Important information relating to the
Laptops
for Teachers scheme
Suggested procedure to identify teachers
who are to receive a laptop. (adopted from the NAACE guidelines)
1. Policy
Headteachers and their governing bodies are responsible for how allocated computers are distributed within the school and for identifying those teachers who will benefit from the scheme. In making its allocations, a school needs to have a clear policy upon which to base its decisions. Given that initially there will be insufficient computers to provide one for every teacher, there will be potential for much discontent if teachers believe that computers have been distributed without a clear rationale. This does not mean to say that a simple formula can be created which will automatically churn out the names of teachers to benefit from the scheme! But it does mean that senior management in schools, and the governors, have thought about priorities and can articulate a rationale for decisions.
One principle that can be applied is that of potential for impact; It
could be effective to allocate a laptop to a teacher who is in a good
position to drive forward the schools ICT policy within their own area of
specialism or responsibility. Thus, part of the rationale could be to
ensure that all subject co-ordinators or Heads of Departments in a secondary
school, for example, should be given high priority. Teachers who are in a
good position to influence and help other staff with their use of ICT could
be encouraged by personal access via this scheme. In this context, mentors
for newly qualified teachers and/or trainees might reasonably be given
priority.
Another strategy could be to look at particular projects or activities which
are currently going on in the school and examine whether the availability of
a laptop computer for one or more teachers engaged on these projects would
have a beneficial impact; Currently, 40% of newly qualified teachers leave
the profession within the first five years of service. Schools need to be
careful and wholly transparent about incentives, and it may not be
appropriate to use this scheme as part of the Governors overall retention
strategy. If a newly qualified teacher does not receive a computer under
the LfT scheme it might be appropriate for the school to use its own funding
to provide newly qualified teachers with a laptop on loan while they are
employed at the school.
Schools may wish to have a policy about full-time and part-time teachers;
both groups are eligible:
While it is the LEAs responsibility to ensure
that all groups of eligible teachers are considered, school will also need
to make a positive decision for themselves in the light of the situation in
their own school. For example. it would not be appropriate to give priority
to a teacher merely and solely because they were full time.
Training:
Training is essential, according to need, as is ongoing support as
expertise develops. There needs to be clarity about outcomes, not only in
terms of a teachers growing confidence and competence with ICT but also in
terms of impact on teaching and learning. Teachers who have refused to
engage with ICT to date are unlikely to suddenly become enthusiastic about
the idea simply by being given a laptop.
There is a view that simply
giving a laptop to a teacher and asking them to make use of it is a
non-threatening way in which to engage novice ICT users. Unfortunately,
this is also a recipe for the computers to gather dust. Our recommendation
would be for very up-beat expectations, with teachers being expected to use
their laptops for specific activities and to be seen using their laptops
effectively in classroom and staffroom.
Outcomes:
Given that there has to be some rationale for a teacher being
given a laptop, it is perfectly reasonable for a school to expect some
outcomes from the teacher. We would not recommend the rigour of a
contract but we would expect a teacher to understand that there were some
expectations being placed upon them.
Perhaps they agree to training,
to working with other teachers with similar facilities, to working with
other teachers to develop the impact of ICT on teaching and learning in
their subject or phase.
Perhaps there should be some expectation to
share with the rest of the staff the way in which their work has changed in
terms of impact on teaching and management, or effective use of time in
planning as result of having personal access to ICT.
Allocation of Laptops within individual institutions:
It is the
DfES's view that head teachers will be given priority for the laptops as
they see the head as key in ensuring that a school has an effective ICT
strategy and believe that personal access will not only bolster this role,
but will ensure in-school support for the staff who are benefitting from the
scheme. The other priorities identified by the LEA fall into the following
categories (in no particular order):
AST's who do not already have
a laptop
SENCO's who do not already have a laptop
ICT coordinators who
do not already have a laptop
Other identified school priorities
You
may also wish to consider KS2 maths co-ordinators as this is an important
priority for the LEA's post inspection action plan.
2. General questions
Should the governing body be involved in the decision-making?
Governing bodies are responsible for the conduct of the school and for other decisions about remuneration. It is important that the allocation of the laptops is made according to principles agreed by the headteacher and governing body. This will ensure that all staff are aware of the rationale behind the selection of recipients and will also create a system that can be used for any future allocation of resources, e.g. additional laptops bought by the school for members of staff. The governing body may decide who is best placed to make the decision. Whoever does make the decision, the decision makers must be able to demonstrate that the decision was reached after full consideration of all relevant factors and without bias. It would also be wise to consult staff at an early stage of the decision making process.
Can we require those staff who receive laptops to use in them in class?
Laptops are being chosen to facilitate teachers flexible use of the equipment both at home and at school. It is expected that the laptop will be used in various locations including the teachers home and school. However, DfES have made it clear in their Guidance that no expectation must be placed on a teacher to make the laptop available for regular use in school as part of the schools general ICT provision. In addition, the laptops provided under this scheme, while they are the property of the school, must not be counted in any calculation of pupil to computer ratio.
Can I share laptops between a group of staff, for example staff in one year group or department?
No. The DfES has made it clear that laptops must be allocated to named individuals for their professional use during their time at the school. This is a mandatory requirement of the scheme and is based on the fundamental principle that a teacher needs to have access to the equipment at the time of need, not when it is convenient for them next to borrow it. Teachers are unlikely to allocate the time and commitment to developing their personal use of ICT if they do not have immediate access. This doesnt mean that the teacher cannot lend the laptop to another teacher in the same way as they might lend any other personal resource indeed, encouraging other teachers to engage with ICT is part of what this scheme is about. However, what the school is not able to do is run a pool of laptops for teachers to share.
