Education Roundup: Schools use new web tools

Preston trials enrolment software

Preston College has eased its enrolment challenge by implementing a new IT system - no easy feat, given the school has 20,000 students. The college used Tribal's ebs4 management system to enrol 700 students in one day in June, trialling the programme ahead of the main enrolment sessions in August and September.

On the trial day in June, staff used the web-based system across 24 PCs to enrol students, take fees and photos, and produce ID cards.

Jeremy Harrison, head of information services at the college, said: "The new enrolment process was very slick and smooth, offering students a first class administrative service and introduction to the college. The new ebs4 software proved to be both reliable and effective and paying by direct debit was simpler than ever."

Online teacher training programme launches

Canterbury Christ Church University's teacher education programme has launched iTeach, an online training system to battle low numbers of maths, physics and chemistry teachers. The 18 month programme will help people switch from their current career into education while still working full-time.

"iTeach has attracted more people to the maths and science teaching profession," Canterbury Christ Church University's Pro-Vice Chancellor (Dean of Education), Professor Sonia Blandford, said. "It provides an opportunity for schools to refresh the way in which maths and science is learnt and taught. Using the internet in this innovative way to increase the flow of teachers into these crucial curriculum areas is long overdue."

Shireland partners with LP+ for online portal

Shireland Language College has teamed up with LP+ Limited to move 80 primary, secondary and special schools in the Shireland Learning Gateway to the LP+ elearning platform.

The partnership means the schools will be able to access Shireland's learning interface, which features teacher-created content and pedagogical training, as well as online forums to develop best practice in education.

Sir Mark Grundy, head teacher of Shireland Language College said: "Our experience is that if something isn't working well in school then you are not going to find the solution inside the school. You need to look outside. The challenge with solutions is how to find them, fetch and apply them."

London leads the way in net bullying plan

London is leading the UK in using the internet to fight bullying, as 12 boroughs have signed up for a web-based Vantage Technologies' Sentinal solution which allows real-time monitoring and incident reporting, as well as case management.

The data is restricted to authorised school staff members only.

A representative from the London Borough of Lambeth said: "We are continually looking at ways to improve racist incident and bullying monitoring and being able to report and monitor incidents in real-time will play a key role in helping us to tackle and reduce bullying in schools."

The 12 London boroughs involved are Islington, Newham, Merton, Richmond, Ealing, Wandsworth, Greenwich, Lambeth, Bexley, Hillingdon, Bromley and Southwark. More than 40 local authorities across the UK have signed up for the system.

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