FINAL Digital Practitioner Handbook 2021-22 (1)

Over the past year, we are proud of the high quality technology for learning support that our Digital Practitioners have been able to provide to schools across the country and we look

Denbigh High School & Challney High School for Girls

Welcome to our Digital Practitioners Handbook, developed as part of the DfE's

EdTech Demonstrator Programme Over the past year, we are proud of the high

quality technology for learning support that our Digital Practitioners have been

able to provide to schools across the country and we look forward to working

with your school.

Please use this Handbook to learn more about the Digital Practitioner support

we have available and select which staff you feel would be most appropriate to

work with your school

Please then complete the online form sent with this handbook to request

support.

Emma Darcy

Digital Strategy across schools and Multi Academy

Trusts, implementation of 1:1 device schemes,

effective use of technology to support learners

from disadvantaged backgrounds

Emma Whitehall

Digital strategy Google Workspace including

Google Classroom Making the most of apps for

teaching and learning including AFL, engagement

and independent learning iPads for Education

7 8 9 10 11

Hannah Edgeworth

Head of Year and Geography

emma darcy

director of technology for learning, Denbigh High School and Chiltern

Learning Trust

current job role:

I am Director of Technology for Learning at Denbigh High School and the Chiltern Learning Trust Working on the Leadership Team at Denbigh and across the other fourteen schools in the Trust, I support headteachers and leadership teams with developing robust and effective technology for learning strategies in their schools I also support teachers and support staff with digital pedagogy and students with extra curricular opportunities such as Apps For Good I have overseen the rollout of the Chromebook 1:1 device scheme initially at Denbigh and now at four other schools within the Trust I lead on the EdTech Demonstrator Programme, am on the Advisory Board for The BETT Show and this year won the Silver Pearson National Teaching Award for Digital Innovator of the Year

as “everything a City Learning Centre should be.”

using technology in my role:

Over the past year, my role has been increasingly diverse as schools have adapted their technology for learning strategies to support both remote and in school learning As well as supporting Chiltern Learning Trust school leaders

Digital Strategy across schools and Multi Academy Trusts, implementation of 1:1 device schemes, effective use of technology to support learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Specialist Area:

current job role:

In my current role at Challney Girls as an Assistant Headteacher I am responsible for Technology for Learning,

Early Careers Teachers, More Able and the House System Until recently I also led on CPD across the school

As the Project Lead for the EdTech Demonstrator Programme I am responsible for Leading a team of an Assistant

Project Lead and several Digital Practitioners with their work with our supported schools I was originally a PE

teacher, but now teach KS4 Science

past experience:

I have worked at Challney Girls for a total of 20 years now initially as Head of PE, but since 2010 as Assistant

Headteacher I have held a variety of AHT positions including Data, Assessment and Reporting, Teaching and

Learning and, until this academic year, Professional Development which have given me an excellent insight into

many areas of school leadership Prior to this I was a PE teacher at a mixed school in the Town for 3 years We

have been fortunate that we were part of the Building Schools for the Future programme and in 2011 moved to a

brand new school that was built on the school site In March 2020 we were accepted as a Demonstrator School

and I took on the role of Project Lead Provision for More Able students is an area I am very interested in and last

year led my school to gaining NACE Challenge Award accreditation I am also an SSAT Level 3 accredited TEEP

(Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme) trainer

using technology in my role:

Over the past few years in my role as SLT Lead for Technology for Learning I have developed my own expertise in

this area I have spent many hours leading CPD as well as supporting colleagues in their classrooms Working in a

school that uses a range of device types I have gained both Google Educator and Apple Teacher Qualifications that

have helped to enhance my own knowledge of how EdTech can be used effectively I regularly use technology in

the classroom with students to enhance their experience and improve learning outcomes Over the past few years

the use of Google Workspace in my school has increased dramatically and my expertise in both using and training

others in the range of applications including Google Classroom has improved I use a wide range of applications

to support Teaching and Learning and am particularly interested in the use of EdTech to develop AFL, independent

