Bring Your Own Device Policy
For many years now, we have operated a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme for High School students. Having taken the time to collect feedback from students, teachers and parents on the impact of the programme, we’ve found that the overall message is very positive. Students enjoy having their own device which they can personalise and which is always available. They say it has enabled more group work and led to more efficient use of their time in lessons. They value the environmental benefits, with less paper being consumed. In response to concerns around bag weight and battery life, we extended the range of devices that students could bring to school. This now includes hybrid tablet-style devices (e.g. Microsoft Surface, iPad Pro) as long as they have a physical keyboard that can be attached. The keyboard will not be required in every lesson but will need to be available for any extended typing tasks, as typing directly on a tablet is not recommended ergonomically.
We have purposefully kept the device specifications as broad as possible. This is in recognition that different students prefer different devices and enable the use of devices that families already have; we do not want to make parents purchase new devices for the BYOD programme.
Hybrid devices
We’ve noticed that some of the most effective use of technology has been demonstrated by students who use a device that allows stylus input in addition to keyboard typing. Examples include the Microsoft Surface, the iPad Pro or stylus-capable iPad, and the Android equivalents. For such devices, our minimum system requirements are:
- Must support the latest version of the relevant Operating System (iOS 14, Android 11, Windows 10)
- 4GB RAM
- Minimum of 64GB storage
- Display size 11 inches or greater
- Keyboard attachment for extended typing tasks
- 802.11ac WiFi capability
Windows laptops
As a school, we almost exclusively use Windows PCs on the High School campus, and this would be a natural choice for a laptop to be used in lessons. For Windows devices, our minimum system requirements are:
- Windows 10
- 5th generation Intel Core i5 or 7th generation Intel Core i3 (or equivalent)
- 4 GB RAM, 1600MHz
- 250 GB HDD
- Screen size of 12 inches or above
- 802.11ac WiFi capability
- Built-in camera and microphone
Apple MacBooks
We understand that some students may already own a MacBook or MacBook Air, which is an acceptable BYOD option. Please note that for certain technical subjects (e.g. DT or Computer Science) the students may be required to use a dual-boot option to install Windows-specific software on a MacBook. For Macs, our minimum system requirements are:
- 1.3 GHz dual-core Intel 6th Gen Core i5 processor Turbo Boost up to 2.6 GHz or
- 1.1GHZ dual-core Intel 10th Gen Core i3 processor Turbo Boost up to 3 GHz or M1 chip
- 4 GB RAM
- 250 GB HDD
- 802.11ac WiFi capability
- For dual-boot, the Windows partition should be 80-120 GB
Tablet devices (iPads and equivalents) for Year 9 and below
For students in Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9), a tablet-style device such as an iPad would make a sensible BYOD choice, given the advantages of low weight and long battery life. Older students who will spend more time on extended writing tasks require a laptop or hybrid device (see above) rather than a tablet.
- Must support the latest version of the relevant Operating System (iOS 14, Android 11)
- 4GB RAM
- Minimum of 64GB storage
- Display size 11 inches or greater
- Keyboard attachment for extended typing tasks
- 802.11ac WiFi capability
Chromebooks for Year 9 and below
Again for students in Key Stage 3, Chromebooks are acceptable and provide the advantages of quick boot-up times and relatively low weight.
- Must be able to run the latest version of the Chrome Operating System (version 87+)
- 4GB RAM
- Min 1.6 GHz Intel Celeron or equivalent
- Minimum of 64GB storage
- Display size 11 inches or greater
- 802.11ac WiFi capability
Software
The school will provide a full Microsoft Office 365 licence (Word, Excel, etc) and full access to Google’s G-suite to all students.