Learning Platform
Facility VLE now Becta approved
Serco's Facility Learning Platform has been recognised by Becta (The British Educational Communications Technology Agency) and is on its procurement framework. It comprises a website for public information, an intranet to share private data, a forum for communications and collaboration, plus online assessment, user tracking, individualised learning and a content repository.
Learners benefit from easy access to lessons and learning materials at times and places not limited by the classroom environment. The online availability means they can learn when and how they want to, making lessons more personal and relevant to their curriculum needs.
It also helps local authorities and school clusters to create meaningful communities and networks. Teaching and non-teaching staff, senior managers, parents, pupils and governors can all benefit from the system because it enables communication and information sharing.
The Learning Platform can be used as a stand alone product or can be joined with the Facility Management Information System to create a powerful tool that covers both areas of school improvement and enables data to be shared between the two areas.
How the Facility learning platform is already being used
- A year-11 student at John Cabot City Technology College in Bristol who was chronically ill was able to take an active part in lessons through a tailor made package of material she could access from home.
- The English department at Headlands School and Community College in Bridlington used an online discussion group to hold a "silent discussion" where every child was expected to take part. Removing the potential embarrassment of public speaking helped everyone to participate in the lesson.
- Bradford children's services has set up a number of authority wide communities so that specialists in some subjects can share expertise. Modern languages is often a small department in primary schools but staff can reach a network of colleagues in other schools by accessing the community area from their own school's learning platform.
- Newly qualified teachers in Walsall have access to a whole support network through an authority-wide discussion board set up on Education Walsall's learning platform. NQTs can share information and exchange ideas with others throughout the area.
- Parents at Cullingworth Primary School in Bradford can always keep up to date with school news. Newsletters are lodged in the parents' area of the website so that parents do not have to rely on paper copies being brought home.
- Walsall is home to a winter quarters for families of travelling funfairs so some children live in the town for only part of the year. The borough introduced use of the learning platform to provide online access so that travelling children can continue lessons when they are away from the town.
- There is an authority-wide community for governors in Bradford that can be reached through their individual school learning platforms. Governors and governing bodies can keep track of their actions through the site to provide an audit trail. This satisfies new DfES financial standards that require governing bodies to monitor and approve budgets regularly.