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FactFile
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"We are the Webmasters!" - Bidborough CE Primary School
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Children and teachers at Bidborough School in Kent are taking full advantage of the secure multi-level password facility on Millennium Schools to create a school website that represents all aspects of school life. Each term, ICT Coordinator Vicky Hard, selects children from the junior classes to create and add content to their allocated class pages. Vicky says, "Millennium Schools is very easy to use, and having multiple level passwords is a brilliant feature as it enables children to have editorial access to specific parts of the website, but prevents them from tampering with other areas. The multi-level password facility allows the children to create web content without being able to publish until we have checked it. This is very empowering for the children."
Vicky set up and maintains the website with the help of Brian Hall, a parent who also advises the school on a range of technical issues. Vicky reports, "We have seven classes and only ten computers in the ICT suite, so it is only practical for a few children to work on the website at any one time. The class representatives are responsible for ensuring that all relevant content is uploaded to their pages. Being involved in the website has improved children's confidence - they love to refer to themselves as the webmasters, and all the children have a real sense of pride when they see their work on the Web."
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Keeping Parents in Touch
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Bidborough School's website is packed with information on children's activities and achievements, special events, news, and pages for staff, governors and PTA. Vicky says, "Parents love the website as it gives them a good insight into what is going on - our school is on a split site, so it's not always easy for parents to pop in and see what their children are doing." The school is planning to create a dedicated Parents' area which will include advice on reading, transfer to secondary school, bedtimes and any other information that is given out on a regular basis.
The website has proved invaluable for keeping parents informed during the school's annual residential trips where children are encouraged to develop independence and self-reliance. "During the trip, children are not allowed to contact their parents," says Vicky, "Instead, we maintain contact by publishing images of the children's activities onto the school website. Children are also reassured by the knowledge that their parents are keeping touch in this way."
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Developing Intercultural Understanding
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Bidborough school has developed strong links with the European School in Brussels and arranges annual exchange visits for the children. As part of their preparation, children from both schools research each other's websites, discovering similarities and differences between their schools, countries and cultures before the trip. During and after the visits, children publish their accounts and images to the website, providing an opportunity to share and reflect upon their experiences. Through these activities, children are learning valuable communication skills and are developing intercultural understanding. Vicky says, "Activities like this help make the world a much smaller place."
Visit Bidborough School
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