MP Nigel Huddleston swaps Westminster for Westacre after hearing of Droitwich school's ICT success - The Droitwich Standard

MP Nigel Huddleston swaps Westminster for Westacre after hearing of Droitwich school's ICT success

Droitwich Editorial 17th Oct, 2016 Updated: 17th Oct, 2016   0

STAFF and students at Westacre Middle School in Droitwich welcomed Mid Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddelston.

Mr Huddleston was greeted by head boy Michal Romanczuk Fiedorowicz and head girl Katie Phillips, who introduced him to headteacher Donna Evans and deputy headteachers Catherine Doolin and Paul Barber.

Mr Huddleston first made contact with Westacre after hearing about the national Nacce ICT Mark award in July, so the first part of his visit involved a tour around school looking at how technology was used in the classroom.

He was shown around school by year seven prefects Freya Richardson and Luke Simms – both pupils have acted as digital leaders at school in the Cyber Council team and taken part in e-safety visits to many local first schools, the Sky TV studios in London and The National Museum of Computing in Milton Keynes.




Mr Huddleston met a year five class using iPads in a numeracy lesson, a year six class using touch screen computers in a literacy lesson and a year seven class blogging in one of the two ICT suites.

He spoke to both pupils and staff about their experiences with technology in school and was impressed by the enthusiasm from everyone around school.


Deputy head Paul Barber, who is responsible for ICT, said: “As a school, we were immensely proud to be awarded the ICT Mark in July.

“To be able to share our successes with Mr Huddleston, who clearly understands the importance of technology in the workplace, is another source of pride for us.

“Seeing and hearing how our staff and pupils explained how they use technology in school with such enthusiasm was a highlight of today.”

Mr Huddleston was also given the chance to officially open the brand new school playgrounds – after liaison with pupils, particularly through the School Council last year, it was decided to invest in new equipment for all of the school playgrounds.

Mr Huddleston joined year five children and staff for playtime, where he met the year five MPs from the newly formed Westacre Parliament – Grace Rusby, Sacha Hart, Liberty Smith and Billy Deacon. They had been recently elected by their classmates and were joined by Mr Huddleston and head boy Michal and head girl Katie to cut the ribbon before Mr Huddleston got to try out the new equipment, taking to the climbing wall and checking out the newly created book den and recently installed outdoor gym equipment.

The formation of the Westacre Parliament – a relaunched approach to give the school’s pupils a greater voice – includes the head boy and girl and one representative from each class.

The new Westacre MPs were delighted when Mr Huddleston agreed to a Q&A session and he remarked at how impressed he was by the level of questions and knowledge the youngsters had about Parliament.

They asked about the workings of Parliament, the process of becoming an MP and about Mr Huddleston’s experiences at school.

They were particularly excited to hear about the possibility of meeting him again – next time in the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

Mrs Doolin, the deputy head who is responsible for pupil welfare, helped organise the Westacre Parliament.

She said it was an amazing opportunity for the children to meet a local MP.

“Hearing about his experiences at school and in Parliament can only inspire them as well as the rest of our school.

“I was particularly impressed with the level of questions they came up with about democracy and the rule of law.”

 

Speaking after his time at Westacre Mr Huddleston said: “It was a truly memorable visit to a wonderful school!

“I particularly enjoyed trying out the new playground equipment.

“I was incredibly impressed by the ICT offerings of the school and it was a joy to see so many young people excited about technology.

“Meeting the Westacre Parliament was also fantastic, particularly seeing children at this age taking such a keen interest in democracy and parliament.”

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