There’s no doubt that technology has the potential to benefit the education of children across the country. According to figures from the Department for Education in 2018, more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of under 5s now use digital devices at home to aid their learning, with 65 per cent of children learning to spell or recognise words and 62 per cent of children learning to count.
However, children whose parents may not be able to afford to purchase devices such as laptops or iPads for them to use at home could be missing out on a huge boost to their education.
With this in mind, in the London borough of Camden a scheme has been launched that aims to encourage local businesses to donate digital devices such as iPads to underprivileged children who do not have access to these learning aids at home.
In our latest blog we are going to look at this scheme in more detail, and explore the ways that schools can fund this type of equipment or use in their own classrooms.
The ‘Digital Divide’
In April, Camden Council called on local businesses to donate spare iPads and laptops as part of their ‘Digital Divide’ campaign, which has a target of donating 2,300 devices in total in light of the current COVID-19 crisis.
To date, lifestyle brand Ted Baker London, Camden Market owners LabTech, Lendlease (an international property and infrastructure group), and Holborn-based advertising clearance services company, Clearcast have all donated laptops to the scheme.
Writing to local businesses, Council Leader Cllr Georgia Gould said:
“This crisis has shone a light on the inequality in our community. Thousands of schoolchildren don’t have access to a device or internet to learn opening up a huge gap in education. Camden schools have worked hard over the years to make sure that poverty is not a barrier to our young people fulfilling their ambitions and we are determined no-one is left behind by this crisis.
“As many of 65% of pupils in some of our primary schools don’t have access to a device and, although the Government are providing devices to some, we still need 2,000 devices to make sure everyone can learn from home. Every day that passes is another day of lost learning, so we are asking for urgent help with this appeal.”
To find more information about the Council’s Digital Divide campaign, visit their website.
At Utility Rentals we offer schools the chance to provide iPads for pupils to use in the classroom and at home. By providing these to students directly, schools can ensure equal access to the right equipment for learning, and benefit all students as a result.
With our exclusive rental package, your school will be able to utilise the latest iPad technology via affordable payments. And not only will each iPad be provided with a full parts and labour breakdown warranty as standard, but you can also include accidental damage and theft cover for total peace of mind.
If your school is considering utilising digital devices such as iPads within your classrooms, it is important to put a robust iPad usage policy together. Not only will this help to protect students and teachers, but it will also ensure the use of this technology in a constructive way. To find out more, you can read our previous blog on the subject here.
To find out more about how we can work with your school to provide our market leading equipment rental solutions, please contact our team.
iPads for Education from Utility Rentals helps schools, acadamies, colleges and universities across the UK to acquire Apple iPads through affordable and tailor made rental solutions.
Our team of tablet wizards are fully in tune with the requirements of the education sector and will work in partnership with you to make the process of getting and maintaining iPads for your pupils and staff refreshingly straightforward.
