AN

E FOR A'

Quality Audit
of ICT in
Learning and Teaching

March 2009
2
 Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................5

Policy .............................................................................................................................7

Planning ........................................................................................................................8

Roles & Responsibilities ..............................................................................................9

Management of ICT Resources ................................................................................11

Management of Learners and Access to Digital Content.......................................13

Confidence and Competence of Teaching staff .......................................................15

Technical Support......................................................................................................17

Learners’ Use of ICT .................................................................................................19

ICT for Assessment....................................................................................................21

Online Communities ..................................................................................................23

Learner Motivation and Engagement......................................................................25

Transformation in Learning and Teaching through ICT ......................................27

Appendix 1 – Checklist of recommendations to schools.........................................30

Appendix 2 – Schools taking part in the ICT Quality Audit .................................35

Appendix 3 – Personnel undertaking the audits .....................................................36

3
4
Introduction
During May and June 2008, ICT Quality Audits were undertaken in 18 schools - 14 primary schools
and 4 secondary schools within Falkirk Council (see appendix 2).

The focus for the audit was provided by the headings of the HMIe report1 on ICT published in March
2007:
Policy and planning
Roles and Responsibilities
Management of ICT Resources
Management of Learners and Access to Digital Content
Confidence and Competence of Teaching staff
Technical Support
Learners’ Use of ICT
ICT for Assessment
On-line Communities
Learner Motivation and Engagement
Transformation in Learning and Teaching through ICT

The audit comprised a day spent in each school by a team of 3 staff drawn from Education Services
central support staff and other schools (see appendix 3). Prior to the audit all schools were provided
with clear guidance as to the scope of the audit, a clear outline of what was being audited and why,
and a detailed timetable for the day. The audit consisted of interviewing senior staff of the schools,
staff responsible for ICT, teaching and support staff and pupils. In addition, over the course of all
ICT audits, around 80 lessons were observed (4 or 5 in each school) in which both staff and pupils
were making use of ICT to support
their teaching and learning
respectively. The auditing teams also
spent time reviewing schools’ ICT-
related documentation and material

Interactive whiteboards are now in

the majority of primary classrooms
within Falkirk Council. These
provide a tool to encourage
engagement of pupils in active
learning. They enable guided,
whole-class access to an enormous
range of learning resources.

on their school networks and websites.

1
“Improving Scottish Education – The Use Of ICT In Learning And Teaching”, March 2007

5
Prior to the audits taking place, all Falkirk Council establishments, irrespective of whether or not
they were to be audited, were encouraged to complete on-line surveys for both staff and pupils
related to the use of ICT. During the period running up to the audits, 3,500 pupils and 460 staff
completed the surveys. Some of the staff survey responses are incorporated into the body of this
report and it should be borne in mind that these relate to all establishments responding to the survey
and not only those which were audited. To support schools in their future development of ICT, all
head teachers received a copy of the survey results for their own school, benchmarked against the
Authority results as a whole.

At the end of the audit, head teachers of audited schools received a draft report of the auditing teams’
findings setting out areas of strength and areas for development. It is the aggregation of these
individual reports that underpins this consolidated report.

It is hoped that all Falkirk Council education establishments will be able to draw on the experience
of these audits and the recommendations which arise from this report. Thanks are accorded to all
those schools who so willingly took part in these audits.

6
Policy
All schools visited had policies in place. However, in some cases, those policies needed to be
updated taking into account current educational thinking, the developments in technology and our
understanding of how that technology can support learning and teaching.

Curricular-specific ICT In those schools where

equipment, software and online policies were seen to
resources are now used in every
subject area. These include music be up-to-date and
mixing desks, physical education
video-review equipment, data-
relevant, consultation
recording sensors and software for had been undertaken
science and design and
technology. with a range of
stakeholders to
establish them, they reflected current educational
developments (such as A Curriculum for Excellence), set
out the part that ICT could play in learning & teaching,
reflected increasing levels of pupil and staff expertise and
confidence and provided a clear vision for the place of
ICT within the establishment.

Given the central place that ICT is now beginning to

have in the majority of classrooms, there may well be an argument for schools to look seriously at
integrating their ICT policy with their policies on learning and teaching.

Recommendations to schools:

1. Ensure that policy development is grounded in quality self-evaluation

2. Undertake an extensive consultation process involving all stake holders and have a
working party involved in the development of the policy to give a sense of ownership
3. Develop a clear vision for the development of ICT use in the establishment
4. Develop policy to be integral to learning & teaching (not discrete)
5. Recognise the broader benefits of ICT for learning & teaching
6. Ensure regular review of the ICT policy in the light of continuing ICT and educational
developments
7. Incorporate a current inventory of resources and ensure staff know how to gain access to
them
8. Incorporate E-Safety in ICT Policy

7
Planning
At an establishment level, good planning for ICT was underpinned by robust quality assurance
processes. These would include self-evaluation as part of school improvement planning, monitoring
of forward plans for ICT, senior management teams (SMT) offering constructive feedback and using
such information to help inform future whole school direction with respect to resource procurement,
its management and deployment and staff development.

Robust planning for ICT was most evident in schools where there were clear expectations from
senior management for the use of ICT in learning & teaching. Where planning worked well, weekly
plans indicated how ICT would be used across the curriculum and staff included specific reference to
the ICT resources they would be using. Falkirk ICT skills planners were used to provide clear
progression and to cross-reference ICT with other areas of the curriculum.

