The Western Gazette is reporting that parents of pupils at Gryphon School in Dorset have expressed fury after being asked to stump up more than £400 for iPads for their children…
In a letter to parents, Stuart Lawson, assistant headteacher, wrote that the school is “explicitly recommending” that parents with children in Year 7, 8 and 9 buy their child an iPad for use in lessons at the school from September, although it has now issued a statement insisting it is not a “requirement”. The purchase of a tablet by parents of pupils in Year 10 and upwards, the letter states, is “entirely optional”.
A provisional pricing plan included with the letter sets out three options for parents to purchase the iPads through the school with Option 1, the purchase of an iPad with a case and insurance for a one off payment of £424, being recommended by the school.
The school is also offering monthly payment plans.
Juliana Atyeo, 40, of Wootton Grove, is the mother of Oskar, a Year 7 pupil at the Gryphon, she said: “State education should be free for all. Asking parents to part with this amount of money so that their children can access the curriculum inherently contradicts the principle of state education. Even though the school has proposed a monthly payment plan it is unfair to ask parents to sign up to what is essentially a credit scheme.
“Demanding that all students have access to an iPad in order to participate in exercises centrally set by the teacher may have a long-term negative impact on the students’ attitudes to learning.
“The message being sent out is that students require a specific technological device in order to learn. This runs the risk of impeding pupils’ creativity and independence…”
In the letter, the school explains it will be speaking to the parents of those who receive free school meals separately.
Mr Lawson wrote: “The school does receive extra funding from the government to support their learning and so can support their usage of an iPad. We cannot, however, extend this support to other students where no funding is available to us.”
Parents have also expressed disappointment that the school chose to communicate with parents with a letter rather than calling a meeting.
A group called Gryphon Parents Against iPads has been set up on Facebook in an attempt to stop the move.
So far, it has nearly 70 members, a large number of whom have sent handwritten letters to the headteacher and the governors of the school voicing their concerns.
In a joint statement, Steve Hillier, head teacher and Nigel Rees, chairman of the governors at the Gryphon School said: “Parents should be reassured that there is no intention to impose additional costs on any family, however the Governors also recognise a need to use and develop additional learning channels as they develop and mature, so that our students are prepared as well as they can be for the future.
“The school has received welcome commentary and feedback on these proposals, so we can clarify, confirm and reassure parents that there is no requirement for students in any year to acquire an iPad, but it is widely felt that there is a clear benefit in the student being able to use any tablet, small laptop or mobile technology as an additional route to learning…”
More at: iPad ROW: Parents at a Sherborne school stunned after being told kids must return next term with £400 iPads
No doubt this is an issue arising in more and more schools. How do you feel about the approach being taken at this school? Please let us know in the comments or via Twitter…
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