What additional software will be required?
Laptops will be provided with basic generic software, a wordprocessor. spreadsheet, presentation package, database, virus and internet browser software. In order to maximise the impact on teaching and learning, a school will have to consider what additional software will have to be purchased. In some cases, but certainly not all, existing software licences may apply to the new laptops. Schools must take steps to ensure that they do not inadvertently infringe their software licences.
Can we put registration software or SIMS on the laptop?
Technically, there is no reason why any curriculum or management software should not be installed on the laptop. Schools must, however, be absolutely clear that all copyright issues have been addressed. Since the computer actually belongs to the school and is on long-term loan to the teacher, it is likely that any existing school-wide licence will apply to the laptops as well but the school must check. As with any other machine, the school must keep a record of additional software that has been installed particularly if it has purchased a single user copy for the laptop. When the teacher leaves the school and the laptop is returned, the software must come with it.
Registration or other management software is an interesting case. If the teacher is required by the school to have the laptop with them in school at all times in order to carry out management or administrative functions, this is not dissimilar to the teacher being required to make the computer available for curriculum use in their lessons. The DfES have made it clear that the latter is not acceptable if a computer is required for regular curriculum use, the school should provide it. It is only a small extension of that principle to cover school management/administrative functions.
What about insurance?
The school is responsible for insurance or, if it chooses not to insure, for the replacement of equipment if it is lost or stolen. The school will have an existing policy on this matter, but it may not cover the situation we have here. Often, school resources are insured while on the premises, but the position is unclear when in transit between school and a teachers home (should the teachers car insurance cover it?) and at home (should the home insurance cover it?). Practice varies, but teachers need to know what responsibilities they have, if any, for insurance.
Where equipment is owned by an organisation, but in the long term possession of the employee, home insurance companies have been known to be difficult about meeting insurance claims even when the employee has accepted that they are responsible for insurance. One way round this is for the school to issue a formal letter to the teacher, noting that the equipment is owned by the school but in the long term possession of the teacher, the equipment being supplied solely for their professional use. It would be prudent for the teacher to advise their insurance company of the existence of the equipment in these circumstances and of the interest of the LEA as technical owners. Any claim made by the teacher on their home insurance would result in any replacement equipment being owned by the LEA.
Are security devices or software provided?
The minimum specification for this scheme does not include such devices or software. Since laptop computers are more easily stolen than desktop computers, schools may wish to consider some security measures. Installing software which requires the user to provide a password during the start-up process renders the machine of limited use to the casual thief. The fact that the laptop is protected in this way should be declared on the equipment itself.
What about peripherals?
Any teacher making extensive use of the laptop at home is going to need a printer. Obviously, they can print work completed at home when they get to school the next day, but that is not quite the same thing as being able to print at the time. Printers are relatively inexpensive, although ink-jet printers used indiscriminately are expensive to run. The school will have to decide if it can afford to provide a printer with each laptop and whether the school will cover the cost of print cartridges. If it cannot provide this facility, teachers must know that this is their responsibility and/or that appropriate arrangements for easy printing have been made for them at school. If teachers do have a printer at home, they will need to be shown how to direct their work to that printer rather than to the network printer or any other school-based printer.
All laptops supplied under this scheme will come with a carry case. Schools should insist that the laptops are always packed in their carry cases when being transported.
What about training?
Training is not included in this scheme. It was decided that to bundle training with the laptop would not be appropriate since local situations cannot be predicted. If a school already has a number of laptops, and expertise is already available in the school, it is a waste of money to provide what would necessarily be fairly expensive external training. But, from the individual teachers perspective, training of some sort is essential. The school must determine the training needs for any member of staff receiving a laptop under this scheme. Where expertise does not exist in the school, the additional form provided should be filled in and returned to the ICT team.
What about setting up the laptops to access the internet at home, or the network at school?
Facilities will be provided to enable the teacher very easily to set up access to the Internet at home. The Internet Service Provision will be free, but there will be a telephone call cost for which the teacher will be responsible. Whether a school will wish to refund the telephone call charges run up by a teacher will vary from school to school. If it does recognise that a teacher will incur legitimate expense in this way, there will have to be procedures in place to endure an audit trail for any expense payments made. If, as is likely to be the case, the school chooses not to pay telephone call charges from a teachers home, it must recognise that teachers cannot be expected to use the Internet from home.
The issue of connection to the school network is a different matter. All laptops supplied under this scheme will have the capability of being connected to the school network, and it is essential that they are if an integrated approach to ICT is in place in the school. Apart from that, there are huge inefficiencies if teachers cannot easily update files on the network and quickly transfer to the network work they have completed at home. Every laptop supplied under this scheme will have a network card included with it so that physical connection to the network is easy. However, the school will need to take specific steps to make sure that the laptops are recognised by the network and have appropriate access rights when they are connected. Connection to the school network is not part of the standard covercard service and if a visit is required for this it will incur a charge.
What about teachers who cannot access a standard laptop?
Teachers with special needs who require adapted or alternative equipment should be considered as any other teacher under this scheme. LEAs have received a form to return to the DfES seeking approval for the purchase of specially adapted equipment, should this be necessary.
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