Recommendations to schools:

1. Ensure a mechanism is in place to enable information from quality assurance processes

(monitoring of forward plans, classroom observations, etc.) to be used to inform future
directions
2. Review planning formats to identify and make more explicit the use of ICT resources to
support learning and teaching across the curriculum
3. Ensure teachers record in planning formats the contextualized use of identified ICT
resources
4. In planning, ensure clear progression of learning outcomes rather than ICT use being
resource-led
5. Ensure ICT skill sets are appropriately differentiated based on prior learning within each
class
6. Provide time and opportunity for quality assurance enabling SMT to monitor planning to
inform whole school approach to ICT
Planning

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A

N/A
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Excellent

Excellent

Excellent
Weak

Weak

Weak

5. This establishment plans the development 6. This establishment plans the deployment of 7. This establishment has in place quality
of learners’ ICT skills by involving all subject ICT equipment to meet the needs of learners assurance arrangements to monitor and
areas appropriately. and staff. improve the use of ICT in learning and
teaching.

8
Roles & Responsibilities
The majority of schools visited had a designated member of the SMT with responsibility for ICT
across the school who was often designated the ICT Coordinator. This worked well where time was
available for that member of staff to monitor the development of ICT. Many had clearly defined roles
which were understood by staff across the establishment. Where difficulties arose in arrangements, it

Leadership

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
eak

eak
Excellent

Excellent
W

W
8. Senior managers in this establishment provide leadership for use of 9. Staff take a leading role in the effective use of ICT in their own
ICT in learning and teaching. teaching.

was often because of an ambiguity in role definition when sharing responsibilities with other staff
members; or because the ICT Coordinator was not a member of the senior management team and time

Digital video and stop-motion animation is employed was not provided for the role. On occasions,
in many classrooms to engage pupils in collaborative where this situation arose, there tended to be a
tasks. Pupils find the process of planning, producing
and presenting digital video in learning contexts less active role from the SMT and ICT-related
highly stimulating and motivating.
issues were less explicit on their management

and quality assurance agendas.

The audits suggested that a number of schools

were at a point where there was a switch in
emphasis in the role of the ICT Coordinator
from that of ensuring resources were in the
right place at the right time and maintained
appropriately, to one of having a greater
concern for the use of ICT to support learning
and teaching and how it could do this across the curriculum. Where ICT was working best, the audit
teams found this to be a crucial factor: an ICT Coordinator whose role had shifted from pseudo-
technician to investigator, champion or challenger of the use of ICT for educational benefits.

9
In all the schools visited, the work of the ICT Coordinator was welcomed and appreciated. However,
in many cases, the ICT Coordinator was not the only leader of ICT developments within the
establishment. The audit teams saw many examples of other staff members taking a leading role in
the development and use of ICT whether it was in the use of a SMART Board, the creation of digital
resources for their website, managing a class or school blog or providing staff development for
colleagues. There were also one or two examples of the “pupil voice” being able to contribute to the
thinking behind ICT developments and usage.

In all instances where this positive work was seen, there appeared to be a clear and underpinning
message coming from senior management within the establishment of the importance of ICT to
learning and teaching. It manifest itself in opportunities being given to staff to share good practice,
allowing staff to experiment with ideas and resources, generating confidence and ensuring good
communication.

Recommendations to schools:

1. If the ICT Coordinator is not a member of the senior management team, ensure that a
member of SMT has an active role in taking forward ICT across the establishment
2. Have clearly defined roles & responsibilities for staff at all levels and include them in the
policy document
3. Develop the ICT Coordinator’s role towards support for ICT in learning and teaching
rather than ensuring the technical robustness of resources
4. Provide time for the ICT Coordinator to undertake a support role
5. Provide a clear lead from the SMT for the use of ICT across the school and curriculum
6. Provide opportunities for staff to share good practice
7. Via the ICT Coordinator, ensure staff are made aware of current developments in ICT
8. Encourage other members of staff (teaching and support staff) and pupils to take a leading
role with new ICT equipment and developments
9. Have in place plans and opportunities for on-going staff development

10
Management of ICT Resources
Where best practice was observed, schools kept a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of
resources. The range of resources available to staff was known to them and staff were kept informed
of new resources when they were purchased. Where senior management teams (the ICT Coordinator)
monitored forward plans, the opportunity was taken to provide feedback to staff on the ICT resource
(both within the establishment and on-line) that might best support the learning activities envisaged.
The audit teams noted that where there was good two-way communication within schools this
informed strategic thinking on ICT resource requirements.

Resources

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
Weak

Weak

Weak

Weak
Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

10. Managers of this establishment 11. This establishment maintains 12. This establishment has 13. Establishment managers
plan to exploit fully for learning and an up-to-date resource of sufficient quality ICT resources maintain a balance between
teaching the recent and planned computers and ICT equipment to (including software licences) to resources based in teaching areas
improvements in national meet the needs of learning and meet the needs of all learners and and those in computer suites to
infrastructure and Internet teaching across all subject areas. staff. provide opportunities for all staff
connectivity. and learners

Best practice highlighted the existence of a system for the management of centralised resources with
staff knowing how to access them. Invariably, there were also effective systems in place for pupils to
access ICT resources. In many cases, the
availability of resources extended to include a
wide range of software available on the
networks to support the curriculum.

The majority of schools effectively timetabled

the use of their ICT suites with up to two time
slots allocated for every class and surplus time
used on an ad hoc basis by staff. This would

The use of programmable toys provides include access to the suite for any nursery
imaginative opportunities for pupils to put into classes.
practice their understanding of concepts such as
direction, angle and distance.

