Screen time for fledgling family film club in Woodland

SILVER surfers and filmgoers are to get a boost thanks to a successful school bid.
Woodland Primary School has been granted a new interactive whiteboard for both its children and the wider community to use.
The portable “smart” whiteboard will help pupils in lessons but it will reach villagers too by enabling a new family film club to form and offering a platform for community computer lessons.
Headteacher Clare Carr said the school got the green light on their Teesdale Action Partnership (TAP) bid for the whiteboard last year.
She added: “We currently run a film club for the children over the winter once every half term. We would like to be able to do a film club for families and the community. Because we have this portable board we can show films in the hall.
“It’s more of a village event for the whole community rather than just the children.”
Rather than sitting stagnant during the holidays, the school’s equipment will give grandparents and less experienced internet users a chance to come in and learn.
With help from staff and children, the whiteboard will allow demonstrations in how to use iPads and other technology.
Ms Carr added: “Setting out from remote villages is a bit of an expedition in winter so it’s quite good to have things happening quite locally.
“Last year we did small learning sessions with the iPads and we thought we’d like to build on that.
“More and more people have family living all over the place and they’re a good tool for keeping in touch with people – especially when our area has an increasingly older population.”
Stray projectiles in PE lessons also threatened any fixed projector in the school’s multi-use hall but a moveable whiteboard will allow the school to make the most of its space.
“We wanted to come up with more broad uses for it so more people benefited,” said Ms Carr. “We are very fortunate to have staff who are willing to help out after school.
“The fact the whole team is on board makes it work.”
County councillors Heather Smith and Andy Turner gave £1,600 towards the project from their TAP neighbourhood budgets.
Cllr Smith, who is also a school governor, added: “The school is very much rooted in the community and looks outwards and I am sure it will be use for many events.
“Some councillors favour the idea of using almost all their budget on one very large project – we have taken the view of spreading it over our communities because we cover such a large area.”