WRP Digital Leaders – Training Day at Portpatrick
On Friday 12th September, our new cohort of Digital Leaders from across the West Rhins Partnership gathered at St. Joseph’s, Portpatrick for their first training day of the year.
After a quick hello to all the boys and girls at Portpatrick, Ms. Whorlow warmly welcomed the group and thanked Josh and Arran for hosting our meeting at their school. The excitement and enthusiasm of our new team of Digital Leaders shone through from the very start!
Exploring Roles and Responsibilities
The children discussed what it means to be a Digital Leader – from supporting classmates with digital learning to promoting online safety and leading clubs. They were eager to take on these responsibilities and develop their leadership skills.
Skills Training
To prepare for their roles, the Digital Leaders took part in a range of hands-on activities, including:
- Logging in: mastering Glow accounts and setting up diaries with login details.
- Websites: creating bookmarks and setting favourites, including Sumdog.
- QR Codes: generating, saving, and printing QR codes for classmates to use.
- Emails: practicing professional email use; from attachments to folders and flagging.
Leaders of Learning
The group planned the first series of Digital Skills Clubs to take place back in their schools. These will cover:
- Logging on, emails, and QR codes
- Coding projects using Microbits or Spheros
- Internet safety awareness
A Digi Skills Suggestion Box will also be introduced in each school so pupils can request support or suggest future club ideas.
Looking Ahead
The Digital Leaders will be working together across schools on:
- Running coding sessions in November and December
- Organising activities for Internet Safety Day (10th February 2026)
- Sharing new ideas for Digi-Clubs regularly via email
As a team, the children identified important metaskills they were using: communicating, critical thinking, initiative, leading, and collaborating.
We are very proud of our Digital Leaders – they are already making a positive difference in their schools and are excited to share their skills with others!
There was time to enjoy a break with partnership friends before the group returned to their classes.
Have a read of the minutes of the meeting here:
Links to Our Wider Values
- UNCRC Article: Article 17 – every child has the right to reliable information from a variety of sources, especially those aimed at their wellbeing.
- SHANARRI: Safe – promoting safe use of technology through internet safety.
- Sustainable Development Goal: Goal 4 – Quality Education, ensuring inclusive and equitable opportunities for digital learning.
- Four Capacities for Learning: Confident Individuals – building self-belief through leadership and digital skills.
- God’s Loving Plan: Respecting ourselves and others by using our talents to support our community.
