A village school is benefiting from the ‘generous’ donation of 70 refurbished iPads by a Suffolk brewing giant.
Ickworth Park Primary School in Horringer, near Bury St Edmunds, thanked Greene King for the donation, saying it had had ‘a significant impact’ on the its ability to teach children about the computing curriculum and how to stay safe online.
It came about after one of the parents, Richard Riley, who works for Greene King, spotted a plea in the school newsletter for old and unwanted mobile phones or tablets for the children to use in class as a research tool.
Mr Riley, retail application support manager at Greene King, said: “We were really pleased to be able to donate these old iPads for the children at Ickworth Park.
“I spotted the school’s shout-out and fortunately we had a number of iPads that were no longer in use that were due to be sent for appropriate recycling and disposal.
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“It’s great to see them being reused in this way and helping children with their digital learning.”
Ickworth Park headteacher Kirsten Steele said: “The generous donation from Greene King brewery is a wonderful example of the power that community partnerships bring.
“We are so grateful to Greene King for their support, which will undoubtedly have a lasting, positive impact on our pupils’ learning journeys making sure we can provide our children with a high-quality computing education, preparing them for a technologically-advanced future.”
She said all schools had to be mindful that technology today is playing an ever increasing role in home life and schools, and Ickworth Park takes ‘immense pride’ in its computing provision.
“Under the leadership of Mrs Nicki Asker, our computing lead, we feel we have developed a comprehensive and dynamic computing curriculum.
“She has worked tirelessly to ensure computing skills are threaded through all subjects and are accessible by all, even our youngest learners in early years.
“Her enthusiasm and innovative approach has transformed our computing provision into a robust and engaging curriculum for all children and our children are really competent with it.”
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The school has Digital Leaders, made up of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils, who play a crucial role in supporting the delivery of the curriculum across the school.
“They are also the first point of contact for their peers with questions about staying safe online, fostering a culture of digital safety and responsibility among pupils,” said Mrs Steele.
And Ickworth Park has also achieved the status of Digital Link School, reflecting its commitment to leading in digital education.
Mrs Asker is the Digital Link Lead, joining a growing team of educators who are passionate about technology and computing.
“Her involvement with the local computing hub and the Eastern Education Group ensures that she stays abreast of the latest developments and opportunities in the field.
“Mrs Asker then actively shares these insights and opportunities with colleagues and other schools,” said Mrs Steele, who added that Mrs Asker’s enthusiasm and passion for the curriculum were ‘truly inspiring’.
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
