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Section 2: Planning and Implications for Managers

The ICT coordinator

It is becoming more common practice in primary and secondary schools to designate the role of ICT coordinator to a member of staff. In some cases the coordinator is a voluntary or negotiated activity, but the value of this role is being increasingly recognised by a number of local authorities and they are creating posts with this responsibility. Where the role is part of a current promoted post remit, the postholder is in a position to provide input to management, departments and class teachers and so exercise an important influence in sustaining continuity and progression for pupils across the school.

The ICT coordinator should be given opportunities to keep his/her knowledge and skills updated in a fast-changing environment and systems should be in place for coordinators to share their knowledge and expertise with management. The situation in a school can change when a member of staff moves on, and steps should be taken to ensure that the school does not suffer from a knowledge gap should the coordinator change. This problem may be thought particularly severe in primary schools, but it can also occur in secondary schools where staff may have come to depend heavily on the advice offered by the coordinator.

ICT coordinators should be concerned with learning and teaching, and while they may develop some troubleshooting technical skills, managers should delegate these responsibilities to appropriate technical support services.

The role of an ICT 5-14 coordinator can be summarised as:
  • keeping up to date with ICT developments in learning and teaching in 5-14
  • providing an example of effective classroom practice in using ICT for learning and teaching
  • coordinating the teaching and assessment of discrete ICT elements across the school
  • assisting colleagues with the ICT applications that support their learning and teaching across the          curriculum
  • supporting staff to achieve the school and the authority's ICT guidelines and policies
  • advising on staff development needs and organising an in-service programme in partnership with the          appropriate promoted staff
  • coordinating ICT resource allocation
  • ensuring systems maintenance to a level agreed with the appropriate technician services
  • working within agreed primary-secondary liaison procedures to ensure that ICT continuity and          progression are maintained across sectors. At primary level this will also include links with nursery          provision outwith the school
  • working within agreed primary-secondary liaison procedures to ensure that ICT continuity and          progression are maintained across sectors. At primary level this will also include links with nursery          provision outwith the school
  • networking with colleagues with similar responsibilities to share developments.
    OHT master

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