VIEWS & OPINION


Cloud-based tech and ‘below-cost’ Chromebooks help schools navigate the turbulent months to come


Comment by JOHN JACKSON, CEO of edtech charity LGfL


Life in schools is set to remain turbulent as mandatory face- masking is scrapped across the UK and Heads are told that they must seek personal approval from Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi if they wish to do otherwise. Surely such a decision should


be the right of a Headteacher, particularly in the light of the concern expressed by Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), who stated that “significant levels of pupil and staff absence because of Covid-19 as well as difficulties in obtaining supply cover because of high demand is making the situation in schools and colleges extremely challenging.” He went on to say, “There is a danger that we are heading once


again for a situation in which the government gives the impression that the crisis is over, when in actual fact there is huge disruption continuing to take place in education and it is very far from being a case of business as normal.” So what can schools do to safeguard themselves against the chaos


that may ensue in 2022? I believe that one of the most important elements for schools to


prioritise is the adoption of cloud-based technology to facilitate effective remote teaching and learning anytime, anywhere. Having led on the launch of the DfE’s EdTech Demonstrator


Programme - set up to help schools struggling to implement effective remote education, and having been responsible for identifying 42 EdTech Demonstrator schools that could provide tailored government funded expert advice, guidance and training on remote education to those who apply - we know all too well that this is an important first step. But we all know too that funding is a key issue, particularly for


schools in areas of high deprivation, which is why, in a move unprecedented in the UK we are now providing Chromebooks ‘below-cost’ with prices starting at £99.99, to help schools ensure that no child is left behind during this terrible pandemic. How have we done this? We’ve been using funds raised from other initiatives and ploughed them back into education. There are 4.3 million children living in poverty in the UK - we simply


cannot sit and watch the 18-month attainment gap between the haves and have nots widen further and we are urging Local Authorities in areas of high deprivation to fund laptops for children who cannot access remote teaching and learning at home. It’s time that we all stand together to help schools during this


continuing crisis and the devastation and growing social divide that it creates, to build brighter futures for ‘all’ our young people. Through our #BridgeTheDivide initiative we have to date already delivered over 200,000 new and recycled devices to schools, at a


February 2022 www.education-today.co.uk 23


fraction of the cost of the government’s scheme, saving schools an estimated £7M. Most importantly, it has enabled children to learn and progress in spite of the pandemic. You might think that below-cost devices would be as far as one


charity could go, but LGfL once again has gone one step further, by providing buy-now pay-later options. Schools purchasing devices can now choose to be invoiced in April 2022. Our thinking is this would help those in areas of deprivation to achieve the learner-to-device ratios they require, without the financial constraints of an upfront bill. By increasing learner-to-device ratios, these Chromebooks offer


significant benefits not just in relation to the continued learning through remote methods, but also for everyday opportunities to teach and learn in different and more effective ways. They build students’ digital literacy skills and independent learning and enable schools to adopt a hybrid approach to teaching and learning, as schools like Whitefield Primary School in Liverpool found. “As the Headteacher, the impact of working with LGfL over the


last two years has been very significant,” said Jill Wright, Whitefield Primary School. “We felt safe in the knowledge that we were getting best value and used the #BridgeTheDivide scheme to secure Chromebooks for all our children in years four, five and six. It also meant that we had access to a wide variety of online tools too, which had a very positive impact on the teaching and learning in school.” When children were forced to work remotely, we were also able to


provide extra devices to families with multiple children, provide access to teaching and learning, prevent the children from feeling isolated, help them avoid discord with their siblings and support their parents. We could see who was logging on, ensure that they were safe, chat to them online, send their work back to them and maintain a good relationship with the children and their families.’ LGfL’s initiative is not just about providing the lowest cost devices


for schools and students, but providing a holistic approach to tackling the digital inequalities exacerbated by this ongoing pandemic. Through our partnership with Google, LGfL has been able to provide free on-demand live support to give educators the opportunity to acquire the skills required to harness the full capabilities and effectiveness of cloud-based teaching and learning via Chromebooks.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48