Nursery World - Make ICT work

With careful planning, ICT can be productive and fun, as a school in Manchester discovered, says Jenny Benjamin It often seems that ICT provision in schools and nurseries is all about buying hardware. Make enough money on your fete or save enough cereal packets and your nursery's computer needs will be met.

It often seems that ICT provision in schools and nurseries is all about buying hardware. Make enough money on your fete or save enough cereal packets and your nursery's computer needs will be met.

However, the arrival of the hardware is just the beginning. Making ICT work for children is all about forward planning, staff training, integration across the curriculum, technical backup, timetabling, assessment, selecting software and peripherals - the list is quite daunting.

It is particularly inspiring, therefore, to hear the story of Hurstclough Primary School in Hattersley, Greater Manchester. A third of the children at this school are on the special needs register - when they arrive, most have below-average attainment levels. However, Hurstclough recently received a School Achievement Award - the result, in part, of its impressive record with computers.

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