THE award winning ideas of a Francis Combe ICT teacher that saw him win a prestigious £5,000 prize are currently being used as a national example of what can be achieved through the effective use of technology in teaching and learning.

Gaining the award from the government affiliated British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) for his work on an electronic record of achievement last month, John Rutherford hopes that ideas will have a similar significant impact on other educational institutions.

He said: "Winning this award comes as a massive boost to all staff at Francis Combe School and affirms our belief in the quality of learning experience we are providing for our students. It is also an extremely welcome reward for all of the hard work and time spent over recent times."

In his work to increase personalised learning opportunities at Francis Combe, where 50 per cent of the students have learning difficulties, Mr Rutherford used a range of multimedia resources while focusing on the idea of electronic portfolios that the students work through at their own pace.

Assistance for the students is built into these resources through the use of video demonstrations and talking animated characters.

Students are therefore able to access help as and when they need it.