The initial BECTa funding has made this event a reality.  It has fulfilled all expectations and hopes and has already caught the attention of secondary schools across Wakefield and the partners LAs.  It addresses a need, to provide opportunities to challenge gifted and talented pupils in real-life situations – an area often lacking in schools and LAs.

The additional DfES funding allows this event to become available to a wider audience of schools and provides expert videoconferencing support from Global-Leap (www.global-leap.com).

Sustainability is the key: schools require support in the early stages but then develop the capacity to take this forward themselves with and develop further.  This project builds capacity by providing content to be adopted, and then adapted by schools before they innovate with independence.

Teacher training for ‘Sports Reports’ focuses on the delivery of the event but also the wider issues such as good practise, initiating videoconferences via the JANET network, and access to content providers via organisations such as Global-Leap to name just a few.  Wakefield LA currently operates as a videoconference content provider, as a trainer of teachers in regards to teaching and learning using videoconferencing, with UKERNA and YHGfL in developing the infrastructure and teacher training materials, and as a support mechanism for schools.  Wakefield LA is very active and has been described as one of the most active LAs in this field.

‘Sports Reports’ has been developed by teachers with the attainment of pupils at its core.  It provides a means to enhance teaching and learning with videoconferencing an embedded feature.