11
When the last audit of provision was carried out, 70% of primary classrooms had a SMART Board.
During the audit visits, the auditing teams were delighted by the wide range of uses to which this
resource was put to support the curriculum, and some classroom administrative requirements. Whilst
there were one or two occasions where staff could not see the purpose of such technology in their own
classrooms, a far more common cry was “I couldn’t manage without it!” It provides a very good
example of taking the technology to the point of learning and having it available “on demand” rather
than dependency on a less frequent timetabled slot in the ICT suite around which the learning is
“fitted”. The challenge for many schools is to complete the provision for every classroom and to
extend the competence and confidence of all staff in their use.

Where schools had been able to deploy two PCs to classrooms, this was beginning to have a positive
impact on learning and teaching. In addition, there were many examples of peripheral equipment
(e.g. digital cameras and video equipment) being used by pupils in classrooms.

A number of schools took advantage of the expertise within the ICT Curriculum Support team to
ensure the most effective use of budgets for ICT purchases. This has the added benefit of allowing a
degree of standardisation across the Education Authority which ensures provision of staff training
and technical support requirements can be more consistent.

Recommendations to schools:

1. Ensure there is a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of resources and undertake regular
audits of resources and their usage (to inform staff development requirements and/or effective
deployment and long-term planning for resource needs)
2. Communicate with staff information on the resources available to them, how to access them and
share how they have been and could be used
3. Provide positive and clear monitoring feedback on staff planning sheets for ICT identifying
online resources as appropriate
4. Make staff aware of developmental trends and new resources in ICT
5. Do not be afraid of pupils using the resources
6. As far as possible within the constraints of resource and budgets, ensure parity of provision
across the establishment
7. Continue to provide effective timetabling for the ICT suite including all pupils and classes
8. Provide opportunities for staff to share their developing expertise in all aspects of ICT but
particularly with respect to SMART Boards
9. Further develop the use of ICT peripherals to support creative and active learning in classrooms
and assessment (e.g. voting tools and video facilities)

12
Management of Learners & Access to Digital Content
In the majority of schools audited, staff commented favourably on the range of resources available
on the computing networks. They were aware of the resources and how to access them. Similarly,
pupils were familiar with the networked computers and were seen to be comfortable using the
technology and software. A number of schools made use of subscription online resources which
were used at all stages. In addition, pupils had the opportunity to revise specific learning outcomes
through the use of interactive games found on the Falkirk VTC and internet.

On occasions, these resources were used to support the individualisation of learning. There were also
good examples of pupils being given the opportunity to make use of these resources independently.
The auditing teams observed pupils confidently taking responsibility for their own learning using
ICT. They demonstrated competence in using the technology and were able to demonstrate mastery
of important routines such as saving and retrieving files within shared areas.

In a number of instances, good use was made of shared areas of the network for both staff and pupils
to share their materials and work. There were signs of effective use being made of online resources

Schools are employing gaming

devices such as dancemats, Nintendo
DS and Wii consoles to support
several curricular areas. These
provide engaging reinforcement of
learning experiences, whether it is in
developing reading comprehension
using the Nintendo DS handheld
device, providing challenging mental
maths problem-solving with Dr
Kawashima’s Big Brain Academy on
the DS or developing motor skills co-
ordination and participation in
physical activity with the Nintendo
Wii or dancemats.

both by pupils and by teachers to develop their own skills and for research and planning. The
medium appealed to pupils and they wanted to be able to share online resources they used at home.

Further development would be beneficial in pupil use of a wider range of peripheral devices such as
digitalblue cameras, camcorders, digital cameras, etc to enhance their learning experiences. And in a
number of cases, the use of ICT as a “finishing” task needs to be resisted: ICT in learning and
teaching should not be perceived as a reward; it is a right. In addition, greater use could be made of
ICT for purposes of creativity and further encouragement can be given to staff to share their
resources in the spirit of collegiate working.

13
Many schools are in the process of changing the platform for their websites. As this is taken
forward, there would be great benefit in exploring further how the website can be used to support
learning at home and provide a medium through which parents can be kept informed of their
children’s progress and encouraged to be more actively involved.

Management & Access to Digital Content

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know
Unsatisfactory

N/A

Unsatisfactory

N/A

Unsatisfactory

N/A
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Excellent

Excellent

Excellent
Weak

Weak

Weak
14. This establishment makes services 15. Staff make use of ICT services to 16. This establishment uses ICT to manage a
available to as wide a range of learners as communicate with colleagues and learners. wide range of administration and reporting
possible. These include e-mail, personal This may include e-mail, text messaging, and tasks.
network accounts, and individual file storage. discussion forums

Recommendations to schools:

1. Look to expand the provision of learning opportunities through the shared areas and school
website
2. Ensure online resources are used for clear learning outcomes and assessment tools
utilized consistently
3. Consider developing use of online communication by staff
4. Staff should be encouraged to share resources in shared area to promote collegiality, e.g. topic
websites, downloadable resources, etc
5. Encourage online creation and sharing by pupils
6. Pupils should be given the opportunity to use a wider range of ICT peripherals such as
digitalblue cameras, camcorders, digital cameras, etc to enhance their learning experiences

14
Confidence and Competence of Teaching staff
The majority of teachers observed during the ICT Audit demonstrated high levels of confidence and
growing competence in the use of ICT for learning and teaching. Many of those interviewed
recognised ICT as a fundamental teaching tool at their disposal and commented on their own
growing confidence in its use. In many cases, this included the use of SMART Boards with pupils
encouraged to contribute both verbally and
interactively, and staff were beginning to
access a range of online resources to support
learning and teaching.

