Students access wider range of courses through video conferencing

Students in Monmouthshire are learning a wider range of subjects, from further maths to philosophy, thanks to new video conferencing equipment available in the county's four comprehensives.

All four secondary schools in Monmouthshire have new, state of the art video conferencing facilities enabling students to access a huge range of opportunities using technology not normally available to students in schools.

Head of Chepstow Comprehensive, Mr John Barnbrook said:

"Our sixth form is very big and has an impressively extensive curriculum. This technology really enriches the education our students are receiving.  We are now able to offer philosophy, Spanish and government and politics lessons without the need for students to travel outside of Chepstow. It also allows us to share our expertise with other schools in areas such as further maths and BTEC National Music.

"The opportunity to extend the learning experience will allow our students to show universities that they have that ‘something extra' that will help them get into the best institutions.

"Pupils have access to experts in their field from all over Britain and it's a great addition to the very broad curriculum that we already offer."

In Chepstow Comprehensive, the lessons are held in the school's video conferencing suite where students are seated in rows facing two large screens.  One screen shows the teacher through a camera at his or her location elsewhere in the country and the other screen shows what the teacher can see - the camera looking at the classroom.

The tutor who takes the lessons through the video conferencing is responsible for marking and evaluating work and will also be in contact with the students by email and comes in to school three times a year. Anything the tutor might be less able to help with, for instance if a student is struggling with submitting work, the teachers at the school can deal with.

Colin Gingell, Monmouthshire County Council's School Improvement Project Monitoring Officer, said:

"The lessons can be taught by another learning provider where students receive prepared units of work from a company such as Nelson Thorne. They can also share delivery between schools and other institutions for minority and enrichment subjects."

"This kind of teaching is possible because of the £1million Monmouthshire County Council receives from the Welsh Assembly Government's Learning Pathways 14-19 funding."