the best we can".
As Kirsty Whelerton, ICT co-ordinator at the school comments, "We're really proud of living and breathing inclusion at Athelstan Primary however we were seeing a real gap in terms of what we could deliver through our current SEN space. We knew that entering this competition represented a real opportunity to change the way children that use this room learn on a daily basis which is why we included both practical and innovative ICT equipment and furniture. We're so excited as this could really change their overall school experience."
Athelstan Primary's new SEN classroom will comprise:
· Laptops for children together with the RMmobile Onew Widescreen
· RM's Turning Point voting systems to allow whole-class sessions
· A mobile whiteboard to encourage spontaneous work around table groups
· A media area which includes tools for animation and recording
· Idea Paint to drive creativity and emotional expression
Kirsty Whelerton continues, "This really is an ideal learning space for the children that will be using this every day - they were very much part of the design process. The room will really open up new ways of learning and change the way look and feel of our lessons.. Something as seemingly minor as a comfortable, ergonomic sofa can change the learning dynamic for teaching and learning in the classroom. We're confident this will support great results for our pupils."
Paul Fletcher, Group MD at RM Education's Learning Technologies adds, "We were blown away by the innovative and inspiring entries from schools across the country. From whiteboards to wormeries and furniture to fountains, the ideas were genuinely about pushing the boundaries of the traditional classroom. What set Athelstan Primary apart was the way they showed there really should be no barriers to a shared learning experience and brought to life how ICT can break these down. This is absolutely our philosophy at RM Education. We're delighted to be unveiling this amazing learning space on the 17th."
To attend the unveiling of Athelstan Primary's new SEN learning space, please contact Antonia Taylor or Karen Cooper at rmeducation@bottlepr.co.uk or 01865 882988.
Notes to Editors:
The RM Group is an international education company, focusing on helping teachers to teach and learners to learn. We provide innovative products ranging from classroom resources, through school technology, to systems for marking exams and delivering school performance data. Our customers include schools, colleges & universities, local governments, and central government education departments & agencies
