Councillors plan to give Chrome book to every Fife school pupil

Every school pupil in Fife could be given a Chromebook under new long-term plans for digital learning being hatched by the local council.
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At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic last summer Fife purchased nearly 5,500 Chromebooks - low-cost laptops running Google software - and 1,152 mobile broadband devices with unlimited data.

It used a £1.775 million grant from the Scottish Government to support children with little access to technology at home.

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Since then, the council has been given a further £3.363m by ministers that it aims to use to buy another 5,000 laptops and to support refreshes of these devices as they become redundant over time.

Councillors are considering giving a Chrome Book to every Fife school pupilCouncillors are considering giving a Chrome Book to every Fife school pupil
Councillors are considering giving a Chrome Book to every Fife school pupil

Education chiefs say digital learning has been rapidly prioritised in the wake of Covid-19. Post-pandemic, they anticipate children using digital resources to learn more often, alongside traditional lessons.

"The changes to all our lives through Covid-19 are ongoing and necessitate a re-think of effective engagement with learning and teaching," a report being presented to councillors tomorrow reads.

"There is a need to build upon recent progress, working with staff, learners and families to embed a culture of digital learning and teaching across the curriculum."

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The council is drawing up plans for a long-term "digital learning culture" strategy to be published later this year - and says it could move towards a "full one-to-one device strategy" where every pupil receives a Chromebook regardless of need.

This plan would see all pupils being given a laptop in P4 which they would use until S2, at which point they would receive a refreshed up-to-date device.

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