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Digital services

St Edmund’s has excellent IT provision which we regularly review to ensure students have access to technology that enhances their learning.

Our two full time IT support staff are available Monday – Friday (8:30 am – 5.00 pm) to help staff and students with any IT requirements. They also maintain the computer network, security systems (CCTV and door access control) and telephone system.

Bring your own device (BYOD)

St Edmund’s allows students to bring in personal smartphones, tablets or laptops and connect them to the College wireless network.

Once connected, students can access their College email, filtered internet access and even a College PC due to our virtualisation project. Our WiFi has 100% coverage across all College buildings and is regularly improved to cope with the increasing number of connected devices.

Student and parent portals

St Edmund’s College provides student and parent portals that connect with the College management information system (MIS). Students are automatically registered for the student portal upon entry to the College.

Once accessed, the portals include a wide range of academic information, including timetables, teaching group information, attendance records, school reports and examination entries and results.

Parents can see contact details we currently hold and can request a change to these details to ensure we have the most up to date emergency contact information.

Esafety

While students are in our care, it is our responsibility to ensure they are protected against adult or harmful online materials.

St Edmund’s, therefore, provides email filtering software called Barracuda and internet filtering software called Smoothwall. These systems are regularly updated to ensure they operate to their full potential and are reviewed annually to use the best products available.

Our staff that have undertaken Child Explotation Online Protection (CEOP) Introduction training which provides an introduction to the work of CEOP, an insight into how young people are using technology and outlines the associated risks and the preventative measures that can be undertaken.

Staff have also undertaken the CEOP Ambassador course, which provides an in-depth look at the issues children and young people may face in their online life and how professionals can educate them about opportunities and risks.

CEOP’s ThinkuKnow programme provides a range of free educational resources to professionals working with children and young people, including films, lesson plans, presentations, practitioner guidance, games and posters. They also provide an excellent selection of resources for parents.

IT and classroom facilities

St Edmund’s has extensive modern ICT provision, including four ICT suites in the Senior School and one ICT suite in our Prep School. Each of these rooms contains enough computers to support one-to-one access with an extensive range of software to support learning.

All classrooms contain an interactive whiteboard with a projector and audio setup to allow our teaching staff to provide media-rich and interactive lessons.

A sitewide WiFi network is available to all students and staff via our BYOD policy. It is used to connect staff laptops and our laptop trollies to enable ICT use to take place outside of an ICT suite.

Other specialist areas are equipped with computers, including our Sixth Form Centre, Library, Music Technology Classrooms and the Media Studies department.

St Edmund’s has invested in a virtualisation project, and all computers in the College have been replaced with zero clients. This enables us to push the latest software to all devices keeping everything up to date.

To aid independent learning, the College has a range of online resources, including College email, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and subscriptions to award-winning educational websites such as Clickview, Mathletics and GCSEPod. Access to these is provided inside and outside the College and is possible via our 500MB leased internet line.

VLE (virtual learning environment)

St Edmund’s has a VLE for the Senior School and Sixth Form, which increases student, teacher and parent engagement by improving communication and collaboration.

Our VLE runs on a Firefly product. Teachers use the VLE to share content with students and to set homework and other assessments. Materials on the VLE can be accessed from anywhere, on any device. This encourages independent learning and helps to provide ongoing teaching in case of school closure or long term absence.

Department resources and online subscriptions are easily accessed, including ClickviewGCSEPod and links to College email and the student and parent portals.

iRise Suite

St Edmund’s recently opened a new multi-purpose room called the iRise suite.

The iRise suite is used either as a computer room or a standard classroom. The suite is equipped with state-of-the-art computers housed in powered desking, which the teacher controls. Once a button is pressed, the desk centre console raises to reveal the computers. Computers are in four banks, with each bank controlled independently, allowing some of the room to be used for IT work and the rest for general use – perfect for project work.

The suite also has a large widescreen multi-touch interactive whiteboard and a high-resolution visualiser mounted to the teacher’s desk, allowing items to be enlarged and projected onto the whiteboard.