Emma Whitehall

Assistant Headteacher

& EDtech Project lead

Digital strategy Google Workspace

including Google Classroom Making

the most of apps for teaching and

learning including AFL, engagement and

independent learning iPads for Education

Specialist Area:

current job role:

In my current role at Denbigh I am a “Specialist Leader of Education” and also part of the school’s “Teaching and Learning Leadership Group”

Through this role I work within the Religious Education department with the aim of driving the quality of teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment My role also involves me working across the Chiltern Learning Trust to support other schools in a variety of areas I am passionate about school improvement and the role that technology will play in the education world moving forward

past experience:

I have been at Denbigh High school for 7 years and started there as an NQT after completing my teacher training in Edge Hill University near Liverpool During my time at the school I have held a number of different roles from Coordinator of Duke of Edinburgh to ATLL for RE & Citizenship to my current role as a Specialist Leader of Education This has given me a broad experience of working in a variety of curriculum and extra- curricular areas I have also completed a wide range of CPD in order to support my development such as the Outstanding Teacher Program and the Outstanding Middle Leadership Program All of these experiences have led me to the point where I am confident to provide school to school support in a wide range of areas

using technology in my role:

Technology has evolved massively over the period that I have been teaching and its importance has heightened over time particularly during the past couple of years during the pandemic I have a keen interest in a number

of key areas of EdTech but I have a big passion for pursuing methods of assessment and feedback using technology and also areas of reducing and supporting teachers workload through the use of technology Over the last academic year I have fulfilled the role of a Digital Practitioner which has given me the chance to

PSHE & Religious Education Specialist Area:

ADAM HOLDSWORTH

specialist leader of education for religious

education

In my current role at Denbigh I am responsible for the teaching and learning of the geography department I

manage a team of teachers to ensure the provision of geography is consistently high This work has seen us

receive substantial numbers of students choosing geography as their GCSE option and contributed significantly to

the school’s Progress 8 score of 0.82 and a 77% EBACC entry rate I am also a Humanities SLE In this role, my

work has been focused on assisting departments with their curriculum sequencing and improving the assessment

literacy of teachers and curriculum leads as well as cross trust training on digital strategies

past experience:

Prior to working at Denbigh High School I lived and worked in China for eight years I started teaching English

as a second language before moving on to manage a school with around a 1,000 students and an international

teaching and admin team The successes I had managing this school meant I was promoted to be National Online

Community Manager where I created a national digital marketing and social media strategy that was rolled to out

to over 60 schools across China

using technology in my role:

Over the past year in my role as Teaching and Learning Leader and SLE in geography I have used technology to

plan and deliver interactive training sessions to participants locally and nationally, to plan and audit curriculum and

lessons, to monitor teams and provide them with feedback and to support students and provide them with effective

online learning episodes I am particularly experienced in curriculum planning and staff development

ian hayden

Teaching and learning leader for geography

& specialist leader

of education for humanities

Curriculum development, team

management and leadership.

current job role:

Specialist Area:

Stacey

smith

Head of year & Teacher

of mathematicsEDTECH assistant project lead

current job role:

In my current role at Challney Girls I am a teacher of mathematics and a Head of Year I have been a Head of Year for

6 years I am also currently an Ed Tech Digital Practitioner, as I was in the first year of the project

past experience:

Before teaching I worked in a number of schools in various roles I have been a PE technician, Learning Mentor, PE Teacher in a primary school to name a few of my previous school based positions I have also worked in other industries including for The FA (Football Association) in the position of Girls and Women’s Football Development Officer As stated previously I have been teaching mathematics at Challney High School for Girls since 2015 and became a Head of Year in 2016 My first cohort of pupils left in summer 2020 with many fantastic success stories and achievements I have been a Digital Practitioner for over a year now and have thoroughly enjoyed working with other schools and also supporting staff here at Challney Girls

using technology in my role:

