Watchet youngsters hold the key to the computer age

PUPILS at St. Decuman's First School in Watchet are coming to terms with the computer age after taking delivery of their own classroom computer - one of the first primary schools in the county to do so.

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By BOB BARRON

Thanks to a 50 per cent Government grant and £300 from the school's parent teacher association, pupils can now familiarise themselves with the tool at the heart of the current technological revolution.

Headmaster Mr. Alan Woollam and his four fellow teachers have had to attend crash courses in computing so that the pupils can get the best out of their £6OO Acorn computer system.

"All our pupils over the age of six can use the computer to some extent," said Mr Woollam, and it is amazing how easily they pick it up.

"Children are far quicker and more receptive than adults when it comes to computers - it comes naturally to them."

In Mr Woollam's view everyone will eventually have to understand and use computers just to live a normal life.

"It may be regretted by some people, but there's no doubt that this country will have to compete to survive and that means living with computers."

When the Government's Education Department made the 50 per cent grants available to all first schools seeking their own computer, St. Decuman's lost no time in raising the cash for their three-part computer package, and they put in an order last November.

Under the Government Scheme every first school will have a computer by 1984 and St Decuman's is one of several first schools in West Somerset to have one already.

Theirs uses the system known as "BASIC" and consists of a colour television screen monitor, a keyboard similar to that on an electric typewriter and a cassette type data recorder for playing and recording the different programmes.

The programmes or "software" are either pre-recorded or made by the teachers or pupils. So far the school has a range of nearly 6O programmes which provide a vast range of information from simple games to basic arithmetic, spelling, problem solving and poetry.

The system can even be used as an electronic organ or music tutor.

"The pupils and parents are extremely enthusiastic about our new acquisition," said Mr. Woollam.

St. Decuman's School pupils Katrina Board, Brian Coles, Paul Norman and Robert Wilson learn the computer keyboard with the help of headmaster, Mr. Alan Woollam. Photo: R. Priddy.

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"Many parents already have simple computers of some sort at home and I am sure many more will be getting them as the children become more familiar with them in school."

Already Mr. Woollam has taken the computer home and produced a handful of simple tests aimed at testing his own class on one of their set books.

"For their homework last week the children had to think up their own quiz programme," he said. "Soon every member of staff will be taking it home to produce their own programmes."

Mr. Woollam emphasised that pupils will still have to learn to read and write and use numbers in the traditional way before they are let loose on the computer.

"The computer is not going to change teaching methods in the classroom overnight," he said, "but it demands a whole new way of thinking in education, and within 10 years it will have a massive impact on the education system."

"In Japan I understand every classroom has two or three computers and I am sure this school will have three or four within a few years."