Key stats

% of students on pupil premium at our school: 73%

Number of students this will benefit: 521

Age of students: 2-11

Summary

We are an Islington school with strong ties to our local authority and the schools around us and, alongside them, we wish to extend the opportunities for children to experience new and interactive ways of learning. We believe that every child has the ability to achieve with the right stimulus and that the use of Augmented and Virtual Reality within the curriculum and across the whole school would enthuse the learning for many.

Pupils at Grafton School have currently only had a short taster session using virtual reality. They have not seen the application of V.R. integrated into the classroom setting so we would love to be able to offer them this technology as they move through the school. We have a focused group of digital leaders who take charge of delivering computers and supporting the learning of the lower years on a regular basis along with an active Code-club which we would like to use to filter the learning around the school.

Innovation and creativity is at the heart of our curriculum at Grafton school and digital media e.g. film making and animation is embedded throughout. Our weekly Code Club has engaged with the latest initiatives such as creating their own Kodu games and BBC micro:bit (creating tech fashion winning an Islington based competition) and are very keen for new and latest ideas for our next projects.

Linking this technology with projects from other schools, such as Newington Green, would really allow us to get the most out of the money spent and offer the greatest range of learning opportunities.

My students

The pupils at Grafton School range in age from two to eleven years and a large proportion of them, as is common around the Borough, do not speak English as their first language. Additionally, many of the pupils may not have access to the sights and sounds outside of their immediate locale and we are located in an area with a high level of deprivation. This means that for many, the external learning opportunities can be limited and, we believe, that access to the A.R. and V.R. technology would open the door to the ‘life-experiences’ that many of us take for granted.

My project

We, the pupils and staff want to buy a set of iPod touch (ideally 10 for a class of 30). Alongside this, we would like a set of 10 V.R. goggles and 10 Bluetooth controllers to be used in conjunction with the iPods. Our final purchase would be a multi USB charger to enable the devices to be charged safely in a classroom environment.  As a school community, we are expecting there to be an impact in several ways:

• Pupils will be engaged in their learning and can take ownership of it
• Pupils will have a greater understanding of the key vocabulary or concepts for a topic or theme
• Pupils can experience places and sights outside of their location, their country or even in Space
• Pupils will be encouraged to develop their own A.R. and V.R. content

Where your donation goes

7 x iPod touch 16GB Silver @ £179 each: http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-ipod/ipod-touch

8 x Lightweight VR goggles @ £8.99 each : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01CWM2VKU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2EHGMVLPWPP7S

8 x Bluetooth controller for VR set @ £7.19 each: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01CWMT6US/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2EHGMVLPWPP7S

1 x USB charging station @ £31.99 each : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charging-Station-Merit-Multi-Device-Organizer/dp/B01D9LFTYS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1496248450&sr=8-10&keywords=charging+station+8+port+usb

Delivery charges: £0

Credit card fees (2%): £29 (to cover the fees charged by the payment provider)

Total cost: £1,415 plus 2% £1,443

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