Our sponsor Co-op has worked with us to refurbish corporate laptops into new Chromebooks for our students. 

300 chromebooks have been donated to Co-op Academy Failsworth and Co-op Academy Leeds. 

Access to devices and the internet has been a real issue for children across the country during lockdown. Ofcom estimates up to 1.78 million children in the UK have no home access to a laptop, desktop or tablet. 

“Many struggle, particularly at this time of lockdown, with the limited number of devices that they have at home. Often they are sharing one laptop or tablet with a number of siblings and family members” Paul Brockwell, Principal at Co-op Academy Leeds

Lack of access means that some students are going without lessons and falling behind in their learning. 

“We have families who do not have laptops. They therefore miss out on live introductions and live tutoring opportunities through no fault of their own” Phill Quirk, Headteacher at Failsworth

These refurbished chromebooks mean that unused tech is not going to waste, keeping costs and environmental impact down.

“We are immensely happy to have received 100 repurposed laptops from the Co-op that we can distribute to our students. These laptops will allow our students to more easily access live lessons with their teachers and have additional screen time for the 5 hours a day they are asked to study. 

We know how much this pandemic has impacted on the educational progress of the most needy in our communities. These machines will have a dramatic impact on their opportunity to keep up with others around them.” Paul Brockwell

“A massive thank you from Co-op Academy Failsworth. The 200 converted Chromebooks are an incredible help to allowing students who are struggling for home learning access. This is truly a fantastic gesture from the Co-op and it will resonate in our community. It truly does pick up one of the Ways of Being ‘show you care’” Phill Quirk.