The auditing team obtained evidence of

staff being receptive to new ideas and they
were generous of their time and skills to
share their practice with colleagues. In the
majority of the schools visited, there was a
A vast range of teaching resources for use with clear enthusiasm for the use of ICT and a
interactive whiteboards has been shared with Falkirk
schools. Teachers within the authority are now sharing growing understanding of how it could help.
ever more resources on the Falkirk Virtual Teacher
Centre www.falkirkvtc.org.uk
Senior management in schools adopted a
variety of approaches to develop staff confidence and competence in the use of ICT. They were
aware of the staff development available from central provision. This was well-publicised and staff
were encouraged to take part. To supplement this provision, head teachers, ably supported by ICT

Confidence & Competence of Staff

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A

N/A
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Excellent

Excellent

Excellent
Weak

Weak

Weak

17. All staff have appropriate opportunities for 18. And staff take up these staff development 19. This establishment evaluates the impact of
the development of their generic ICT skills. opportunities to develop their generic skills ICT CPD programmes on the quality of
learning and teaching, and plans
improvements.

15
Coordinators, were more than willing to organise in-school activities. The best of practice saw
support staff involved in this staff development alongside their teaching colleagues. In addition, the
auditing team saw innovative examples of staff development whereby staff worked collaboratively in
pairs or trios to develop and share their ICT skills and practice. There were good examples seen of
head teachers providing time for individuals returning from staff development, to share the
knowledge and skills they had gained. Many of the schools visited saw the annual ICT in Education
Fair as a good opportunity to share ICT work.

Recommendations to schools:

1. In the light of continued developments in ICT, ensure on-going opportunities for

both in-house and authority-led staff development for all staff
2. Encourage trying out new ideas and creativity in the use of ICT
3. Provide opportunities to share good practice and experience both across the school
and with stage partners
4. Build the ICT in Education Fair into school CPD programme
5. Continue to include ICT within staff review of CPD needs to ensure consistency
of approach and parity of provision
6. Look to develop networking opportunities with other schools’ staff to further
extend understanding of the uses of ICT for learning & teaching

16
Technical Support
Certain aspects of technical support that have been long-established – such as calls to the Help Desk
– were welcomed and appreciated. This mechanism enabled schools to monitor the progress of calls
as needed. However, there was a feeling that assigning the priority of Helpdesk calls should be more
transparent and be subject to influence by schools. In addition, a number of recent developments
were considered beneficial including timetabled visits by engineers and remote access and
maintenance. In some schools, the flexible approach adopted by the engineers working with them
was appreciated.

In some schools, staff commented on how they were very supportive of each other in trying to
resolve technical difficulties and when matters had to be escalated, both the schools’ ICT
Coordinators and engineers were responsive to the requirements.

Technical Support

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A

N/A
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Excellent

Excellent

Excellent
Weak

Weak

Weak

20. For this establishment, technical support 21. Systems for reporting technical issues are 22. Feedback is given when a technical issue
levels are sufficient and adequate to maintain in place in this establishment. has been resolved.
an acceptable level of service at all times.

There remained some disappointment that over-the-phone technical help was not readily available. In
addition, although arguably outwith their remits, some staff expressed a desire to be able to
undertake some technical updates or fixes themselves to avoid the frustration often felt by the delay
until an engineer visited to undertake a low level “fix”.

Whilst the timetabled visits of engineers was appreciated, schools expressed concern over extended
periods of time without a regular engineering visit caused by engineering staff absences and they
requested a clear strategy to be put in place to manage this situation. In addition, the downside to the
timetabled rota was the potential of a long wait between placing and resolving a call – sometimes of
several months.

17
The audit highlighted mixed views over the levels of communication that existed with engineers. In
some schools this was said to be very good whilst in others, concern was expressed over the lack of
feedback on completion of work and there was a desire expressed for more consistent feedback via
the Helpdesk on call closures. Again, with regards to engineering visits, there was a perceived
inconsistency amongst staff over the clarity and completeness of information made available to
them.

Recommendations to ICT Technical Support:

1. Review and amend the extent to which over-the-phone technical help can be made available to
schools
2. Review and amend council policy regarding school staff being able to carry out technical
updates or fixes
3. Within the limitation of available resources, further develop management strategies to cope with
engineer absences
4. Further develop consistency over communication with schools and staff
5. Review how priorities are assigned to Helpdesk calls, improve transparency and enable schools
to influence priorities

18
Learners’ Use of ICT
The auditing teams are pleased to be able to report that in the vast majority of schools visited, there
was clear evidence of ICT being used at all stages (including the nurseries where a wide range of
technology was in use including OHPs, walkie-talkies, interactive whiteboards, digital cameras, etc.)
and across most areas of the curriculum. Pupils were positive, enthusiastic and competent with
regards to ICT used in school, citing digitalblue projects, online radio broadcasts, photography,
research opportunities, collaborative projects
Several schools are now using online collaborative across stages involving ICT and the integration
tools (including blogging, podcasting or vodcasting)
to record their learning activities in text form, of BeeBot robots with language work as
through video, photographs or audio. The comments
and feedback they receive from around the world examples, amongst others, of creative and
provide a real audience and impact directly on their varied use.
motivation to improve on their work.

There was evidence of good use of ICT in the

lessons observed. Pupils were confident and
competent users of the technology and, on
many occasions, were seen to be actively
involved in lessons using ICT. Schools’ ICT
suites were often used to develop pupils’ ICT
skills and there was evidence of pupils using
these skills for work in other areas of the
curriculum (e.g. DTP and topic work). Pupils engaged very well with the ICT tasks they were set.

Pupils are using the “My Documents” folder on the school networks to save work independently and
they are using the network to share work with others. The auditing teams found that pupils were
making good use of ICT at home and there was evidence that they shared with each other
information on websites or other work they had produced. And, amongst the best examples, pupils
commented on the ability of parents to see what is happening in class via the school website.

19
 Learners' Use of ICT

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know
V. Good

N/A

N/A

V. Good

N/A

V. Good

N/A
Excellent

Good

V. Good
Adequate

Excellent

Good
Adequate

Excellent

Good
Adequate

Excellent

Good
Adequate
Weak

Weak

Weak

Weak
23. Staff plan effectively to use ICT 24. This establishment delivers 25. At transition stages, this 26. Learners use ICT in all subject
to support whole-class, small well-designed and up-to-date establishment takes account of areas
group and individual approaches to programmes of ICT skills learners’ prior achievement when
curriculum delivery. development for all learners. designing programmes of ICT
skills development.

Recommendations to schools:

1. SMT should ensure consistency of approach and equality of access for all learners across the
school to provide pupils with the experience of as wide a range of ICT equipment as possible
2. Ensure planning for continuity and progression builds in regular access to ICT peripherals at all
stages (e.g. digital cameras, mp3 recording devices, video camera)
3. Ensure cognizance is taken of pupils’ interests in ICT to further develop opportunities for
independent learning and to capitalise on pupils’ natural enthusiasm for ICT by extending the
use of ICT resources and peripherals in creative ways across the school (e.g. broadcasting)
4. Continue to develop pupil independence in use of ICT
5. Ensure appropriate levels of pace and challenge when using ICT
6. Consider availability of resource for individual children with specific needs to have extended use
of computer.
7. Look to enhance the use of video for learning and assessment purposes
8. Look to develop aspects of ICT such as blogging to further develop online communication and
learning opportunities
9. Extend use of small group ICT activities to ensure all pupils are actively involved.
10. Ensure that where ICT is used, task outcomes are clear to pupils

20
ICT for Assessment
In a number of cases, the use of established ICT software for assessment was seen to be for recording
purposes only. It was seen as a means of collating data and providing statistical information for third
parties (e.g. the Education Authority or national census returns). The available administrative
software was used to record national test results, provide interim and end of year reports and to
support the creation of IEPs for additional support for learning. As such, once set up, this did help to
reduce the administrative burden of teachers. There were some examples of some schools beginning
to use the data for tracking purposes and for monitoring pupil progress.

ICT for Assessment

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
Excellent

Excellent
Weak

Weak

27. Staff and learners make use of the formative assessment 28. Where appropriate, staff use video evidence to record and assess
opportunities available through the software in use. learner progress and outcomes.

In addition, there was some evidence of other commercially available resources being used for
tracking pupil progress. For examples, the provision of certain commercial online resources with
built-in assessment tools were seen as successful by pupils and by staff. These worked best where
staff recognised the importance of them being actively involved in monitoring and moderating what
pupils are doing.

The auditing teams did see good examples of ICT being used for formative assessment and for both
pupil self- and peer- assessment:

• mp3 recorders and dictaphones for self and peer assessment

• Photographs used for evidence
• Video used to record talking and PE lessons for pupil review
• Built-in tracking functions of word processors to support writing and re-drafting
• Voting tools to record and enable teacher evaluation of pupil responses
• Pupil presentations using presentation software

21
However, the auditing teams felt that there was further scope for development in this area. The
establishment of a single and integrated management information system may well help in this
regard.

Recommendations to schools:

1. Continue to encourage staff to recognise the strength and develop the use of ICT as an
assessment tool
2. Encourage the integration ICT into Assessment is for Learning approaches and further develop
its power of modelling and simulation to create “what if” scenarios for discussion and hypothesis
3. Further develop the use of shared areas for pupils to record work for self and peer evaluating
4. Further develop use of the full range of available ICT resources for peer and group assessment
5. Re-affirm the importance of staff being actively involved monitoring and moderating using the
online assessment tools available to them

22
Online Communities
Schools are beginning to make greater use of on-line communities and facilities. Resources such as
Education City are being used to good effect. Oracle’s Think.com is still used regularly by schools
including, in one or two cases, the development of home/school links and homework tasks. All

On-line Communities

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A

N/A
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Excellent

Excellent

Excellent
Weak

Weak

Weak
29. Staff make use of learning and teaching 30. This establishment uses its own website to 31. Staff have skills and time to moderate
materials available online from communities of communicate with key stakeholders. discussion forums.
practice and other interest groups.

schools visited had their own school website and, in a number of instances, teachers and pupils were
taking responsibility for the content on their own class web page. In one school, there had been
commendable involvement with two community based websites. There was a growing interest in the
place of blogs to support learning and teaching. There was evidence of the Falkirk Virtual Teachers’
centre (VTC) being used on a regular basis. Pupils were well versed in online safety and security
issues and, in one instance, online e-safety resources were included in the school website for parents.

However, much work around online communities was still at an early stage of development. The
majority of school websites were designed for information purposes and not necessarily for learning
and teaching. Many schools are now moving their websites to a new web product which should
facilitate easier maintenance and encourage a broader use of the medium. A small number of schools
were experimenting in the use of emailed newsletters and there is scope for pupils to make greater
use of web creation and on-line collaboration tools for varied educational purposes.

