An East Devon school is putting the county on the global education map with a pioneering new project which has already seen them awarded $25,000 (£15,000) from Microsoft Corp
Broadclyst Community Primary School presented their Global Enterprise Challenge idea to judges at the international Pitch Competition, held at the Microsoft in Education Global Forum in Barcelona.
The Forum, one of the world’s leading education technology events, has grown 25 per cent year-on-year and welcomes more than 1,100 attendees, including 150 government education leaders, private sector executives, 250 educators and 75 mentor school leaders, all sharing ideas on how to solve the challenges that the sector is currently facing.
Broadclyst Community Primary School’s Global Enterprise Challenge idea, which harnesses the power of technology and the internet, will involve students from around the world connecting online to run an international company, while competing against other students to become the most successful company globally.
Jonathan Bishop, Headteacher at the school, says: “We’re really excited that we have been given this funding by Microsoft to turn our idea into a reality.
“This global challenge will promote social interaction within teams and across countries and require children to solve problems, share ideas, communicate effectively and through the use of mobile devices and Office 365 encourage anywhere, anytime learning, both at home and at school for all involved,” he adds.
“These are vital skills for our young people to develop, and we should be harnessing technology in any way that we can to help them to develop those skills.”
The Pitch judges chose the school’s idea as a winner for the opportunities it will give students, from increasing their awareness of cultural diversities, to gaining an understanding of world markets and currencies, as well as honing their communication, collaboration, teamwork and problem solving skills through the use of technology.
Merlin John, The Pitch judge, says: “We are confident that there will be a substantial impact from all the projects that came before us and we will be following their progress closely.”
As part of the challenge, schools will pitch for part of a $50,000 (£30,300) fund to help bring their visions to a reality and transform their schools.
The Microsoft award is just one of many exciting developments happening at Broadclyst Community Primary School. To read more about their plans and developments, read Devon Life’s June edition.
