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Every child from year 2 upwards at Little London Community Primary School will receive a Google Chromebook- Internet access will be provided for 150 families with limited or no access at home
- Innovative project supported by Next Generation IT and Google Education
As schools return after a six-month hiatus, one Leeds school has used great vision to guarantee access to learning for every child from year 2 and above, some 450 pupils. Little London Community Primary School has taken the bold step of ensuring these children will have their own Google Chromebook and internet access so they are covered for every eventuality.
The scheme is the brainchild of Jill Wood, head teacher at Little London Community Primary School, who recognised that a ground-breaking solution was needed post-lockdown. Little London is an inner-city school of 630 children, where the proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much higher than the national average. Pupils have extremely limited access to technology and the internet outside school. A quarter of families have either no internet access, or limited access through a mobile phone, making home learning impossible.
Pictured are some of the pupils with headteacher Jill Wood and Steven Lightfoot of Next Generation IT.
Jill enrolled the help of local IT provider, Next Generation IT, along with Google Education to provide a ground-breaking solution. Next Generation IT will begin the Google Chromebook rollout for pupils this month. Secure filtered Internet access will be provided to the 150 families currently without. Each family will receive a 4G router with pre-loaded data which will only work with the managed Chromebook supplied.
Jill Wood, head teacher at Little London Community Primary School, said: “We knew we had to deliver a bold solution to ensure that all pupils have access to learning. The return of pupils in September was never going to be straightforward however we have prepared for every eventuality by providing technology that will help all pupils reach their potential.
“Our teachers have done an amazing job of producing top quality lessons that can be delivered online, but children need to be able to access them. We needed to make sure children had their own device that was safe and used purely for education and Steven from Next Generation IT has come up with the perfect solution. The Governors have been extremely supportive of the project and are devoted to ensuring learning for the future. The Chromebooks can be used at home and at school and we see them as an essential tool for learning.”
The school has worked with Next Generation IT for over 15 years and has recently opted for Google Classrooms to be setup through DfE grant funding. This made the Google Chromebook solution the natural choice for the school, with an easy roll out solution for all students, allowing safe and secure access to learning. The Google Chromebook project is being funded by the school.
Steven Lightfoot, director of Next Generation IT, said: “Jill Wood is a true visionary and it has been amazing to work with her on this project. Getting the right support for the children drives Jill every day and we were delighted to partner with Google Education to provide a solution that is truly life-changing for the children.
“We will be supporting the school and families during the rollout and look forward to continuing to work with them closely. It’s great to know that whatever happens with schools as they return to their ‘new normal’, the children of Little London Primary School will be equipped to learn whenever and wherever they need to.”
Next Generation IT is the education support department of Pudsey Computers. The company started 30 years ago and is currently supporting or supplying around 70 schools across Leeds Bradford and Kirklees.