23
Recommendations to schools:

1. Consider the further development of the school website for communication, information and
learning purposes and enlist pupil and parental support in that development and ensure that it is
regularly reviewed
2. Consider developing online tools to communicate with audiences outwith school (to parents and
wider community)
3. Consider sharing examples of good practice on Falkirk VTC.
4. Create opportunities for the use of blogging to support the curriculum with staff engaged in the
process.
5. Make greater use of Falkirk’s VTC
6. Staff should have the opportunity to attend school website training in order to take responsibility
for their individual pages to ensure consistency of website development
7. Ensure issues of E-safety are included appropriately at all levels in school

24
Learner Motivation and Engagement
The motivational power that ICT has with pupils is implicit in much of the earlier part of this report.
The auditing teams saw the engagement of pupils in the ICT-related tasks that were set for them and

Learners' Motivation & Engagement

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Don't Know

Don't Know
N/A

N/A
Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory
V. Good

Good

Adequate

V. Good

Good

Adequate
Excellent

Excellent
Weak

Weak
32. Staff liaise with colleagues to ensure that learners experience 33. Staff promote and develop learner skills in independent learning
across the curriculum a range of approaches to using ICT for learning using ICT.
and teaching.

the creative ways in which teachers provided opportunities for interaction not only with the technology
but also peer-to-peer and teacher-to-pupil interactions.

Pupil-produced newsletters and magazines are popular in many The pupils themselves commented
schools. These combine enterprising activity with collaborative
favourably on the daily use of
approaches and engage pupils in developing a range of skills.
Several schools are now extending the use of their school websites interactive whiteboards in a wide
to include more multimedia in their communications between the
school, parents and the wider community. variety of curricular areas. They
were clear that the use of ICT was
supporting their development of
curricular and personal skills. They
spoke enthusiastically about ICT and
they were keen to demonstrate what
they could do with it. As one pupil
put it, “If it wasn’t for ICT I
wouldn’t learn so good.”

25
Staff, too, were confident that the use of ICT was a motivational factor in their own teaching as well
as in pupils’ learning. Shared areas provide mechanisms for recording examples of good practice
and sharing pupil achievements which increased motivational levels further.

Recommendations to schools:

1. Further develop network shared areas to provide mechanisms for recording examples of good
practice and sharing pupil achievements
2. Ensure pace and challenge appropriate to the pupils’ needs
3. Consider availability of resource for individual children with specific needs to have extended use
of computer
4. Explore the potential of the moving image to further develop pupils’ learning
5. Capitalise on pupils’ natural enthusiasm to provide more diverse and creative opportunities for
learning through ICT
6. Give consideration to classroom organisation to maintain pupil engagement with interactive
whiteboards tasks to promote interactivity and to avoid using an interactive board simply as a
projection screen
7. Further develop pupil motivation by increasing the focus of ICT to promote interactivity and
active learning

26
Transforming Learning and Teaching through ICT
In undertaking their own national research leading to their report of 2007, HMI2 noted that they had
evidence of a very mixed picture with respect to ICT’s capacity to transform learning. They believed
that there was little progress in ICT being applied to develop personalised learning and that it was
not always used effectively to foster independence in learning. In addition, they felt that not all
learners were fully aware of the extent to which ICT could enhance and enrich their learning
experience.

HMI believe that several elements need to be in place before ICT can be said to play a part in the
transformation of learning:

• effective and informed leadership at senior management, departmental and classroom levels
• access to reliable and appropriate hardware and software
• high levels of confidence and competence in, and commitment to the use of ICT by teaching
staff
• high levels of learner competence and confidence and
• availability of, easy access to, and
Devices such as digital microscopes (photograph page
effective use of learning and teaching 28) and visualisers (below) which connect to the
materials that exploit the strengths of computer and can be projected on to interactive
whiteboards, enable whole classes to engage with
ICT activities. These provide immediacy in sharing work
undertaken by pupils with their peers and provide the
means for a teacher to explore options for a class to
take work forward.
As with HMI’s findings that no single
establishment visited across Scotland
managed to put in place all of these elements
consistently, so, across our own schools, we
saw good examples of each of these
elements but no single establishment met
them all consistently for all pupils. Perhaps
this is an unfair conclusion given the breadth
of high quality work being undertaken but,
nevertheless, strictly in terms of the HMI desire for schools to progress towards becoming excellent
organisations, it is an inevitable conclusion given the relative youthfulness of the technology within
the education sector.

2
“Improving Scottish Education – The Use Of ICT In Learning And Teaching”, March 2007

27
Across the schools visited, auditing teams saw all of these elements in place to a lesser or greater
degree. There were examples of senior management leading and supporting ICT developments and
encouraging an ethos of sharing skills and good practice.

In the vast majority of schools, there was

recognition that equipment was now far more
reliable and robust than previously. The move
towards the provision of interactive
whiteboards (SMARTboards) in many
classrooms increased further the potential for
new and effective learning and teaching
activities beyond those available with just an
overhead or data projector. And many of our teachers were developing their skills to do just that.
Pupils spoke eloquently about uses teaching staff made of ICT across the curriculum. All those
teachers observed during the course of the audits displayed confident and competent use of
equipment and the vast majority of those interviewed were committed to its use and development.
There was clear evidence of teacher empowerment (and the development of professional autonomy)
and increased enthusiasm leading to greater engagement of pupils.

Through the networked approach taken within our schools, there is easy access to a wide range of e-
curricular materials and resources to exploit the strength of ICT. Continuing staff development helps
teachers to further develop their skills and understanding of how those resources can be used in
context.

