FAQ

Each student opting into the scheme will either bring their own device or be given access to an iPad for use in school and at home. It is not a lease scheme or a purchase scheme.

If they opt in to our iPad scheme parents will be asked to pay a £50 deposit for each iPad, which will be returned at the end of the scheme providing the iPad has not been lost or damaged, and that the case, power adapter and lightning cable are returned in good, working condition.

All parents will be asked to contribute a voluntary monthly donation to our partner charity the Learning Foundation. Once costs have been deducted for administration, the charity will pass over the donations and gift aid to the school. Taking part in the Learning Foundation donation scheme will allow the student to take their iPad home as well as use it in school.

The school will purchase the iPad and associated items in the iPad bundle including the case and the insurance.

We ask that you make a donation of £10 a month over 36 months, although you can pay more if you like as this is a donation scheme.

The good news is that because we are offering this programme to all the students in the school, the Learning Foundation can claim Gift Aid worth 25% on all donations made by parents who are UK taxpayers and have signed the Gift Aid declaration. This means that it can be used to support the scheme.

At the end of the scheme it is likely that parents will have the opportunity to make a separate payment to buy the iPad outright. This will be based on the market value at the time and we estimate this is likely to be in the region of £40 (2020 scheme) or £50 (from 2021 scheme). Otherwise the iPad must be returned to school.

We anticipate a new iPad or similar device will be issued to the students after the 36-month period is up and we would seek to enter into a new scheme agreement with parents at this point. When a student leaves, the security deposit will be returned assuming there has been no loss or damage during the loan.

We would be delighted if parents were able to make a one-off donation at the start of the scheme and there will be an option to do so on the direct debit form. This would assist the school with the cash funding of the scheme. It is important to realise that the iPad would belong to the school until the end of the scheme at which point we expect to offer the chance to transfer ownership outright at market value.

The school receives limited funding for ICT and this gets spent on our network, ICT suites, printers etc. Equipment for use at home and for personal use by your children is over and above this, which is why we have to ask you to make a contribution. Without that help the programme would not be able to go ahead.

We run this programme on the basis that a small number of families in difficult circumstances can be accommodated with support from the school and others.

No child will be excluded from the programme because of their financial circumstances so please come and talk to us so we can ensure your child is included. We do have limited funds to subsidise the scheme for those in very challenging circumstances. We recognise that some families with several children may not be able to donate the full suggested amount for each child. Remember your child can bring their own device if you wish.

The devices are the property of the school for the next three years and are provided to the students at the discretion of the school. Your contribution is a charitable donation towards the programme, not a payment towards the device. To make the scheme affordable to all, the amount we are suggesting does not cover the full cost of running the programme. Additional money will be provided from school funds, and grants we may win from other sources. However, the school has no intention of keeping the devices after the three years is up, and we will then make them available at their market value to all our families in the scheme.

This would give the school a big problem as our decision to go ahead and buy the devices for the children will be based on the initial level of support from our parents. Changing your mind halfway through the programme would compromise the school’s finances. This is a commitment to the children that needs to be seen through.

The Learning Foundation is a registered education charity that is collecting monthly parental donations on our behalf to save us administration costs. They will collect your donation every month, apply for tax relief where applicable and then grant the money back to us to pay the bills.

Collecting cash involves a lot more work and administration costs for the school so our overwhelming preference is for you to sign a direct debit. However, if this is not possible then the school will be able to make arrangements to make sure you can contribute in a way that works for you and the school.

It is vital that you do this if you are a UK taxpayer; otherwise the cost of administering the collection of monthly donations has to come out of the donations themselves.
Gift Aid applies to cash and cheque contributions as well as direct debits so please do sign it if you are a taxpayer.

The school sends the declaration to the Learning Foundation. We keep the form on file as proof that we are able to claim the additional 25% in Gift Aid from the Inland Revenue. Those parents receiving tax credits may deduct the annual value of grossed up iPad scheme donations when calculating their annual income which may lead to increased tax credits being received.

Please let the school know as soon as possible if you change your bank account by writing to us with your new bank details.

Damages

Please report any iPad damages to the IT department via email (itsupport@southcraven.org) and we will be in touch.

Loss

Lost iPads are not covered by insurance and parents/carers will be asked to pay towards the cost of a replacement device. In all cases of loss, damage or theft the security deposit will be retained by the school.

Theft

Where an iPad has been stolen, it is the parent/carer's responsibility to report the crime to the police and obtain a crime reference number.

Faults

iPads with faults will normally be repaired free of charge or replaced with a similar device.

Parents/carers may be asked to pay further sums towards the cost of replacement or repair caused by inappropriate use or lack of care. Where feasible, a damaged or faulty iPad will be repaired or a replacement device of a similar age and condition will be provided. The school has a limited number of iPads to lend to students whilst repairs are taking place.

If your child already has access to a tablet device with an inbuilt camera that they will be able to bring to school each day they can do so. The device will be able to access the school network and other resources required in lessons, however the device will not be supported by our Network Team ie it would not be covered by the school warranty so could not be fixed free of charge in school. You must arrange your own insurance.

Whilst there will still be the need to print certain documents, students all have a virtual learning environment (Google Classroom) linked with their teachers. By using the VLE as the main method of handing in work, we will be able to reduce the amount of printing that needs to be done and also reduce the amount of paper that is wasted, a benefit not just to the school but the environment as well.

If a student does not have access to the internet at home then the iPad can still be used but will lose some of its effectiveness. While the student will not be able to access services like email or VLE, they would still be able to work on most apps that are installed on the iPad and create new files\content.

Depending on your own personal circumstances regarding risk (damage, theft, failure etc) it is probable you can purchase at a slightly cheaper price. But this isn’t just about the device. The learning programme we are providing will involve a device that is covered in case of theft or damage or if repairs are needed. It will come with a case. We will provide technical support whilst at school and your child will have access to learning resources on the school’s learning environment.

We have looked very carefully at the options for the BYOD scheme and we have a solution that delivers the following objectives: