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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Laptop required for sixth form?

18 replies

ifonly4 · 03/11/2016 09:28

DD is under the impression they will be required to take a laptop into sixth form. Is this the case? If so, do yours take in a laptop with a 15" screen or something smaller for making notes.

Our laptop isn't sounding too healthy, so if we need to replace it want to get something suitable for DD to use in sixth form.

OP posts:

Balletgirlmum · 03/11/2016 09:44

It will depend on the school.

At ds's school all pupils from year 7 onwards have to have a tablet. Dds school doesn't but she finds her Surface very useful.

I imagine a lightweight laptop would bed invaluable for 6th form

Evariste · 03/11/2016 09:46

ifonly the secondary education topic is probably where you would post about sixth form. Having said that my two have both been through sixth form and never took a laptop into college. The place was very well equipped with computers and printers.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 03/11/2016 09:50

We post about sixth form in the further education topic here

dd has to take a laptop in - but others in different colleges don't. She finds it invaluable for any free periods to work on assignments.

maryso · 03/11/2016 13:51

Not.
Unless one was helpful previously for learning needs, in which case touch typing will already have been mastered in year 7.

Sixth form is no different from GCSEs. For those however who yearn to be the most muggable juvenile, a Mac is merely the start of a long list of essential accessories.

catslife · 03/11/2016 15:24

Not at dds sixth form college. They have computers in the learning centre (library) and in the classrooms for them to use. She can work there during free periods on assignments and either email or use a memory stick to transfer work.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/11/2016 15:34

My DDs sixth form certainly doesn't have them lugging laptops around. They have equipment in school. I would have thought having kids connecting their own PCs directly to the school network would be a recipe for rampant viral infestation and transmission.

I'm sure you can check this with the sixth forms your DD might attend.

aginghippy · 03/11/2016 16:20

My dd wasn't required to get a laptop for sixth form. There is a lot of use of online resources, but as pp say, they use the library or classroom computers when at college.

Manumission · 03/11/2016 16:24

Here we were required to buy tablets with detachable keyboards. Very portable.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/11/2016 16:30

What happens if you can't afford to buy one?

yomellamoHelly · 03/11/2016 16:33

My son's school has lots of computers in-house and the school has extended hours so the pupils can access them. They are also encouraged to have and use devices, but they don't have to be laptops. Access to a computer at home is necessary though. (He's in KS3. Imagine by 6th form that need for a computer at home is even greater.)

Manumission · 03/11/2016 16:35

They have instalment plans by standing order if you prefer and bursary funds for the poorer students. But they supply a specific model so it was quite proscriptive. (An academy 🙄 but I shut up and paid up).

AndNowItsSeven · 03/11/2016 16:38

She might not need one to take to school but she will definitely need a laptop or PC at home.

MaureenMLove · 03/11/2016 16:54

Not very inclusive is it? Not everyone can afford a lap top or even a PC at home. They shouldn't be expected to have either at school.

What they should have is plenty of resources at school to be able to do their studies there! 6th formers usually have a fair few private studies periods in their timetables and that's what it's for.

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 03/11/2016 16:58

None of the (linked) sixth forms around here require it. There's plenty of PCs to use in the schools and they're available before and after school hours. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be allowed to take their own tech in unless it was specifically needed for a certain subject. DS2 has access to the school wifi as he is a media student but there's only a limited number of accounts and they're monitored.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 03/11/2016 17:03

At dds college anyone who is in receipt of various benefits gets one free or heavily subsidised. So pretty inclusive.

Bluntness100 · 03/11/2016 17:08

Most schools can provide resources, but a lap top is invaluable for them, hers did all their home and study work on the lap top and submitted electronically, if your daughter goes on to uni, she will need one there too.

Can she get away with using shared resources sure, but it's not ideal.

They store their work on their laptops and need to have the laptop with them to access it, this makes working on a school or uni computer during study periods very difficult if the computer that holds the work is at home.

Evariste · 03/11/2016 18:52

they store their work on their laptops and need to have the laptop with them to access it
Not these days. DS stored his on cloud so he could access it anywhere. Really no need to lug a laptop about.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/11/2016 19:00

My DD stores her work on the school's system. They can access this (and other resources) from home via their 'VLE' (Virtual Learning Environment) - also school email accounts . Very bad idea if a school expects kids to store their work themselves, on machines which they probably don't back up effectively, and may not have adequate antivirus.

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