[Olpc-uk] Fwd: Please help a primary school!

[kmessenger]

Dear All, 

I am the Deputy Head of a large primary school in Burgess
Hill, West Sussex. Although many think of this county as an
affluent area, we have many children from poorer backgrounds
who live in really quite challenging circumstances. 

At the start of September 2010, we won a bid to participate
in a WSCC LA pilot project exploring the academic benefits
of the 'Fizzbook' by Zoo storm. The pupils in one of our
year 3 classes were each the lucky receivers of a loan of a
notebook to use both within class and at home. The results
have been amazing. Once reluctant writers and disengaged
from the learning process, these children have become
motivated, excited learners filled with enthusiasm for
school and keen to write. Interviews with the children have
clearly shown that the Fizzbook has been instrumental in
turning around attitudes to learning as well as having a
significant impact on children's academic progress in all
curriculum areas. 

Due to budget cuts, it has been necessary to amalgamate our
three year 3 classes into 2 classes for next year. This has
left us with a huge problem - we have only 30 notebooks, yet
64 pupils within the year group (some of whom have been
using the notebooks, others not)- who will be mixed up into
2 new classes. We have decided that it will be impossible
for only those children who have benefited from the
notebooks this year to continue with them this coming
September; in order for the notebook to be used
successfully, its use must be an integral and embedded part
of all learning and teaching and it is therefore not
possible to be teaching a class effectively when some are
using a notebook whilst others not. 

On informing the current Fizzbook users of this decision,
their response was initial disbelief and subsequent horror.
They have explained that the thought of learning without the
notebook is awful - they can't envisage lessons without
them, and have begged me to find a way to secure notebooks
for the remaining 34 pupils so that the whole year group can
benefit. 

I was recently told that OLPC was now looking to support
children in the UK and I wondered if there was any
possibility that the organisation could consider helping our
school and bringing some resolution to our current dilemma.
I can't tell you how amazing it would be to enable our
pupils to continue their use of these notebooks - the
passion and excitement they have created is enormous and has
made such a real difference to children who otherwise would
have been left underachieving and disengaged from education.

If you are able to help in any way - through a contact, link
or funding ideas, I would be hugely grateful. 

Best wishes, 

Kit Messenger
Deputy Headteacher
Tel: 01444 233368 
Kmessenger at wsgfl.org.uk 

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