Teachers laptops

[Little-Miss]

How many schools out there supply every teacher with a laptop? I'm interested to know if this is a common thing.

 

I'm about to write an email to SLT that i feel staff here are rather privileged to have a laptop each and one of them to come and tell me that they've forgotten their password because they don't use it very often is frankly disgusting. If it's not used, i can quickly find a new home for them.

 

If it's the done thing in all schools i can't really argue that point.

 

NB: All our classrooms have 2 PC's. The Laptops are mainly used at home.

 

EDIT: I must stress that i haven't got a problem with staff having laptops, their list of work seems to be ever increasing and i don't envy them at all. I get irritated that they seem to be taken for granted.

Edited October 21, 2013 by Little-Miss

[X-13]

How many schools out there supply every teacher with a laptop?

 

We don't currently. But, it's on our ever increasing list of stuff that may or may not happen at some point. [Though, they'd lose the class desktops and have docking stations.]

[Mark182]

Yes, they do here.

[pcstru]

Yes, poor abused Lenovos here. I think there would be a revolution if we took them away.

[twin--turbo]

We do, but may be reducing that estate and replacing with fixed teaching PC's.

[hardtailstar]

We do,

 

Used to have teacher workstations too, got rid of them and now they use their laptops connected to docking stations.

[BKGarry]

Yes, but it has been that way for years and years (before I joined here 6 years ago). There are no "Teacher workstations" all staff use their laptops and connect to boards/projectors, they all manage to cope fine (except for the occasional case of the team having to go and press the power button on sound)

[gmj]

Last school did, but then we went to workstations in everyone room. Same in my current school.

[Sunnyknight]

Yep. All manner of dual core pieces of..... given to them. I feel for them everytime they're given. Wish we could hand out some Asus quads....

 

*Looks at a shooting star and wishes*

[Chuckster]

We have laptops issued to every teacher in school, with a plethora of teacher workstations in every classroom.

 

Some of the laptops aren't being used as you can tell by checking when Windows has last done its updates.

 

We also have a VPN connection into school using Terminal Services, and staff must use their laptops in order to remote into our systems. When I check the logs, only 1 person on the SMT does this on a weekly basis. The rest of the school teaching staff don't bother. That said, much of our laptops are being used by their children for school/uni!

[Danp]

No, knocked that on the head about 3 years ago by fitting computers in classrooms and offices.

[Badzeye]

Yes we sadly still have them. Often given to spouses or children to use and only brought back to school when they have been destroyed.

[MattDLEA]

In My 2 schools we have Desktops in every room.

 

One school did gig every teacher a laptop before I started there, they are now really old RM and never get used any more. I did get asked if there was anymore as one of the teachers had broken theirs and her son couldnt do his uni work on it. The answer was no! So they dont get provided by the school no more.

 

My other school has over summer issued all staff with an ipad which has stopped the requests for new laptops, though i have just ordered one from ICTDirect for a member of staff. but before that all staff had a laptop mainly rubbish toshiba or what ever was going cheep at tesco's. I kid you not!

[Ad93]

They aren't given to every member of staff, only ones who have been given the go ahead by the Head. Quite a few bring them in every day and some you never see them till they go wrong or when the staff member leaves.

 

A

[gmonks]

Teaching Staff here have laptops. There is a mixture of Desktop and Laptops in classrooms. Some have desktops in others don't which means teachers have to use their laptops.

 

Most get treated okay but you always get some that aren't. Headteacher has to sign off every laptop we give to a teacher, they also have to sign a form saying they will treat it with care etc.

 

We also have four laptops that staff can book out or can be used if a supply teacher is covering a lesson.

[FN-GM]

Not anymore. We replaced them with remote access from the home computer via Citrix. We have a grand total of 2 laptops on the system. 1 is for configuring switches.

[sparkeh]

Yep laptops are given out as a matter of course whether they are used or not. All classrooms have a fixed station so laptops are soley for home use.

[witch]

Yes, in both schools - but they have to use them everyday attached to their whiteboards etc in the classroom.

I would rather see a fixed desktop in each room and remote access or somesuch. To give out a laptop when they have a fixed machine at school is a real privilege and, budget-wise, a step too far IMHO.

[sparkeh]

To give out a laptop when they have a fixed machine at school is a real privilege and, budget-wise, a step too far IMHO.

I couldn't possibly comment on a policy set by SMT

[bossman]

We haven't since the laptop for teachers scheme died around 6 years ago, if staff want a laptop they have to purchase themselves and we don't give any technical support as we advise them to get that with the purchase.

 

DHT has given support for this as the school could no longer provide and as the staff have always had remote access as well as a computer and IWB in every room there has been no requirements to supply laptops.

 

I find it totally inconceivable in today's financial climate that schools are still providing laptops for teachers where they are not required.

[witch]

We haven't since the laptop for teachers scheme died around 6 years ago, if staff want a laptop they have to purchase themselves and we don't give any technical support as we advise them to get that with the purchase.

 

DHT has given support for this as the school could no longer provide and as the staff have always had remote access as well as a computer and IWB in every room there has been no requirements to supply laptops.

 

I find it totally inconceivable in today's financial climate that schools are still providing laptops for teachers where they are not required.

 

Once again, @bossman, mlnm, your example is a shining star that I can only aspire to follow

[gmonks]

Yes, in both schools - but they have to use them everyday attached to their whiteboards etc in the classroom.

I would rather see a fixed desktop in each room and remote access or somesuch. To give out a laptop when they have a fixed machine at school is a real privilege and, budget-wise, a step too far IMHO.

 

Yes, I think it's good to have a desktop in classrooms too.

[LeMarchand]

I find it totally inconceivable in today's financial climate that schools are still providing laptops for teachers where they are not required.

 

Some of mine have 2...

[Trapper]

Yes, and judging by the Safeguard 90 day lock outs no bugger uses them.

 

I mentioned this to the CoG who is now making the case to stop automatically giving teachers laptops.

 

As I keep telling them Laptops for Teachers was a one off in 2004 - every subsequent laptop bought since then was with the schools money. It's not a right!

 

It gets even worse though. At my sister in laws school they have a "chap" who knows the Head who does their IT. She was given a brand new 17" Acer laptop (with nice nVidia card) and it's unusable!

Edited October 21, 2013 by Trapper

[FishCustard]

There is quite a bit I could say on this, but @bossman has pretty much said it all. We have fixed PCs in all classrooms and a staff IT room, so the attitude to staff laptops here (from IT and SLT) is pretty much 'hell no'.