To feel computer scheme in school seems a tad unethical

[Yougetwhatyouget]

Child will start secondary next year and we got an email about getting them a Chromebook for a little under £500. I asked a few questions & established

• School will use computers for work in lessons
• She can’t take the tablet she already has to use in school as it has to be a Chromebook from this supplier with specific software
• If she doesn’t have one we buy it’s not guaranteed the school can provide one to students on a 1:1 basis
• Any payment schemes are at over 10% APR

We will buy one but this doesn’t feel very much like a voluntary scheme as it’s like buy this or have your child disadvantaged and the laptops seem very expensive (I know they come with insurance and it’s not a ludicrous price but it is a lot). I’m not suggesting this is unusual but more just pondering how stuff like this and the stupid school uniform demands that result in people spending a fortune on badged stuff are so prevalent.

My son’s school did similar.

It turned out the chrome books were bought in bulk at a nice discount and were out of date!

But they did the job, albeit clunkily, and were provided to those in need for free, so everyone had the same kit.

And I am not sure any parents/children would want to buy an expensive computer only to have the school’s mandatory monitoring software put on it.

I am not sure I would call it unethical, but I think the school does derive a little income from it. The 10% APR does seem a bit dodgy though.

I guess it just feels a bit unethical to pressure parents to buy a laptop at a high price (same spec in shops is more like £260) because if they don’t their kid might have to share in IT based lessons.We can just buy it and we will as we don’t want her to struggle but not sure what proportion of families can just spend that much extra up front at a few weeks notice.

I don’t object to the school benefitting in some way but I do to the pressure to decide quickly (info just came out earlier this week and we have to sign up by end of next week)

Very unethical. My son needs an iPad for college- we leased it for a deposit of £75 which gets returned at the end of the course.

My school introduced chronebopks some years ago.

the school didn’t profit from the scheme.

it seemed largely pointless (but I taught a subject where chronebooks don’t really add anything).

I guess it eased pressure on computer rooms and made IT teaching easier.

No way I could pay that. I don't do debt either - I'm too poor to be sure I can make payments to take on finance...

I work in a school. I know how difficult it is to have angry parents turning up. I'd still turn up furious and demanding answers if they tried this in my kid's school. If the school wants brand specific things and won't accept pre-existing alternatives (over about £45), then they can pay for it. Or explain how their planning doesn't expand disadvantage, at length, while I point out the effects on their disadvantaged families through school buy-ins and knockbacks.

I went to a large trust conference once, with a key note speaker there to explain poverty in education to those too well paid and well brought up to have a clue. The executives were struck by her amazing insight; I wasn't. He life had been exactly the same as mine, but she ended up a professor not a TA. Schools preach understanding of poverty, but it's bullshit. SLT are too well cushioned to actually understand even if it's something they see on the daily. It's good for them to understand the effect of their own wankery.

We are phasing our scheme out as the chromebooks are crap. Agree with other posters that if it’s MY laptop, I don’t want filtering and monitoring software on it telling me what I can and can’t do. On school devices fair enough. On MY device, no.

I’m thinking the one small advantage is we can say the laptop is for all school stuff and the existing iPad is for fun and that way we can lock down what’s accessible on the laptop and restrict time on iPad. It’s a reasonable point though. If it’s all you have and it’s restricted that feels very unreasonable.

Personally I would be much more concerned about all the accounts they will need to setup and where that data will be leaked to in time.

You realise this scheme is for the suppliers benefit, not your children's don't you ?

Also, unless it's a specific model of Chromebook with specific hardware (which I doubt) then any Chromebook will work (although it may need to be signed into the schools Google account).

I take it this policy is compatible with the Equality Act, so that any need for screen reading or describing tools is catered for ?

I’m not a huge fan of it as a scheme. That said she’ll have accounts set up to use tech at school regardless. She has accounts for all manner of homework apps already. The school have said she has to buy from the scheme to get a licence that’s used so they can connect to her device and manage security controls. I’ve no idea about the equalities act concerns you mention - my initial concerns were around the pressure it puts on families who may not be able to afford the scheme. I’m not sure whether or not there even are any kids in the school who would need those adaptive tools let alone if the scheme provides them.

Why can’t you buy one of the same model and spec elsewhere? Is it because they’ve backed you into a corner with the software? You’re right, it is unethical to make you pay over the odds from a school supplier. Tell them you don’t have that kind of money. There will be people who don’t and they can’t let someone do without if it will limit their access to education. I’d consider also making a complaint by email to the school.

DS's school is similar, but it don't think they profit from the scheme.

The laptop was repaired once (broken screen) under warranty. I think it's out of warranty now though.

I thought having the laptop meant that DS wouldn't have to cart jotters around, but he still has to.

Honestly - assuming this scheme is advertised before applications, I’d suspect they’re trying to avoid certain types of family even applying. Expensive uniforms serve the same purpose - put poorer families (who statistically won’t do as well in exams) off applying.

I’m not saying I agree and I’m not saying all poor children do badly in exams of course, but there is a correlation between wealth and exam results and IMO some schools try to select based on wealth in this way.

DS's school is similar, but it don't think they profit from the scheme.

If a school is profiting from the scheme then something has gone terribly wrong.

It's the vendors that have to profit - and handsomely. Why else are they involved in the education sector ? It's hardly for their health.

Some people may need things like screen readers to be able to operate a tablet/PC.

An awful lot of very cheap software breaks these. Meaning someone who has vision or cognition problems can't use the tablet as the aid and adaptation they require.

Only today, I had someone ask me to look at the "Livi" crap app for booking a GP "appointment" which breaks all manner of things on an iPad.

I just bought my mum a brand new Chromebook for £160. £500 is madness.

Well, someone is making money. I just don't think it's the school.

We did feel a bit tied in, like it was the only workable option. I can't quite remember the details really.

We had this offer and didn't take it. Our kids can also take normal chrome books to school. They don't. I don't want hundreds of pounds worth of kit thrown around when they sling their bag (dc1) , or left on the bus (DC2) . Neither child has once complained about this (and they would if it was a problem). Honestly see how managing without goes. You can always get one in later years if you need to.

I wouldn’t be paying £500 for a Chromebook. They are rubbish at the best of times let alone buying it overpriced.

Most schools locally seem to of phased out the mandatory iPads and Chromebooks.

School should really if they want them provide them all and require deposits if they leave school premises.

They could even fund raise to help fund the original costs.

In my nephews school, the school provides chromebook for students.

Chromebooks are rubbish but regardless schools shouldn't be putting pressure on parents for this type of equipment.

£500 for a Chromebook is ridiculous.

You’re paying for their software licenses and for those that can’t buy them so they have spares for other students.

Not a chance would I agree to this!

My kids have perfectly good (cheap) devices at home to do homework on. School needs to provide whatever they need in school.

I would think it’s reconditioned Chromebooks too. Suppliers will be taking it in. I have no idea why schools do this, unless they get kickbacks too.

We got a new Chromebook, and it looks like garbage a few years later. I think it might be beyond reconditioning 😄.

It was £400 I think.