ICT Lead accepted onto exclusive global expertise programme

Prior’s Court School’s ICT Lead has been invited to join an exclusive global group which is pioneering the innovative use of technology in the classroom.

Nuno Guerreiro has been selected as a Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert for 2021/22, giving him the opportunity to share ideas, explore new approaches and learn from fellow experts.

In the UK, only around 1,000 educators are part of the 2021/22 MIE Expert cohort.

The acceptance letter from the MIE programme read: “You will be joining a group of some of the most amazing educators who are empowering the students of today to create the world of tomorrow. At Microsoft, we believe that technology alone cannot build 21st century skills for students. It is an accelerator, but the power of change lies within educators. That is why we bring changemakers, like yourself, together to recognize and grow your achievements.”

For his application, Nuno cited how technology supported our highly successful Eco-Schools project, in which we recently achieved Green Flag status, with software from Microsoft Office, Edge and Teams through to Minecraft Education Edition used to empower our young people to care for the environment, learn more about environmental issues, and share their progress.

Nuno, pictured above being filmed by Thomson Reuters for a piece on the educational use of Virtual Reality at Prior's Court, said:

“Technology has the potential to empower our students and transform their lives. By being creative, innovative, and imaginative and with individualised support, all of our young people can fulfil their potential. Microsoft tools are essential for inclusion. They enable our young people, whatever their needs, to use technology purposefully in ways that make the wider curriculum accessible, empowering those with communication difficulties to engage with others and to fully include everyone in activities and learning. I am extremely excited to be a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert for 2021/22. I am looking forward to sharing our successes through this programme and exploring other approaches used elsewhere to see how they can enhance the lives of our young people.”

For the new academic year, Nuno has led on the introduction of a specific Digital Skills Programme of Learning within our Vocational Skills Area of Learning, in the Prior’s Court Learning Framework. This is in recognition of the vital ICT-based skills our young people need to learn to access the world of work and their intrinsic value in daily life.

Within this Programme of Learning, our young people will cover topics ranging from using Microsoft Office software, through to photography and even video editing.

Sue Piper, our Director of Young People’s Learning, said:

“Prior’s Court’s ambitions are for our young people to be happy, healthy, more independent and able to access the world of work. Digital skills has a part to play in all four of these areas and so it is vital our young people have a recognised and relevant learning pathway in this field. At Prior’s Court, we pride ourselves on the expertise of our staff members and our innovative use of technology. Nuno’s recent acceptance onto the MIE Expert programme is proof that this pride is well placed.”