UK school network buys 30,000 iPads for pupils

AppleInsider

Oasis Academies plans to provide 7th Generation iPads to every pupil in its network of 52 schools in England, plus teachers and support staff.

Still from the Oasis Academy promo video about the iPad program

England's Oasis Academies, a collective of 52 schools, will provide a new 10.2-inch iPad (32GB, Wi-Fi-only), to each of its 30,000 pupils and staff in a program called Oasis Horizons. Most will receive their iPad between January and June 2021, but schools in Birmingham and Grimsby are to get them from this month.

An academy is the British term for a school which has opted out of working with its own local authority officials and instead deals directly with the national government. The stated aim is to have these schools function more as businesses, and a consequence has been that very many academy schools have merged into networks.

Oasis Academies now includes 14 schools around London, plus 8 near Birmingham in the Midlands, and 18 across the north of England. The company is buying the iPads via Sync, a UK Apple retailer, and says that it is "primarily being financed by using the money that we invest each year into IT equipment across our academies."

"What connects Oasis is a passion for healthy, inspiring communities where everyone is included, contributing and reaching their God-given potential," says John Murphy, CEO. "Oasis Horizons will [also] empower our staff to teach in new and exciting ways and to work more efficiently, reducing the time taken to do important activities like marking and freeing up that time to support their students."

The program is not in response to an increase in studying from home. Currently schools in England are open, and pupils will be required to bring their iPads in each day. "Persistent failure to do this means that your child has not prepared for learning," notes Oasis, "and may result in sanction."

This step by selected schools in England follows similar moves in the US. Most recently, Apple highlighted how the same 10.2-inch iPad was being used to teach gardening in Dallas.

aderutter

One would have thought that this would be throughout the UK by now, but many schools would rather waste budget on windows PCs that last half as long for a higher cost and lesser learning opportunity.

In terms of education more generally in the UK, I find it incredible that the government hasn’t implemented over summer a national online curriculum. It’s over 20 years since I built an Electronic Learning Managemen System for a global corporation but you would think by now it would be straight-forward and not costly compared to the wasted money in 2020.

winston2010

By me, K-2 were getting iPads, but most kids were getting Chromebooks because kids need keyboards.  Chromebooks with stylus, touchscreen, and Google Classroom and Zoom worked well together this school year for us.

eideard

Have to disagree, Winston.  No shortage of decent iPad cases w/keyboard built-in.  I’ve trialed a few over the years and they all worked fine.  With the advantages of Apple hardware providing flexibility and higher resolution.  Nowadays, with 2 iPads in use at once + Apple TV, my wife and I keep a Bluetooth keyboard on a corner table in the living room.  Handy when needed.

chadbag

winston2010 said:

By me, K-2 were getting iPads, but most kids were getting Chromebooks because kids need keyboards.  Chromebooks with stylus, touchscreen, and Google Classroom and Zoom worked well together this school year for us.

My kids' school, a charter school, has been issuing iPad to each student for years.  My daughter, before she moved to this school, which is 6-12, was at a charter school that used Chromebooks.   She much prefers the iPad.  I believe their school trialed Chromebooks and kept the iPad 

This school year they are in has a hybrid schedule with half the kids in school and 1/2 in a live zoom each day, alternating days on in and online learning so that half the kids are in person at school each day. Previous years they were obviously in school each day.   IPad works great for them in either case. 

chelin

Meanwhile, here in Cupertino Union School District Chromebooks is what the students gets to use.

elijahg

aderutter said:

One would have thought that this would be throughout the UK by now, but many schools would rather waste budget on windows PCs that last half as long for a higher cost and lesser learning opportunity.

In terms of education more generally in the UK, I find it incredible that the government hasn’t implemented over summer a national online curriculum. It’s over 20 years since I built an Electronic Learning Managemen System for a global corporation but you would think by now it would be straight-forward and not costly compared to the wasted money in 2020.

Our school got iPads rather than laptops, but the inability to type properly on them hampered their usage and eventually they were ditched. By the time they'd added keyboard cases management decided it wasn't worth it and went for cheapo Chromebooks instead. Also materials were far from optimised for the iPad, plus lack of teacher training didn't help.