Digital Strategy - Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership - West Secondary Cluster

Our digital strategy is to develop an integrated digital ecosystem that enables all of our stakeholders to connect online and interact digitally. It is our role as Educators to prepare our pupils for a rapidly changing world where Digital Technology is at the forefront. COVID-19 made Digital Technology become an integral part of our learning journey and it has created opportunities to extend learning well beyond the classroom and to share information in a variety of engaging formats.

Digital Technology continues to change the way we live, learn, work and communicate. It is essential to us that we develop responsible digital citizens who are ready for the world of employment in a 21st century workplace. We believe that all learners should have access to Digital Technology and through the Digital Device Schemes that we offer we wish to combat the Digital Divide and ensure that no child is left behind or without.

The use of technology in our classrooms is incorporated carefully to our curriculum and it is not used for the sake of it. Technology has its place in the classroom to support pupils building a lifelong love for learning by offering them a blended approach. The technology helps to enhance pupils’ learning and progress as they make their journey through the curriculum, supplementing their learning through the development of their digital skills and digital literacy. We are committed to ensuring students and teachers can employ the most appropriate tools for learning at the right time, including when they are not in school.

Below are some examples of the areas that we actively engage with as part of our digital strategy (this list is not exhaustive):

• Promote good digital citizenship across all year groups
• Ensure our students know how to be safe online
• Consider the implications of any new solutions to ensure online safety obligations are at the forefront of our decision making
• Providing a robust and suitable digital infrastructure
• Engagement with the Naace Mark Award Self-Review Framework
• Opportunities for our students to access a digital device through appropriate schemes
• Utilise the software available within the Microsoft Office 365 suite
• Integrate other key educational software and digital resources effectively
• Equipping staff with appropriate training
• Recycling electronic equipment responsibly
• Being mindful of our environment and ensuring we limit the use of printing
• Outline measures that will allow us to critically evaluate our impact which, in turn, can help shape and improve future practice