Small Primary: Chromebook Recommendations

[talksr]

Hi all,

 

I am looking for some recommendations on good Chromebooks for primary school use.

 

I would like to get around 12 Chromebooks for teaching staff. These would be used to wirelessly display to their Clevertouch interactive screens likely using Chromecast. The staff would also take these home. I am wanting to use as few cables as possible, hence the chromecast but these laptops need to be able to do everything the teachers would need them to do - I have never had teachers teaching with Chromebooks so a little lost on what models to go for and what sort of budget I should be looking at.

 

In addition to this, I am looking to get around 60 Chromebooks for our pupils to use. Last time I ordered pupil Chromebooks, I went with Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen which was a super device and has really stood the test of time. Just wondering if anyone would recommend anything else as this model is no longer made?

 

I would welcome any recommendations. The school is a 1 form entry primary, so not a lot of money, but I am keen to get something that will last and save money over time by being more reliable.

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[mikes]

We use Chromebook 100e 3rd and 4th Gen here - but unfortunately the screens are not as robust as the Gen 1 and 2 - I have many broken screens with the Gen3/4 just from students having them in their backpacks whereas the Gen 1/2 a broken screen was extremely rare. So if the students have them in their packs with all their books etc it might be worth looking at something else. Screens are about £30 each and easy to replace but they shouldn't be that fragile IMO I get 1 a month broken. (this is in a comp school mind)

[talksr]

We use Chromebook 100e 3rd and 4th Gen here - but unfortunately the screens are not as robust as the Gen 1 and 2 - I have many broken screens with the Gen3/4 just from students having them in their backpacks whereas the Gen 1/2 a broken screen was extremely rare. So if the students have them in their packs with all their books etc it might be worth looking at something else. Screens are about £30 each and easy to replace but they shouldn't be that fragile IMO I get 1 a month broken. (this is in a comp school mind)

 

Thank you, that is useful to know. These would be kept in school in Chromebook trolleys but even so, they may be even more likely to break as the way things are looked after in school is appalling compared to ones assigned to specific people. Thanks for the info - very helpful!

[Ratcliffepg]

We use these for our students you can also get an 11 inch screen version.

 

HP Fortis G11 14" Intel® N N100 Chromebook 35.6 cm (14") Full HD 4 GB LPDDR5-SDRAM 32 GB eMMC Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) ChromeOS Black[/h]

[PotNoodleTech]

For the teachers why dont you buy one or two and trial them with a couple of teachers to see if they really can do everything the teachers need them to do. (Ours can.)

 

For the pupils if you get lenovo 100e ven though the lastest version is not as durable, at least you can get screens for them unlike many other makes and models. Avoid touchscreen chromebooks with a bargepole as they are often nearly unservicable, screens not availabe all glued in etc etc.

[talksr]

We use these for our students you can also get an 11 inch screen version.

 

HP Fortis G11 14" Intel® N N100 Chromebook 35.6 cm (14") Full HD 4 GB LPDDR5-SDRAM 32 GB eMMC Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) ChromeOS Black[/h]

 

Thank you, I had been wondering if there were any decent HP models.

 

For the teachers why dont you buy one or two and trial them with a couple of teachers to see if they really can do everything the teachers need them to do. (Ours can.)

 

For the pupils if you get lenovo 100e ven though the lastest version is not as durable, at least you can get screens for them unlike many other makes and models. Avoid touchscreen chromebooks with a bargepole as they are often nearly unservicable, screens not availabe all glued in etc etc.

 

That's a good idea. I think initially, I just need some ideas on what would constitue a suitable teacher Chromebook and I could get a couple to trial, but I am really not sure what to go for. Obviously, it would need to be a little larger, but not really sure if I should be considering something really powerful like an i7 or if an i5 or equivilant would suffice. I have never given staff Chromebooks for them to teach with so it is a new area for me!

[TheHyperTechie]

For staff, I have been issuing the Acer 515 Chromebook Plus (i5 model) and they are really good quality... no complaints so far.

 

We did a refresh not so long ago for our students 1:1 chromebooks, we chose Dell 3100s. I will say, that these aren't as robust as other models we have had in the past such as Lenovo's and HPs. Performance wise, they are good though.

Edited March 10, 2025 by HyperTech

[Ratcliffepg]

Easy to get replacement screens for the HP Devices we still get broken ones..... even with the Fortis model....