Over the past few years in my role as a teacher and now a Digital Practitioner I have used technology in the following ways to support the different aspects of my work; all Google Workspace applications, Google Classroom for both remote learning and in school sharing of tasks and feedback I have also used technology in my Pastoral role to organise online Parents Evening and meetings, therefore helping with parental engagement during times when it is difficult to have visitors into school Alongside this I have used technology to aid collaboration between pupils and staff As a teacher

of mathematics I have also greatly used the following websites and applications such as; Desmos, Mathswhiteboard.com to name a few I am confident in recording lessons on both Google Meet and Zoom and have done so for both remote lesson times, interventions and support videos I am proficient in the use of Promethean interactive boards and Activinspire I love using engagement websites such as Kahoot and Plickers with my classes to inspire and motivate them, whilst also being able to collect value learning information and assessing pupils learning

I am therefore particularly experienced in all the areas I have mentioned above

Head of Year, Pastoral and Engagement Specialist Area:

current job role:

In my current role at Denbigh I am responsible for pupils with Education Health and Care Plans and those who

have special educational needs and disabilities I lead the Support for Learning team and SEND provision across

the school

past experience:

Throughout a number of years I have developed a comprehensive intervention programme in order to improve the

outcomes of lower achieving pupils I have created an inclusive life skills curriculum which enables the students to

progress alongside their peers A key feature of the programme of interventions is the inclusive element that allows

our low ability pupils, many with special educational needs, to achieve in a safe environment Furthermore, I have

led the Denbigh High Summer School for the last four years This intervention is targeted mainly at those pupils with

an Education, Health and Care Plan or other special educational needs and supports their transition to high school

An inclusive curriculum with literacy and numeracy activities as well as educational visits enables those pupils who

take part to transfer to Denbigh High School with confidence More recently, I have presented the EAL lectures to

the University of Bedfordshire as well as Hertfordshire CTG students I have also led part of the CPD for Central

Beds Teaching School Since 2017 I have been the elected staff governor for my current school This role enables

me to be responsible for overseeing the management side of school; strategy, policy, budgeting and staffing It

allows me to understand how a school can be run as effectively as possible, working alongside senior leaders and

supporting teachers to provide excellent education to children

using technology in my role:

Over the past year in my role I have used technology to support pupils in lessons, and used differentiated materials

via Chromebooks to be able to instantly support pupils I have used Google Drive to support administrative work

around SEND and share / receive information from staff I have created a Support for Learning Website where I

can share all differentiated resources across the school and make them instantly available for all staff I have used

Loom videos to support differentiation in the classroom as well as online small group support during lockdown I

have also used accessibility features available on Google to support our pupils with disabilities and SEND

anna Walczynska

Sendco(special educational

needs and/

or disabilities coordinator)

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Specialist Area:

current job role:

In my current role as a history teacher at Denbigh High I plan, prepare and teach lessons across Key Stage 3 and 4, encourage a positive learning environment and promote engagement I have also offered pastoral support

as a form tutor and hosted interventions for students to bridge learning gaps Over the past year, I have played a substantial role within the History department

past experience:

Previously, I was involved in radio presenting for four years, whilst simultaneously studying at university It was a great experience as I learned how to effectively ask questions, grow an audience through multi media outlets and create a safe environment for co-hosts and guests to voice their opinion Many skills were transitional to teaching which are highlighted in my daily practice

using technology in my role:

Over the past year, I was able to use technology in many different ways Within the classroom, students are able

to read subject knowledge material posted through Google Classroom In order to aid memory and recall, students use various technological features such as interactive white boards to recall learning To assess learning, students completed Google Forms as well as quizzes Google Expeditions was an excellent resource to build on the cultural capital which the students were not able to access during the lockdown For Key Stage 4, I was able to develop rubrics to mark student questions, especially the 16 mark questions Students are able to gain feedback rapidly and resolve misconceptions through Google features I have also actively used Mote as a mode of feedback which was incredibly useful during the pandemic The familiarity of a teacher voice makes the feedback more personalised and meaningful for students

aqsa rashid

teacher of history

Teaching and Learning Specialist Area:

Claire Mcgowan

TEacher of English

current job role:

In my current role at Challney Girls I teach English at KS3 and GCSE I have mentored trainee

English teachers and really enjoy supporting new staff and contributing to the continuing development

of the curriculum

past experience:

I started my teaching career in Spain where I taught English in a private academy then moved to

