Apple Distinguished School 2021
Learning at Caterham is an exciting adventure, full of opportunities for personal development, achievement and enjoyment. We believe that all of our pupils can be successful in an environment which is caring, optimistic and encouraging.
Caterham is a happy school providing an atmosphere which supports pupils and enables their success, their development of character and wellbeing. By the time Caterhamians leave school they are intellectually curious and emotionally intelligent thinkers.
All round the campus you will see our confidence in the future and our ability to offer diversity, from a stunning extension to our Performing Arts space, to our investment in Digital Learning. Caterham School strives to give every student an education for life, no matter what their passion.
Over a nearly decade-long journey with Apple technology we have been agile and responsive in the development of our vision for what a technology-enhanced learning experience will look like.
Culturally, change and innovation is deeply embedded in both the staff and pupil experience. Innovation is part of the school’s DNA and something we talk to pupils about regularly.
Our core vision of ensuring that we are using Apple technology to ensure that pupils have experiences in the classroom that would have been impossible without iPad, and teaching them skills which prepare them for life beyond school remain unchanged. The activities, specifics and opportunities of what this looks like continue to evolve.
Over the last ten years we have collected data in different ways to help us shape and develop our use of technology. This ranges from evaluating typing speeds of comparing iPad and PCs, through to a complex study attempting to evaluate the influences of a 1-to-1 iPad rollout across a number of different schools.
During the Coronavirus pandemic, feedback from pupils helped us refine what a ‘digital lesson’ looked like and which elements were having the most positive impact on learning. We also see success through the engagement of our pupils competitions. the most prominent of these being our alumni-sponsored Innovation Award which recently was won by pupils who designed an algorithm suggesting charities you might like to support based on sentiment in your writing.
How, what, where and when our students learn was a central motivation behind brining in iPad devices to the school. We witness the creativity of both our pupils and staff every day, whether this is in bespoke digital art courses, learning to code in Swift playgrounds, or in making films to explore their learning of a scientific experiment or piece of literature.
Most teachers around the world recognise the value of teamwork and collaboration.The iPad has meant that this is no longer something limited to the classroom, indeed, it is no longer something limited to students in the same school! The use of technology has seen students in our school, working with students in other schools in this country and abroad, in meaningful and engaging ways.
We continue to ask: what should a classroom look like? Beyond Apple TV and the Classroom app, we are introducing movable furniture, tools to analyse participation and engagement and spaces to film and write in collaborative ways. All of these innovations are supported, or because of our use of technology, which allows us to rethink the space for learning.
Perhaps most significantly, our use of technology has allowed us to re-evaluate the curriculum. Our new curriculum subject, Edge, ensures our pupils learn a wide-variety of skills to help them to become informed, critical and creative thinkers who are digitally savvy and alert to the challenges and opportunities of a fast-changing world.
September 2021 will see the launch of our Innovation Leadership Team who will work together to realise the ongoing vision of the school’s journey in this space. We will continue to use Apple technology to help run virtual CPD both internally and externally with other schools, which has been popular and successful with staff, and the classroom environment will also develop further. Being a 1:1 iPad school has allowed significant freedom as we redesign the classroom and study spaces in our buildings, helping us create breakout areas, collaborative 6th Form working zones and supporting pupils virtually around the world with meaningful learning experiences facilitated by technology. Our innovative Edge programme will also roll out further through the school.
• What Digital & Innovation mean to us
• Teacher & Pupil Reflections
• 1st Year Innovation Day
• The Pupil View
• A Day In The Life Of iPad at Caterham School
• Success at Caterham School
