iPads

At Clayton Hall Academy we are passionate about preparing our students for the future and giving them the best possible chances in life. Technology is ever prominent in the world of work, with at least 90% of jobs now requiring ICT skills. 

With this in mind, we are fully embedding technology into teaching and learning across the school.

Our Digital Learning Programme will be the catalyst for this for years to come! 

In Partnership with Learning Foundation our shared vision is one iPad for every student across the Academy by 2023. 

We began this scheme with great success in 2019 with the first iPads being used from January 2020.  They were an immediate hit in the classroom and increased engagement for all learners.  

We will continue to roll this programme out year on year  and it is designed to be fair, affordable, and sustainable.

2023 Scheme: Sign Up Now

Please email any completed BYOD forms to iPadCLA@uetrust.org, once you have registered on ‘The Portal’

Important Help and Links

In all instances, if you require any help or guidance, no matter if it’s regarding your donation, direct debit, financial support, insurance, warranty or just general support, please call 0203 051 8456, email support@edutech.zone or use the online parent enquiry form https://edutech.zone/parent_enquiries 

One of the Edutech support team will provide them you the information you need or will pass it to the appropriate member of the wider programme to assist you with your query.

Launch Videos

Welcome and Introduction

What’s Included and How To Sign Up

iPads In The Classroom

How Are They Managed At Home?

I Already Have An iPad

What Our Parents Say

 

Cost and Specification

We have agreed with the charity that underpins the project that they would like a charitable donation of approximately £14.50 (to be confirmed at launch) per month for 36 months.  This will be part of the contract you sign with the charity. No monies are taken until the iPads are delivered.

After this time, the iPad will be ‘donated’ back to the student and become your family property.  Although it will still be ‘locked down’ at school until the end of Year 11.

This is a really cost-effective way of getting a brand new 10.2 Inch iPad, with a case, home management software and 3 year Mechanical Breakdown Cover as well as the standard 1 year Apple warranty.

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We don’t think we can afford it – We have this covered!

The whole scheme is underpinned by the Learning Foundation charity.  Prior to signing up please email EduTech (one of our partners) on support@edutech.zone. They will then set the wheels in motion to get more details on the support you need and that we can offer.

You can also use their online form to request support https://edutech.zone/parent_enquiries/

It is important to note that we do not intend to disadvantage any student.  The intention is that all pupils have access to an iPad every day.  For the project to be viable we need the vast majority of parents on board.

We also appreciate the variety of incomes and expenditures that families experience.

If you feel you fall into the category of “we can’t afford this” (or do so in the future) do not worry – just email and request support.  Lots of our parents have already done this.  We also have a testimonial on our website video.

Comprehensive Insurance

This covers accidental damage and theft. Essentially everything you would want for an item of this value. This is included in the price. This is for the adoption programme only not BYOD (see above)

Will all students need one?

Yes. For the project to work we will have to ensure that there is 100% coverage for students. We have operated a system with the previous year group where not all students had access. Whilst we can still teach classes without full coverage it is our intention that all students have one every day.

Can students just access anything they like?

In a word – No!

It comes with some great software from Jamf to help school and you control their use.

Jamf license is the Apple education control so we can stop students from doing things on the iPad we don’t want them to do, or by giving teachers Apple Classroom access and much more.
The licence is for 5 years for the new Year 7s joining us in September 2023, which means they are covered until they leave in Year 11.
One click – no internet. One click – no Social Media. One click – off. Simple timer settings too.  See our video and Jamf Parent Booklet for more help with this.

In School we have even greater control. When a class teacher wants attention, they can lock the iPads with one click.

At home – parents and guardians are in charge. You will be free to download apps and use the iPad as you see fit at home. These additional downloads would not be available in school though. If you wished to use it as a ‘Family’ iPad that is fine – as long as the child has absolute priority when it comes to doing work that is set using the iPad.

What about Social Media?

Completely blocked in school. Students are not allowed to use any mobile device at break and lunch time so that rule also applies to the iPads.

At home – you have complete control using the management software that we install.

Will it be just iPad Learning?

The iPad will just be one tool that our teachers will use. Whilst there may be online resources the iPad will not replace the need for textbooks or other styles of learning. The iPads will provide an additional type of learning to engage the students further. It will also be a source of support for those students who could benefit from it.

This is the same for Homework. Whilst some homework will be iPad based it will not be all homework. This is also a 5-year rolling project. For it to be successful we must be using them regularly to enhance learning throughout your child’s time at school. Part of our role is to ensure these are not ‘a novelty item’ and have real impact.

What if they forget their iPad?