Like HMI, the auditing teams in our schools also saw examples of a range of practice that could lead
to the transformation of learning including:

• good use of technologies in the early years

• increased use of ICT for numeracy and literacy
• imaginative use of equipment such as interactive whiteboards
• growing use of on-line resources including the VTC and the Internet
• a developing interest in the use of video, blogs and podcasting to support learning
• development of independence in learning
• exploring topics through the Internet more widely and deeply than prescribed by their teacher
• development of more effective problem-solving skills, especially in mathematics
• more effective team-working skills, including peer teaching; and
• more effective communication between and among learners and teaching staff

28
As HMI put it simply but effectively:

“The future challenge for staff and learners in all establishments is to create those conditions and
then to embed ICT in their learning and teaching in ways that will produce real educational gain”.

There is no doubt that across the establishments visited, ICT is being used to help develop high
quality learning and teaching. However, as with the HMI findings, so for us, there is now a
requirement to build consistency into the provision of those transformational elements and to be
more focused on the educational gain that can come from that provision. It is hoped that the
recommendations to schools as set down in this report will help them to do just that.

29
Appendix 1 – Checklist of recommendations to schools
Policy 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. Ensure that policy development is grounded in
quality self-evaluation
2. Undertake an extensive consultation process
involving all stake holders and have a working party
involved in the development of the policy to give a
sense of ownership
3. Develop a clear vision for the development of ICT
use in the establishment
4. Develop policy to be integral to learning & teaching
(not discrete)
5. Recognise the broader benefits of ICT for learning &
teaching
6. Ensure regular review of the ICT policy in the light
of continuing ICT and educational
developments
7. Incorporate a current inventory of resources and
ensure staff know how to gain access to
them
8. Incorporate E-Safety in ICT Policy
Planning 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. Ensure a mechanism is in place to enable information
from quality assurance processes (monitoring of
forward plans, classroom observations, etc.) to be
used to inform future directions
2. Review planning formats to identify and make more
explicit the use of ICT resources to support learning
and teaching across the curriculum
3. Ensure teachers record in planning formats the
contextualized use of identified ICT resources
4. In planning, ensure clear progression of learning
outcomes rather than ICT use being resource-led
5. Ensure ICT skill sets are appropriately differentiated
based on prior learning within each class
6. Provide time and opportunity for quality assurance
enabling SMT to monitor planning to inform whole
school approach to ICT
Roles & Responsibilities 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. If the ICT Coordinator is not a member of the senior
management team, ensure that a member of SMT has
an active role in taking forward ICT across the
establishment
2. Have clearly defined roles & responsibilities for staff
at all levels and include them in the policy document
3. Develop the ICT Coordinator’s role towards support
for ICT in learning and teaching rather than ensuring
the technical robustness of resources
4. Provide time for the ICT Coordinator to undertake a
support role
5. Provide a clear lead from the SMT for the use of ICT
across the school and curriculum

30
6. Provide opportunities for staff to share good practice
7. Via the ICT Coordinator, ensure staff are made aware
of current developments in ICT
8. Encourage other members of staff (teaching and
support staff) and pupils to take a leading role with
new ICT equipment and developments
9. Have in place plans and opportunities for on-going
staff development
Management of Resources 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. Ensure there is a comprehensive and up-to-date
inventory of resources and undertake regular
audits of resources and their usage (to inform
staff development requirements and/or effective
deployment and long-term planning for resource
needs)
2. Communicate with staff information on the
resources available to them, how to access them
and share how they have been and could be used
3. Provide positive and clear monitoring feedback
on staff planning sheets for ICT identifying
online resources as appropriate
4. Make staff aware of developmental trends and
new resources in ICT
5. Do not be afraid of pupils using the resources
6. As far as possible within the constraints of
resource and budgets, ensure parity of provision
across the establishment
7. Continue to provide effective timetabling for the
ICT suite including all pupils and classes
8. Provide opportunities for staff to share their
developing expertise in all aspects of ICT but
particularly with respect to SMART Boards
9. Further develop the use of ICT peripherals to
support creative and active learning in
classrooms and assessment (e.g. voting tools and
video facilities)
Management of Learners and Access to Digital 6 5 4 3 2 1
Content
1. Look to expand the provision of learning
opportunities through the shared areas and
school website
2. Ensure online resources are used for clear
learning outcomes and assessment tools utilized
consistently
3. Consider developing use of online
communication by staff
4. Staff should be encouraged to share resources in
shared area to promote collegiality, e.g. topic
websites, downloadable resources, etc
5. Encourage online creation and sharing by pupils

31
6. Pupils should be given the opportunity to use a
wider range of ICT peripherals such as
digitalblue cameras, camcorders, digital cameras,
etc to enhance their learning experiences
Confidence and Competence of teaching staff 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. In the light of continued developments in ICT,
ensure on-going opportunities for both in-house
and authority-led staff development for all staff
2. Encourage trying out new ideas and creativity in
the use of ICT
3. Provide opportunities to share good practice and
experience both across the school and with stage
partners
4. Build the ICT in Education Fair into school CPD
programme
5. Continue to include ICT within staff review of
CPD needs to ensure consistency of approach
and parity of provision
6. Look to develop networking opportunities with
other schools’ staff to further extend
understanding of the uses of ICT for learning &
teaching
Technical Support 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. Review and amend the extent to which over-the-
phone technical help can be made available to
schools
2. Review and amend council policy regarding
school staff being able to carry out technical
updates or fixes
3. Within the limitation of available resources,
further develop management strategies to cope
with engineer absences
4. Further develop consistency over communication
with schools and staff
5. Review how priorities are assigned to Helpdesk
calls, improve transparency and enable schools
to influence priorities
Learners’ Use of ICT 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. SMT should ensure consistency of approach and
equality of access for all learners across the
school to provide pupils with the experience of
as wide a range of ICT equipment as possible
2. Ensure planning for continuity and progression
builds in regular access to ICT peripherals at all
stages (e.g. digital cameras, mp3 recording
devices, video camera)
3. Ensure cognisance is taken of pupils’ interests in
ICT to further develop opportunities for

