The Empowered Learning programme has given every school pupil from P6 to S6 in Edinburgh their own digital device as part of our ambitious and inclusive education strategy, Edinburgh Learns for Life. In addition to the personal distribution, a significant number of iPads were issued to P1 to P5 groups on an agreed on a 1:5 ratio.
iPads were not new to Bruntsfield and were already used widely in the school. They have so many benefits to prepare pupils to use strong digital skills in the wider world. They have enhanced and extended learning in ways that we have been unable to in the past.
Before P6 and P7 children can be given an iPad, all parties (the school, learners and parents/carers) must sign a Home-School agreement where they agree to a number of conditions. These conditions cover things such as looking after the iPad, responsible use, damages and possible sanctions. There is a link below which will take you to a form that outlines all of the conditions. As you go through it, you and your child are required to sign the agreement and this must be done before we can hand out any iPads. Class Teachers will store these signed forms in case we need to refer back to them.
For P6 and P7 pupils only:
Some questions you may have:
Does my child have to bring their iPad home?
Most families are happy for the iPad to come home – it often encourages children to be responsible to look after it and also allows them to further engage with their learning at home, such as homework. There can be occasions where families wish for iPads to stay in school and we will fully support this.
Either way, please get in touch with your child’s class teacher to let them know if you give permission for the iPad to go home. Please note, there are agreed homework days where the iPad will be expected to be taken home.
Should children bring iPads to school every day and what if they forget it?
Children should be responsible for bringing in their iPad to school fully charged each day. The amount they are used vary each day depending in timetables and lessons.
If they forget their iPad they must complete their work using an alternative method as we do not provide spare iPads.
When do we give the iPads back?
Once children receive their iPad in P6, they will keep the same iPad until the end of S2.
Currently, we ask ALL pupils (including those who leave them overnight in school) to take them home over longer holidays (Christmas, Easter and Summer) in order to ensure they are being charged and updated.
I’m worried about my child playing games all the time. How can this be avoided?
Every iPad only has access to carefully pre-approved apps by the City of Edinburgh. There is free no access to Apple’s App store, but an app called ‘Self-Service’ where children download the apps they will need for learning. Initially, your child’s teacher will give guidance on what to download.
If you notice your child has had access to a game via Safari, we ask you to help us discourage this on school devices.
What usernames and passwords will my child receive?
Your child will receive log in information for Apple ID, Microsoft 365 and iPad codes. All of these usernames and passwords will be unique and its important to keep them safe.
The Apple IDs will have different passwords to their Microsoft 365 accounts but school staff will keep a record of them.
If your child has any issue with log ins then contact the school/class teacher.
Is there a way to stop my child from accessing things online or limit screen time?
Yes and yes.
Firstly, as well as the council restricting apps, each iPad has web-filtering enabled which means that children should have restricted access to internet content both in school and at home.
Secondly, Parents can use the ‘Screen Time’ option within setting to see which apps children have been using and what websites they have visited.
Additionally, you can also use ‘Screen Time’ to limit the times of day a child can access their iPad. But please make sure they can access it during school time! More information in Useful Documents below.
Will ALL work be completed on iPads now?
No. Please be assured that your child will not be staring at a screen all day! What we hope is that by having access to devices, we can build a more creative and accessible curriculum alongside developing digital skills. This is key to our future workforce.
Something has happened. What should we do?
In the first instance, report what has happened to the class teacher as soon as possible. Most accidents can be solved quickly but we won’t know to help if we’re unaware. Depending on the problem, the class teacher may need to pass on the problem to one of the ICT Coordinators in school.
Useful Documents
Down Time
https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/my-child/digital-learning