A CLUSTER of 12 Borders schools has become the first in the Scotland to achieve a Digital Schools Award.

The 12 schools in the Galashiels area have been recognised at the awards for their efforts to work together to encourage the use of technology in classes from nursery to secondary school.

The Galashiels schools which form the cluster include:

  • Galashiels Academy
  • Balmoral Primary School
  • Burgh Primary School
  • Clovenfords Primary School
  • Fountainhall Primary School
  • Glendinning Terrace Primary
  • Heriot Primary School
  • Langlee Primary School
  • St Margarets RC Primary School
  • St Peters Primary School
  • Stow Primary School
  • Tweedbank Primary School

The schools received the nationally recognised award as part of a cluster initiative.

The initiative distinguishes schools that set out to share resources, mentor and guide each other.

Lesley Munro, Scottish Borders Council’s director of education and children’s services said: “The goal was to establish ourselves as innovative leaders, creating opportunities for accessing resources, fostering partnerships, and enhancing morale, all of which support the continuous improvement of digital learning across the cluster.

“This included ensuring that digital technology was a central consideration in all areas of curriculum to enhance learning and teaching and assessment delivery."

Some of the Galashiels schools have also received additional awards for their work to bring technology into the classroom.

Galashiels Academy won the Digital Wellbeing Award for Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety, and Burgh Primary ELC and Tweedbank Primary ELC both received the Digital Learning Through Play Award in recognition of their excellent work to integrate technology into children's play and learning experiences in and out of the classroom.

When assessing the 11 primary schools in the Galashiels cluster, the Digital Schools Awards validators shared how well learning extended from the classroom to children's homes as pupils used technology to research, practice skills, and discuss their learning.

Validators also help the schools they are assigned to by proposing a matrix system of support to address any learning gaps.

Anna Doody from Digital Schools Awards said: “This is a great example in collaboration which saw neighbouring schools work closely together to better prepare pupils for the digital world. 

"The ability to pull resources, collaborate on ideas and provide guidance to each other only offers another level of support to learners and we are delighted to celebrate and recognise these schools for their excellent work through this special cluster award.”

As part of the awards, participating schools complete a self-assessment of their digital developments in areas of Leadership and Vision, Digital Technology for Learning and Teaching, School Culture, Professional Development and Resources and Infrastructure.