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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To say schools should not charge for this?

106 replies

HelpIcantfindaname · 03/07/2023 19:43

Previously DDs (14) school have loaned all students laptops in years 10, 11 & 6th form because they are essential for lessons in school. They have been free...up to now.

Now parents have to pay what they call a 'low affordable' monthly rental fee.

This low affordable fee is £25 a month!!!! With £100 deposit!

How many families will be able to afford that? We can't. I've had to take ill health retirement & money is tight.

If this is an essential piece of equipment surely the school should provide them, like they have till now.

It's like telling the rest of the year groups they need to pay for their books . They are not allowed to take their own laptops in because of safety settings.

I know schools are struggling but so are families!

AIBU in thinking this is not going to be manageable for many families?

OP posts:
poetryandwine · 04/07/2023 09:35

Just ….wow. There is a lot to unpack here.

OP, are you sure pupils won’t be keeping the laptops at the end of Sixth Form? I would think another cohort of parents would be even more unhappy about paying these rates to rent 5 year old computers. The market value of the computers after Sixth Form is zilch and they should be given to the pupils.

What else would be done with them? The Governors should know. Not giving the pupils the laptops doesn’t make sense, although I realise this is not OP’s concern.

I don’t like the forced expense at all and I believe there should be a hardship fund. Again I would take this up with the Governors.

It is undoubtedly much easier to manage certain software when everyone has the same computer. Voice of experience. And to block pupils from porn, etc. It is easy for us to say ‘install blocks on personal laptops’ but not all parents will agree, and then the school will have a mess to deal with. Security is better when the school controls it. So school laptops for school makes sense.

However I am struggling to see why all of this even with a service contract should cost each pupil £1250.

greenacrylicpaint · 04/07/2023 09:40

similar at my dc school.
but they can use their own device (laptop or tablet with separate mouse & keyboard).
school just gives out specifications.
school work happens on cloud based apps that the school control and update.

anyone with an older primary school child - get into a habit of paying into a 'school fund'. start of secondary school is bloody expensive.

Shopper727 · 04/07/2023 09:40

In my sons schools they get chromebooks in primary that they can take home if needed then at high school they are issued one in s1 after signing an agreement to take care of it with parents and keep till s6 which is great for my youngest as he has sen and struggles to write etc the computer helps him communicate.

when I was at school 30 years ago (feels weird saying that) I had a little laptop called a Tandy I used at school and we had a bbc computer at home I used for homework due to dyslexia my mum taught me to type and my work improved as I didn’t have to spend hours trying to write a piece of work that was barely legible. I also had a reader/scribe & extra time for exams. So for kids like me they are invaluable - and I can write and spell fine now - nurse so write notes etc but it’s great that kids universally have one so they don’t get why have you got a ‘special’ computer etc I think it’s positive and they don’t use them all the time according to my sons (have 4 and one going up this year) so that would be 100 a month for me to pay if they used that scheme which is a shame.

Bromptotoo · 04/07/2023 10:01

Anybody who thinks £100 deposit then £25/month is fair and reasonable needs their head wobbling. Even just for one child never mind two or three.

At the very least there should be a hardship fund and concessions for people in means tested benefits.

Whenwillglorioussummercome · 04/07/2023 10:12

As I posted upthread it is not legal for schools to require this sort of payment. I suspect there is a fund for those who can’t afford it that they are keeping quiet about but that is deeply unhelpful if they are giving the impression that there is no other option but to pay.

Maddy70 · 04/07/2023 10:23

Just say you can't afford it. Schools often lease them ad they can't afford the equipment

But if you can't afford it then they will sort it

CitizenofMoronia · 04/07/2023 10:36

go to the local press and make a big stick about it, that's what has happened in a similar situation and they ended up scrapping the idea and they are now free.

miniaturepixieonacid · 04/07/2023 10:57

The school where I work tried to make it compulsory for pupils to join the school laptop scheme (slowly buying it rather than renting it so not even as bad as your one) and still failed because a small number of parents already had a laptop their child could use and couldn't or wouldn't pay for another one. And this is a pretty fancy private school! No idea how a state school can insist on this.

I know why they want them all on the same model - it's easier both technologically and safeguarding wise. But it's not fair to insist. We have a BYOD (bring your own device) scheme now which is a pain when a handful of children don't have the same software or controls as the other pupils but essential for some parents at the moment.

VikingsandDragons · 04/07/2023 11:53

Would I heck pay it. We bought our daughter a laptop to do work during lockdown, it's perfectly functional. They either have theirs as essential in which case they provide it, or as an optional loan scheme in which case people can pay or have the option to provide their own.

throughgrittedteeth · 04/07/2023 12:11

Mumtothreegirlies · 03/07/2023 20:32

It isn’t rental it’s instalments. They get to keep it when they leave school .

This is actually a great idea.

UncleBryn · 04/07/2023 20:27

WhatADrabCarpet · 03/07/2023 20:17

I'm agog at this thread.

Both of my children, who went to different schools, had to have laptops that we 'contributed' a nominal amount toward, every month for three years.

After that , we were invited to pay a nominal amount as a one off payment, and the laptop was free to the pupils , bar a yearly payment for IT support.

All the school portals could only be accessed via the school laptop and not by a home laptop or PC.
The yearly fee was for School updates, virus updates and firewall.

Our school is the same, we pay £70 per term. After so long the item is 'yours' until then it is managed by the school so they control what it can be used for. We are leaving before we have paid it off for my daughter so have the choice of handing back or paying the outstanding amount. If we keep it they restore it to factory settings and remove any restrictions so it's ours to use as we want.

MeridaBrave · 04/07/2023 20:31

Fair enough need a laptop and not not fair enough to charge that much to rent. Either allow parents to have own formatted or let students buy them. £25 a month is ridic

Justwanttocomment · 04/07/2023 21:36

I don’t think it’s fair enough that they need a laptop. I teach in a secondary school and just cannot see why the kids need them for lessons? Years ago I worked in a school on a deprived area where the kids got free laptops to help them with homework, which was great.

usenamehshs · 04/07/2023 21:48

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usenamehshs · 04/07/2023 21:55

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NumberTheory · 04/07/2023 22:06

It is unlawful for State schools in England and Wales to charge students for essential equipment needed for their curriculum.

I know budgets are insufficient but that doesn't mean schools are allowed to pass the excess on to parents like this. They will have to find another way.

ContractQuestion · 04/07/2023 22:08

I'm really glad our school still has textbooks.

I still teach with textbooks...

Justwanttocomment · 04/07/2023 22:11

I would argue that laptops are not essential for the classroom at all. You can put all the info you need for a lesson in the lesson presentation or on handouts for the kids. I know a school where the whole school system was hacked, not great if all of your lessons rely on IT provision.

roarrfeckingroar · 04/07/2023 22:13

That's £8 per week. It doesn't sound like a lot for a laptop. The deposit is quite a lot in one go.

ContractQuestion · 04/07/2023 22:16

Just want... I agree. It will be tempting to lean on the computers and computer activity rather than quality teaching.

Quality teaching with computers at home for research/quizes/etc I'd support more!

BlackeyedSusan · 04/07/2023 22:27

Thank God our school don't do that. They are still pen and paper!

Wasn't there some research that you learn better writing by hand than typing? May have got that wrong.

usenamehshs · 04/07/2023 22:27

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FeigningConcern · 04/07/2023 22:55

This is shocking to me. There is absolutely no need for children to constantly use laptops in school (special needs aside). I would not want my child in front of a screen for that long, especially as they won't have proper ergonomic equipment in every classroom, which is a requirement if someone is working and using a screen for long periods. A laptop on a low desk for long periods will lead to back and neck issues - particularly a concern in children who are still growing and developing.

And the cost would be completely out of reach for many parents. That alone makes it totally unacceptable.

NumberTheory · 04/07/2023 23:07

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This would be acceptable providing the school does not require students to use computers outside of school hours to do homework (or disadvantage those who don’t). However, since it wouldn’t relieve the school of most of the financial burden it Carrie’s in providing laptops, it might not be as useful a strategy as it appears.

NumberTheory · 04/07/2023 23:08

*carries