The wider impact
Regular attendance
DigiSmart attendance since 2002 consistently stands at over 90%. This is a significant achievement for the target children and schools report that their overall attendance improves, too.
Raising aspirations
Schools in deprived areas use DigiSmart as way of showing children that they can aspire to more. This is critical because those children often have very limited horizons and life experiences.
Boosting confidence
Involvement in DigiSmart fosters team spirit and creates a strong sense of kudos. This is beneficial for the target children as many are held back by low self-esteem and confidence.
Behaviour
By catering for a variety of learning styles, DigiSmart successfully engages a range of children. This includes those who are introverted and withdrawn, those who create low-level disruption and those who are openly challenging in the classroom.
Transferable skills
DigiSmart children take their skills and increased independence back into the classroom, where they are better able to focus and engage. This means they participate in lessons much more confidently and, as a result, staff and other children gain.
Peer mentoring
DigiSmart children share their skills with others. This reinforces what they have learnt and extends the programme benefits to more children.
Staff development
The DigiSmart staff development and training builds professional capacity in schools, among both teachers and support staff. This has a positive whole-school impact on teaching and learning.
Parental engagement
Through DigiSmart, harder-to-reach parents/carers often engage with schools and with their children’s learning. This frequently leads them to engage with their own learning, too, which has a wider social and economic effect.