Simon de Senlis Primary School as a Showcase School

Simon de Senlis Primary School in Northampton is a successful and creative primary School with 420 students which has been recognised as a Microsoft Global Showcase School because of their excellence in transforming learning environments to deliver more personalised education to students, using mobile and cloud technology to better prepare students for success in the workplace.

Simon de Senlis joins an exclusive community of leading schools from around the world to celebrate their pioneering efforts and innovation in rethinking teaching, learning and assessment in order to equip the children with 21st century competencies.

Examples of the school’s work include innovative use of Surface devices to capture learning across the curriculum and the use of cloud computing to allow children to give and receive feedback to each other on their learning.

“Being selected as a Microsoft Showcase School is a great thing for Simon de Senlis and I am delighted that the passion our teachers and staff have for creating the best learning environments possible has been recognised in this way”, said Tom Rees, Headteacher at the school. “We look forward to sharing our experiences with other schools in our community and the world to continue finding innovative ways to equip our students with the proper tools needed for success inside and outside of the classroom."

As a Showcase School, Simon de Senlis Primary School work closely with Microsoft to lead innovation in education and communicate a vision for education enabled by technology through the hosting and mentoring of other schools in the community on transformational educational practices, as one of six Microsoft Training Academies in the UK.

Transforming Classrooms with Windows 10

When Windows 10 was released last summer, the staff at Simon de Senlis Primary School thought it would be the perfect time to upgrade their students’ devices. Little did they realise how thoroughly it would also transform teaching and learning.

When Windows 10 was released in the summer of 2015, the staff thought it would be the perfect time to upgrade their 200 Windows devices.

For Headteacher Tom Rees, the move to Windows 10 was a natural extension of the school’s vision.

"Everyone talks about 21st century learning and what our children need for the future," he explained. "For us it's about our children shaping the future and being creative with it and there's so much that they need to know that sits outside of a formal curriculum: ways to work together, ways to use technology to communicate, to be creative. That's really what we're about."

The simplified deployment of Windows 10 saved the school time and money.

“Moving to Windows 10 has been problem free,” says Paul Dredge, the IT technician who installed Windows 10 at Simon de Senlis. Dredge also noticed how the upgrade improved device performance. “No longer does the school have the issues of slow boot up and login times,” he said. “The student can pick up the device, turn it on, log in to Office 365, and it’s ready to use instantly.”

Students and teachers now enjoy the freedom to explore by using OneNote, OneDrive, Microsoft Edge, and Cortana.

"The adoption of Windows 10 has been really straightforward," says Headteacher Rees. “The children have been able to be more productive, working on many things at a time. We know now that they work this way at home, and now they’re doing it in school as well.”

Year 6 teacher Charlotte Coade observed how Windows 10 and Office 365 changed the dynamics of her classroom.

"You will see students working together collaboratively, sharing ideas through Office 365 and working on their own. And right next to them, there are children who are leading others, sharing their knowledge, and helping push everyone forward."

It’s no surprise, then, that Microsoft selected Simon de Senlis as a 2015 Global Showcase School for its excellence in transforming its learning environment. For Headteacher Rees, this honor exemplifies how Microsoft technology strengthens the school’s mission.

“We are passionate about learning and aim for our children to become curious, industrious, and agile learners who make a positive ‘dent in the universe,’” he said. “Microsoft empowers us to do more and to be more.”

Microsoft Training School

Simon De Senlis is also one of six Microsoft Training Academies offering FREE Microsoft in the Classroom training to explore how teaching and learning can be transformed through technology and the use of a 21st Century Curriculum.    

The events will include practical sessions with opportunities to learn or develop your use of the following applications:

• Office 365 - Online Word, Powerpoint and Excel
• Forms - Online survey tool
• Sway - Online content creator and presentation
• OneNote - Digital notebook and paper for use with students and pupils
• Microsoft Educator Community - an introduction to free, online training resources

Their upcoming events are listed below:

Tuesday 17th October 2017 (1pm - 4pm)
Tuesday 21st November 2017 (1pm - 4pm)
Tuesday 6th February 2018 (1pm - 4pm)
Tuesday 20th March 2018 (1pm - 4pm)
Tuesday 22nd May 2018 (1pm - 4pm)
Tuesday 19th June 2018 (1pm - 4pm)

Click here to book.

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