We plan to have a bank of emergency iPads for the odd occasion when a student hasn’t brought theirs to school or failed to charge it properly. It will form part of our ‘Smart Start’ and sanctions will be put in place for students who repeatedly fail to bring it to school.

But we already have a laptop at home

Whilst some work may be set using the iPad at home, the intention is that they are getting regular use in classes across the curriculum in school. It is the enhancement of that learning experience that we believe will accelerate interest and learning. Whilst a family laptop or device is great, an individual device resolves the issues that can arise with sharing devices.

What if I need training?

If there is a need for parental training, this will be provided and student training is provided through workshops completed by the IT team.

What’s the proof of educational impact?

The clearest impact that was seen from our launch in January 2020 was the additional engagement in learning and home learning.  Staff being able to use different tools to set and share work and students using a range of apps to complete their work.  Not as a gimmick but a way of enhancing their learning.   

This continued as we finally secured delivery during Lockdown for our current Year 7 who received their iPads through a ‘Drive-In’ event in January 2021.  As you can imagine the devices have been invaluable during remote learning. 

Mr Lewis, a really experienced Geography teacher, has also run an ‘action-research’ project teaching two groups simultaneously.  One group solely with iPads, the other without iPads at all.  The results have been very positive and showed an acceleration is students’ progress in the ‘iPad class’ 

Our launch materials also outline how we are using the iPads in a range of subjects. 

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

This scheme is also very popular with our students and parents. If you already own a device of a similar specification you will be able to use our BYOD Scheme. The iPad needs to be the correct ‘Spec’ to run the management software and there is a small one-off cost of £25 for the software license. Please make sure you read and fully understand what is required of the device below, and some steps you should take before committing your device to be enrolled on to the scheme.

To register for the BYOD Scheme you also need to sign up below

The full list of BYOD requirements can be seen here:

In terms of setup please note the following pieces of information:

  • The iPad will need to brought to the academy to be processed and enrolled on to the Jamf system using a blueprint which is run through Apple Configurator 2. This will reset and fully wipe the device of all apps, photos, videos, songs, files and more…
  • Therefore we advise you perform a full backup of your iPad before submitting it to be enrolled. Once enrolled and returned to you, you may sign back in to your Apple ID to restore content purchases, photos and such
  • The iPad should preferably be wiped clean. This means, Signed Out of any Apple IDs to remove Activation Lock and Find My Device disabled to allow the blueprint to run (the presence of accounts invokes security measures which halts this process)
  • If you’re unsure how to wipe the iPad to Factory Settings; please ensure the device is sent in to school and you provide the PIN, Apple ID linked to the iPad and the Apple ID password
  • If you cannot supply all of the above details, it will not be possible to enroll your device
  • If you are buying a new device explicitly for this scheme, it is preferable the iPad is provided ‘off the shelf’ when it is to be processed and enrolled. i.e.: Not turned on or setup in anyway to save the device being wiped

In the event that you are supply Apple ID information for us to wipe the iPad, it might be advisable to change the password to your Apple ID account temporarily, and then change it back once we have completed the wipe and enrol process.

Useful Articles and Help

Additional BYOD Information

Please note: the BYOD iPad will not be insured (those on the scheme will be). Parents will be required to sign a ‘Bring your own device agreement’. A licence for Jamf (our management software) will need to be purchased through the school and installed so that the device can be managed and so we can install the school based apps too; this requires the iPad to be wiped.

There is a responsibility that the device is used only for purposes suitable for the age of the student. If it is a shared device at home, our filtering systems may automatically detect websites that are inappropriate for students to use, lock down the device and collect data from the sites. E.g. Online banking, online gaming (PEGI 18) etc.

Although the BYOD specification lists compatibility with Apple Pen technology, it is not required that you supply one with the iPad. We do not intend to use these initially, but would like to future the proof the technology to reserve the right to expand our offering. To do this we need to provide a consistent baseline to all models used in school, as devices provided through signing up to the scheme will be Apple Pen compatible.

 

Parental Quotes about the Scheme

“The iPad scheme has been great. My child tells me that the lessons are much more enjoyable when she can use it. Since we find ourselves in very strange times the iPad has made working from home much easier, I would highly recommend any parent joining this scheme.”

“The iPads are an excellent addition to learning for my child, the roll out and support has been good – we are keen to see greater use in lessons and for homework. They have been especially useful during the Covid19 pandemic and for remote learning and communications.”

“I feel as parents the scheme has been a great success and would recommend this as a great learning tool, this has been echoed by my child a student using the iPad scheme regularly in and outside school”

 

But I still have questions…

Edutech Zone now deal with all iPad related questions