Learnanywhere

Learnanywhere is a Learning Platform. As part of our ongoing commitment to develop IT in and out of the classroom we have, in November 2012, set up a Learning Platform to enable children to access learning materials and messaging facilities in a safe and secure environment.

The aims of the Learning Platform are:

To enable pupils to:

• access learning materials created by their teachers and others, outside lesson time and from locations such as the library and home
• store work and notes online for use in assignments, homework and revision, outside normal school hours
• create an online portfolio, including digital photos and videos of performances as well as text
• improve their ICT skills and online management of materials
• submit homework  for marking and assessment
• communicate by email and participate in live discussions and forums with other students and teachers.

To enable parents and carers to:

• play a greater part in children's learning, where they have access to the learning platform from home
• support children in any learning which takes place outside school
• access their child's personal home page to keep track of their work and the curriculum.

We understand the concerns of parents regarding internet and digital safety and we have a regular parent forum on the matter . Anyone outside of the Twickenham School Community will not be able to view the Learning Platform or gain access to any child's information. Children will be trained to use the Learning Platform in school, following the school's Acceptable use of the Internet policy (which is currently being reviewed as part of the Parent Forum) as well as our standard guidance on how to stay safe on the internet. The Learning Platform contains a messaging service where children can send people in their year group or extra curricular activity club emails. These emails are filtered by software designed to flag abusive or inappropriate content. If such a message is written then it is blocked and the school is contacted. Each email is also sent with a 'Flag to admin' button. If a child is sent a message they believe to be inappropriate then they can report it to the school and it will be dealt with. The school is able to access ALL children's messages (even when deleted) as well as the computer the message is sent from. These measures are designed to safeguard our children.

In her report for the Government on Children’s safety online, Dr Tanya Byron compared the issue with that of teaching children to swim: “Children and young people need to be empowered to keep themselves safe – this isn’t just about a top-down approach. Children will be children – pushing boundaries and taking risks. At a public swimming pool we have gates, put up signs, have lifeguards and shallow ends, but we also teach children how to swim.” Twickenham Primary school aims to teach children to swim in a digital world!