Penrith and The Border MP, Dr Neil Hudson visited Brough Community Primary School on Friday to congratulate staff and students on their new broadband connection providing high-speed internet access.
The school worked with non-profit community benefit society, B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North Ltd), to install the hyper fast gigabit service for free.
Dr Hudson was welcomed by Head Teacher Phil Cooper who is a champion of online teaching. The school was recently selected as one of the 50 EdTech schools, nominated nationally by the Department for Education and over lockdown ensured all pupils had access to an internet-enabled device at home. The Government department also funded the broadband scheme.
This scheme hopes to enhance the ability of teachers to teach and students to learn by enabling the tailoring of the curriculum to a certain student’s ability. The school was given the funding following a successfully obtained grant from the Department for education via the Gigabit Programme (the Government scheme to give the country fast and reliable broadband.)
Mr Cooper has also recently been selected on the Department for Education’s Digital and Technology working party.
Seeing the technology in action, Dr Hudson enjoyed a tour of the school before being quizzed by groups of enthusiastic youngsters.
Phil Cooper, Head Teacher at Brough Community Primary School, said:
“Ensuring children have access to high-quality technology and fast, reliable broadband is crucial in all schools. I firmly believe that technology can enhance and impact all children’s learning. The recent successes of the school have demonstrated this and it’s great to be a beacon school for the county.”
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, added:
“Rural areas cannot get left behind in the digital revolution, and so it was great to see so many smiling faces benefiting from high-speed connections. Having banged the drum on improving connectivity in Penrith and The Border for so long, it was amazing to see these kinds of projects that play a vital role. Thank you again to B4RN.
“As someone who taught in Higher Education with outreach into schools before I entered Parliament, I cannot stress enough how important educating our young folk is, and now able to use internet to enhance their learning I have no doubt the children I met today will benefit massively from this, whatever they choose to go on and do."
