Digital School

Moira Primary School was awarded the ‘Digital Schools Award for Northern Ireland’ in 2022. 

Vision and Rationale

At Moira Primary School our vision is to prepare pupils for the challenge of a rapidly developing and evolving technological world.  We recognise ICT as a core area of the curriculum through which we can enhance and extend learning and teaching.  Our pupils should have an awareness of how to use technologies effectively for a wide range of purposes which add to the toolset they will need to be effective citizens and employees over their lifetime.

Aims

At Moira Primary School, we use ICT to:

• Provide opportunities to enable all our staff, pupils and parents to be confident, competent and independent users of ICT
• Extend and enhance learning across all areas of the curriculum.
• Enhance the learning process and raise academic standards
• Promote independent and collaborative work and enable pupils to develop the necessary personal and social skills required for advantageous use of the computer and other technologies
• Foster thinking skills and personal capabilities
• Develop positive and responsible attitudes towards Using ICT
• Develop an appreciation for the role of UICT in everyday life
• Undertake activities which would be difficult to pursue in any other way
• Motivate and enthuse pupils
• Enhance self-esteem
• Meet the individual needs and abilities of our children catering for both weak and high achievers
• Support different types of learners – audio, kinaesthetic and visual
• Improve attainment levels across all curricular areas

Moira Primary School Awarded the Prestigious NaaceMark for Excellence in ICT

Moira Primary School continues to set the standard for innovation in education, having been awarded the prestigious NaaceMark at the end of June (one of only two primary schools in NI recognised with this award).  This national (UK) recognition highlights the school's ongoing commitment to integrating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into every aspect of learning and teaching.

The NaaceMark is a widely respected award that celebrates schools demonstrating outstanding use of technology to support and enhance education.  Achieving this accolade is a testament to the dedication of Moira Primary’s staff, pupils, and leadership team in embracing digital learning tools and strategies.

We are incredibly proud to receive this award.  It reflects the hard work of our entire school community and our belief that ICT plays a vital role in preparing children for the future.

Moira Primary has invested significantly in ICT infrastructure (thanks to significant fundraising from our parents) and professional development, ensuring pupils have access to the latest digital resources in a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment.  The school continues to explore new technologies to enrich the curriculum and develop students’ digital skills.

Areas of strength/outstanding practice were identified as follows:

• The school prepares children with digital skills for life.  Children are clear about why and when to use technology and it is well embedded.  They are enthusiastic users of technology and are encouraged to produce work of high quality.

• Senior and subject leadership is a real strength.  It is clear that there is a shared and devolved responsibility for the vision, and education technology has a high profile within the school.

• Teachers are invested in and valued through a commitment to professional development. Staff are increasingly confident and can identify valid opportunities for education technology to impact on pupil outcomes.

• The school has made a significant commitment to ensure resources and devices are available to cover all aspects of the curriculum. This ensures that children have access to equipment as and when required.

• Digital safeguarding is very strong. Children are enthusiastic and clear about safe use and are able to articulate what constitutes safe and unsafe behaviour.

• The Digital Leaders group is a real strength and has the potential to impact significantly on the school by supporting staff and other young people.

• Support for children with special educational needs is very strong.  Teachers and senior leaders find opportunities to ensure that applications have accessibility tools which enable all young people to access the curriculum and have positive outcomes.

On account of our sector leading practice, we have been asked to support local, national and international schools by sharing our good practice, providing resources and professional development.  In doing so, we have been asked to work with NAACE to develop a Case Study for our school which will provide examples of good practice for other schools.

With this latest achievement, Moira Primary School reinforces its position as a leader in educational technology, inspiring others across the region and beyond.

As part of our Digital School initiative, all teaching staff at Moira Primary School also secured the prestigious ‘Apple Teacher’ status following ongoing training. On account of the training embarked upon our teachers have established strong foundations for using iPads and Apple apps like Pages, Keynote, Numbers, GarageBand, and iMovie in the classroom. This capacity building will enable our teachers to continue creating innovative learning experiences for our children.