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After installing the OpusSystem, we spoke to Helen Burge, Business Manager of St Anne’s Church of England VA Primary School in Weston-super-Mare about how teaching staff are using the system & the impact it’s had on students & the school community.
Really simple. We love the fact that there is one clear button to switch on the system, and that the system recognises whatever technology has been connected to it, whether that’s a DVD, CD, Bluetooth device or laptop. You simply switch it on, connect whichever device is required, and adjust the volume. Our most-used features are probably the PA System microphone, music and Powerpoint features. Our favourite feature would be the master button: everything becomes alert to what you want to do.
It means not just that everyone can use the machine effectively, but crucially, it includes the children too – they can be just as engaged.
Yes, regular users do train other staff. It’s made easy for us because the system comes with a simple user guide, which we can refer to. It means we can all share the responsibility, and best of all, it’s easy too!
We had people out to train us, who talked us through it all really clearly. The Opus user manual also does a great job of explaining the system. Our office team have made use of the support line, when we needed to enquire about getting a ‘clicker’ to aid our presentations. The helpline has always been incredibly useful for advice: even helping us with technical advice not directly linked to Opus! OpusCare have been really supportive.
We use it every day for our Reception class’s ‘Wake up Shake Up’ and we also use it for Worships – playing the background music for songs, showing Powerpoint presentations or DVDs. Our Nursery crew use it for parent and child yoga sessions. Recently we had a PTFA quiz night, so Opus doubled up as PA system and showed the images in the picture round. We’ve also had a Ladies Night, where the system provided background atmosphere and crucially, the microphone can address the whole building, letting everyone know what’s happening.
Definitely. It enables us to present information to different groups of people in a really professional manner. For example, Y6 recently came across from our other campus to present speeches to their parents in the style of Martin Luther King.
It has helped us in practical and in creative ways. In presentations to large groups, it’s essential that everyone can see and hear, so Opus helped us with a recent Parents Evening, explaining our ‘Learning without Limits’ pedagogy. For Whole School INSET and Presentations to Governors, it has enabled everyone to see the information clearly, and we have also used it for Phonics evenings, as well as evenings for New Parents.
Creatively, it’s given our tri-school moderation sessions a really professional edge, and as well as the ‘Martin Luther King – I have a dream’ presentations mentioned above, Opus has turned its hand to the KS2 end of term production, family worship on a termly basis, and a Diocesan roadshow of more than 20 local schools. We’ve also used Opus in an art exhibition of work by local secondary schools, with student’s own music videos. And probably the best endorsement of all: we used Opus for the Grand Opening of our building!
We generally use music on CD, which really helps create an atmosphere when teaching, especially poetry, creative writing or art. With video, being able to introduce an idea and support it with video clips is invaluable to 21st Century learning. Opus can work in the classroom, or show video to large groups of people, so it’s beneficial to children and groups of adults. It was great to use the blue lighting when our Reception children were performing their ‘Frozen’ dances! The children really love the excitement of having sound, music and lights. Our children learn in bite-sized chunks of information, so engaging as many of their senses as possible achieves better learning outcomes.
Hugely! Previously, we had to hire local village halls or a nearby secondary school to put on productions: now we can work in-house. It gives us the opportunity to rehearse in the same setting as we perform. We’re a dual-campus school and currently have no KS2 children at our West Wick campus, so we have to bus the children into rehearse and perform. Long-term, we plan to train children on the campus to use Opus themselves.
When we covered the ‘Frozen’ topic with our Reception children, every morning during ‘Wake up Shake up’ they made the room cold and icy by using the blue and white lights, which they really loved! Our next big production will be with KS2 in Summer 2016 and Opus will be central to the stage, lights and the background screen, which will serve as scenery.
They absolutely love it: it makes them feel professional. Our older children feel like expert techies and it helps include those who really don’t want to be on stage performing. They have a clear, and equally important, technical role.
It may not yet be a totally integral part of school life, but it’s had a really positive impact. Parents have been really impressed with the system’s professionalism, and it helps build our desire to become a learning environment fit for 21st century learning. Local community groups have reacted well too, and so far, a yoga group, Church @St Anne’s, and a dance class all make use of our hall, using Opus as a PA system.
It’s an amazing, easy-to-use system that achieves highly professional results in a simple, effective manner. We’d recommend it to anyone working in an educational establishment.