A North Ayrshire high school has become the first secondary in Scotland to receive a prestigious accolade for digital education.

St Matthew’s Academy, Saltcoats, has achieved the Digital Schools Endorsement Award.

The Digital Schools Awards (DSA) is a national awards scheme that promotes, recognises and encourages a whole-school approach to the use of digital technology. St Matthew’s has achieved the Endorsement Award in recognition of projects in the school, including:

  • a Digital Champions committee
  • ongoing promotion of digital learning, including continued awards, investment and professional development in digital skills
  • ensuring pupils have opportunities to share their opinions
  • filming and photography through media studies learning
  • embedding digital technology in every aspect of learning and
  • all teachers engaging in professional development and training in digital practice.

Headteacher Stephen Colligan said: “We are delighted to be the first secondary school in Scotland to achieve this and it is testament to the wonderful work being done across the whole school – by both teaching staff and the students themselves.

Councillor Shaun Macaulay, Cabinet member for Education and Young People said, “We know the importance of digital technology in education today and we are committed to preparing our pupils for further education, training and work by ensuring they have all the tools, knowledge and experience they need to thrive.”

The digital environment at the school includes networks, hardware, software and digital content resources.

Quote:Congratulations to Stephen, his teaching team and the pupils at St Matthew’s. It is clear to see that there is a strong culture of using technology throughout the school to support learning and pupils enjoy using it in lessons. Everyone at the school is invested in using technology to boost digital literacy and enhance opportunities for our young people that will – in future – help them to thrive.

Quote froPupils’ successes are celebrated on the school’s social media channels and pieces of their digital art have been on display at The Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine.

A spokesperson for the Digital Schools Awards said: “St Matthew’s Academy is the first secondary school in Scotland to achieve this accolade which is a testament to the great work taking place across the whole school.

“The award recognises the school’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a high standard of digital education and ensuring a seamless digital experience for learners at all levels.

“This acknowledgement not only validates the school’s sustained efforts but also reaffirms its dedication to self-analysis and development in digital learning and teaching. It reflects the staff’s adaptability and responsiveness to the ever-evolving landscape of technology.”

Please note:The Digital Schools Company is an independent, not-for-profit organisation specialising in digital education programmes for schools. Digital Schools Co. operates the awards and other education programmes to support ministries and schools to enhance their digital education practices. Schools register for the Digital Schools Awards Programme, complete a self-evaluation in order to apply for accreditation and then request a validation visit. The validator will visit the school before submitting a School Validation Report to the Digital Schools Awards committee for review and adjudication. You can find out more about how the scheme works here.