32
 independent learning and to capitalise on pupils’
natural enthusiasm for ICT by extending the use
of ICT resources and peripherals in creative
ways across the school (e.g. broadcasting)
4. Continue to develop pupil independence in use
of ICT
5. Ensure appropriate levels of pace and challenge
when using ICT
6. Consider availability of resource for individual
children with specific needs to have extended use
of computer.
7. Look to enhance the use of video for learning
and assessment purposes
8. Look to develop aspects of ICT such as blogging
to further develop online communication and
learning opportunities
9. Extend use of small group ICT activities to
ensure all pupils are actively involved
10. Ensure that where ICT is used, task outcomes are
clear to pupils
ICT for Assessment 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. Continue to encourage staff to recognise the
strength and develop the use of ICT as an
assessment tool
2. Encourage the integration ICT into Assessment
is for Learning approaches and further develop
its power of modelling and simulation to create
“what if” scenarios for discussion and hypothesis
3. Further develop the use of shared areas for pupils
to record work for self and peer evaluating
4. Further develop use of the full range of available
ICT resources for peer and group assessment
5. Re-affirm the importance of staff being actively
involved monitoring and moderating using the
online assessment tools available to them
On-line Communities 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. Consider the further development of the school
website for communication, information and
learning purposes and enlist pupil and parental
support in that development and ensure that it is
regularly reviewed
2. Consider developing online tools to
communicate with audiences outwith school (to
parents and wider community)
3. Consider sharing examples of good practice on
Falkirk VTC.
4. Create opportunities for the use of blogging to
support the curriculum with staff engaged in the
process.

33
5. Make greater use of Falkirk’s VTC
6. Staff should have the opportunity to attend
school website training in order to take
responsibility for their individual pages to
ensure consistency of website development
7. Ensure issues of E-safety are included
appropriately at all levels in school
Learner Motivation & Engagement 6 5 4 3 2 1
1. Further develop network shared areas to provide
mechanisms for recording examples of good
practice and sharing pupil achievements
2. Ensure pace and challenge appropriate to the
pupils’ needs
3. Consider availability of resource for individual
children with specific needs to have extended use
of computer
4. Explore the potential of the moving image to
further develop pupils’ learning
5. Capitalise on pupils’ natural enthusiasm to
provide more diverse and creative opportunities
for learning through ICT
6. Give consideration to classroom organisation to
maintain pupil engagement with interactive
whiteboards tasks to promote interactivity and to
avoid using an interactive board simply as a
projection screen
7. Further develop pupil motivation by increasing
the focus of ICT to promote interactivity

34
Appendix 2 – Schools taking part in the ICT Quality Audit

Antonine Primary School

Bantaskin Primary School
Bo’ness Academy
Bowhouse Primary School
Braes High School
Carron Primary School
Deanburn Primary School
Graeme High School
Head of Muir Primary School
Ladeside Primary School
Langlees Primary School
Larbert High School
Laurieston Primary School
Limerigg Primary School
St. Francis Primary School
St. Mary’s Primary School
Wallacestone Primary School
Westquarter Primary School

The schools, their staff and pupils are thanked for their work not only in preparation for the
ICT audits but also for the considerable amount of development that has been undertaken over
a period of time and reflected in the heightened use of ICT for learning and teaching.

35
Appendix 3 – Personnel undertaking the audits
The work of the following staff, both central and school-based, who gave their time to support
the ICT Audits, is much appreciated:

Name Post & Establishment

Tony Bragg Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Suzanne Brown Principal Teacher, Carmuirs PS & ICT Coordinator
Ann Callan Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Morag Carson Principal Teacher, Laurieston PS & ICT Coordinator
Pat Castle Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Lewis Connachie Depute Head Teacher, Moray PS & ICT Coordinator
Jane Crerar ICT Curriculum Support Team, Education Services
Steve Dougan Depute, Bo'ness Academy
Jan Evans Depute Head Teacher, Ladeside PS & ICT Coordinator
Carol Fawkes Principal Teacher, Hallglen PS & ICT Coordinator
Elaine Harley Principal Teacher, Bowhouse PS & ICT Coordinator
Ann Kelly Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Ann Kilpatrick Depute Head Teacher, Head of Muir & ICT Coordinator
Stuart Lennie ICT Curriculum Support Team, Education Services
Jen MacAlpine Principal Teacher, Bonnybridge PS & ICT Coordinator
Richard MacIntosh Depute, Graeme HS
Norrie McDonald Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Lorraine McFarlane Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Aileen McFeat Depute Head Teacher, St Francis & ICT Coordinator
Aileen McLean Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Fiona Morrison Principal Teacher, Wallacestone PS & ICT Coordinator
Caroline O'Kane Acting Head Teacher, Limerigg PS
Carol-Ann Penrose-Campbell Depute, Larbert HS
Fiona Richardson Head Teacher, Blackness PS
Roy Robotham Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Shelagh Scobie Principal Teacher, Victoria PS & ICT Coordinator
Alasdair Smith Principal Teacher, Braes HS
Maureen Tait Quality Improvement Team, Education Services
Ella Toon Depute Head Teacher, Bankier PS & ICT Coordinator
Susy Webster Acting Head Teacher, Drumbowie PS
Malcolm Wilson ICT Curriculum Support Team, Education Services
Marlyn Yorkston Head Teacher, Avonbridge PS

36