This programme examines how broadband helped turn around one Cheshire school.
Until ten years ago, Jeff Joseph Technology College had always had a low level of attainment, until Peter Mercer, director of ICT, managed to turn the school around through the incorporation of state of the art technology.
The effect of connecting the college to a 2Mbps broadband connection was immediate and wide-ranging. The ICT labs were constantly full and pupils who had never been interested in books became fascinated with researching and learning online.
The school used ICT to teach across the entire curriculum and established an e-mentoring programme to help students with coursework online. It also installed two new landlines, which were extended to two local primary schools to enable them to also take advantage of the network and connections. This resulted in the college being one of the first ever schools to be awarded Specialist Technical College Status.
