St Thomas C of E Primary School, Lancashire

I originally came across Keyboard Crazy when I was invited to a demonstration organised by United Utilities about 5 years ago. Groups of children from a special school were "playing" with the keyboards. They were totally engrossed and obviously learning important skills. The school where I was headteacher was given some of the games. As soon as the children saw them they wanted to have a go.

One problem with I.C.T. skills is that children often struggle to use the keyboard. There is so much pressure on the computers we have that it is difficult to spend the amount of time that is needed practicing skills. By using Keyboard Crazy the children are able to improve their skills without the need to use the computer. We saw a big improvement very quickly.

When I moved to St. Thomas we bought a small set of the games and started using them through school. I was informed that we could use E Credits to buy the games along with a CD Rom of ideas so we bought some more. The games are now used from reception to Y6 and we have seen, once again, a marked improvement in the speed at which children type. This improvement has been most noticeable since we bought a number of laptops to use in Key Stage 2. They are often used to do research in the classroom, using the internet. The children are so much more confident and competent. Along side this spelling and other literacy skills are also improving.

Over the last couple of years we have had quite a lot of contact with Robbie and Tony who run the firm which makes Keyboard Crazy. They have kept us updated about a huge variety of activities that other schools have developed. They came into school to work with the children. They even put their reputations on the line by issuing a challenge to pupils and parents at our Enterprise Evening to see if anyone could beat them.

Our children even want to use them during wet playtimes. They are learning without even realising, which is a huge plus point for us. I would heartily recommend Keyboard Crazy to any school who feels that they need to improve keyboard skills.

Barry Foster
Headteacher, St Thomas C of E Primary School