Barnfield College as an ESOL Teacher As a Subject Learning Coach, I coached and mentored

other teachers as well as delivering cross-college training on voting sticks, using the Smartboard

and preparing for Ofsted I moved into school teaching in 2016 and joined Challney Girls just before

lockdown

using technology in my role:

Over the past year, I have used Google Jamboard to keep in touch with my form in lockdown I have

used Google Classroom to set work and created class discussions during lockdown on the classroom

stream Using a rubric on Google Classroom has made assessments quicker to mark and setting

an electronic exercise book enabled me to dip in to student’s work, making comments and enabling

them to improve their responses I am particularly experienced in Mote and found this really useful for

giving personalised feedback to students on their work I also set work for KS3 and KS4 on a variety

of online learning platforms including Seneca and GCSEPod

English, Google Workspace, Mote, Online

Learning Platforms

Specialist Area:

Maniar

head of computing/it

Teaching and Careers Specialist Area:

current job role:

In my current role at Challney I lead the Computing and IT Department This means working with my team to develop the curriculum and ensure that we review and update elements of the curriculum

to take into consideration new and innovative changes that take place in terms of technology and Edtech I am also passionate about careers and have been fortunate to lead on aspects of the Careers program here at the school, again looking at ways in which we can ensure that careers elements are built into the curriculum I am currently looking to develop a far more hands on approach

to my curriculum and looking to integrate STEM related opportunities into our curriculum delivery As

a department leader I also have to manage and review data, my budget and my team I use coaching and mentoring as a supportive tool to ensure my team members are able to develop and progress in terms of their teaching and beyond I support teachers within the Trust with elements of the curriculum

as I am also an examiner and use my experience and exam knowledge to support the wider team

past experience:

I have been teaching IT and Computer Science for over 20 years I have during this extensive teaching career been involved in various activities which have helped to broaden and develop my skill set I have led on various initiatives for LGfL whilst teaching in London Schools as well as working with the team at LGfL to create a game to support E-Safety I was invited to develop a course for IT teachers

at IoE London, this course ran for 4 years after it was launched I have extensive experience in the field of teacher training as a Lead Manager for a Teaching School working with staff from the University of Gloucester Most recently I have been involved in the EdTech Demonstrator program since the summer of 2020, during this time I have prepared several videos to support teachers,

as well as supporting schools to deliver and prepare their IT curriculum to support students during lockdown I have delivered staff training on the use of various tech software to staff both within my school and MAT

using technology in my role:

current job role:

In my current role at Denbigh as Office Manager with a small team of Administrators and Receptionists we

support the school, SLT, students, stakeholders and staff with all admin, events and communication tasks.

past experience:

I have worked in a school for 4 years but bring with me a plethora of admin, finance and data management

skills and experience from a variety of sectors, always with a focus on technology and communication.

using technology in my role:

Over the past year I have used technology to support all aspects of my work I am particularly adept at

encouraging support staff to embrace technology and to work in a smarter collaborative way I am particularly

experienced in all things Google including Gmail, Forms, Sheets, Classrooms, Slides and Docs I also used

Google Workspace extensively throughout the various stages of lockdown to communicate and work with

students, parents and staff This has been particularly useful for student transitions and keeping parents

updated I have managed the 1-1 Chromebook Scheme from inception and we are now in year 5, helping

parents to order and dealing with repairs and any student issues I have supported our face to face Google

Chromebook clinic and the transition to virtual clinics during the pandemic I also support our Admin/Reception

team migrating away from Microsoft Office to the Google Workspace.

edgeworthteacher of geography

& head of year

current job role:

In my current role at Denbigh I am a teacher of both KS4 and KS3 Geography and am Head of Year 11

using technology in my role:

My specialist areas are the use of the Google Suite for managing pastoral care through posting interactive form time activities, safeguarding and wellbeing support, KS4 interventions and communications with both staff and parents Along with my expertise in the pastoral use of technology I also have vast experience in the use of technology in the Geography classroom through the creation and delivery of virtual fieldwork, the use of feedback and assessment that

is meaningful and informative and use of the Google Classroom to create an interactive blended learning environment that is accessible to all pupils

Head of Year & Geography Specialist Area: