Enriching the Curriculum through Video Conferencing

Highlands Primary School in the London Borough of Redbridge are the National Award Winners for Janet(UK) 2013 for the effective use of VC in the Primary School Sector. They have saved £10,000 over eighteen months through travel cost and teacher admin costs involved during school visits. However it was not only the money and time saved that has benefited the whole school. Click here to read more about VC at Highlands.

The head teacher at Highlands,Kulvarn Atwal, quotes:
Video conferencing is now embedded across the curriculum at Highlands Primary and has become a normal classroom activity for all.
In the last 18 months we have connected over 32 times with content providers and other schools.  For example The British Museum, The National Archives, for School Council Meetings, meeting authors and show and share work with local schools.
Just through connecting with Museums nationally we have travelled nearly two thousand virtual miles.  
Video conferencing has not only saved money for my school and time for my teaching staff  but most importantly it has enriched the primary curriculum and brought new opportunities for our pupils; ones which they might never have had. 
 
The table below shows how time and costs have been calculated.                                                                                                                                              

	Janet Content Provider	Return mileage	Approx. Coach hire For 30 pupils	Return Travel time	*Teacher admin cost Pre visit	Teacher cost due to wasted  travel time @£180 per day
1	Year 5 -The National Archives Richmond – 3 sessions	62 x3 = 186	£330 x3= 990	4 hours x3	£180	£90 x3 = 270
2	Chris Lubbe, Hampshire – 1 session	200	£330	4 hours	£180	£90
3	Year 6 – The National Archives  – 3 sessions	62 x 3 = 186	£330 x3 = 990	4 hours x3	£180	£90 x3 = 270
4	Year 2 – Metlearn, Somerset – 3 sessions	360 x 3 =1080	£330 x3= 990	6 hours x 3	£180	£180 x 3 =540
5	Year, 4,5, 6 British Museum, London x9	21 x 9 =189	£330 x 9 = 2970	1 hour x 9	£180	£90 x 9 =810
6	Year 2  Museum of London  - 2 sessions	20 x 2 =40	£330 x 2 = 660	1 hour x 2	£180	£90 x 2 = 180
	Total VC sessions =21	1881 miles	£6930.00	57 hours	£1080.00	£2160.00

Total savings (coach, teacher pre -visit cost, teacher travel cost) =

  6930+1080+2160 =  £10,170.00

*Teacher admin cost = ½ day prep – site visit, pre visit prep for pupils
                                    ½ day team meeting – risk assessment, planning meeting.
Click on the image below to watch the video of the staff and pupils at Highlands as they talk about video conferencing with Janet content providers.