Benton Park NE7

Benton Park Primary School

A school for your child; a community for your family

iPad Scheme 2023

The Scheme for next year has now opened. We hope this information is helpful for you whether you were able to attend the meetings in school or not. iPads ordered will be delivered to the school and then to children for September. There are no payments made until September.

Parents can buy or use their own devices. Please contact the school if that is something you wish to do or find out more about. There is no obligation to take part. 

The following page should hopefully provide you with all the information you need to make an informed choice about the iPad scheme. We have provided two videos for you: these videos provide the same information as the meetings. If you do wish to contact the school to speak about your options please do so. Mr Shepherd is your first point of contact. For those who missed the meeting please see below. 

iPad meeting

Parental Partners

The videos:
1) a video from Miss Jackson; showing how it works in the class
2) a video showing classroom practice and children's perspectives

Underneath the videos we have highlighted some frequently asked questions and supplementary information however sometimes we recognize that you may have further questions. Again try for Mr. Shepherd in the first instance-failing that...Mrs. Kennerley

We are working to the following time frame:

1) Portal opens on 09/06/2022
2) Portal closes on 27/06/2022
3) School receives notification of leases and signs lease documentation
4) iPads get delivered to school for set up over the summer holidays
5) iPads get handed out to children when school returns in September, families set up family sharing if they wish.

The Portal link to sign up is here  

Portal Codes

BENTONYEAR3&4

Please note lack of spaces and capitals! 

The scheme is run in conjunction with We Are Sync-an educational reseller.We Are Sync

 

The Videos 

 How does it work in the class?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I wish to bring my own device?

Yes. Lots of Parents choose this option. They already have a device or choose to purchase a reconditioned one. It will need to be an Apple iPad, have at least 32GB. It will also need to support the current iOS (which is 16.5), you can find out if your device is compatible here. In this instance the device needs to be wiped by the schools IT technicians and set up from scratch so it can be managed by the school.  

Currently there are around 35 children across Key Stage 2 who do this. 

Checking my iPad model

 Can I put on my own APPs?

Yes. You will set up your device using family sharing. This means you are able to add your own APPs etc. You need to take increased responsibility for content and the amount of content you have is of course limited by the devices memory. 

What about e-safety?

Please see attached documents which go into more detail. However, in essence out of school this falls to parents and in school it falls to school. Whilst school will always support the community it serves the responsibility when the device is at home falls to Mums, Dads and Carers. The device will default to home WiFi settings. 

School does check some devices on a weekly basis (mainly internet history/camera rolls) as and additional measure.

Children and parents sign an agreement to ensure their safety. 

Do I have to sign up?

No. By bringing your own device by whatever means does help the school. It helps with our stock levels and it helps us as it is money that we can invest when budgets are tight in IT infrastructure, there is no obligation and it remains parental choice.

So why should I support it?

The school remains committed to using technology and Apple devices in particular. They work well in the classroom setting. Staff are skilled in their use and it allows them to deliver the curriculum in a way that would not be possible without the devices. We are a Apple Regional Training centre that supports other schools in the use of the device. We believe they work.

What about screen time?

Children are not on the device all day. They are used often but not exclusively.