At The Leys, we provide a caring, stimulating environment in which children’s individual needs are met and their talents, confidence and self-esteem developed. Fundamental to this is allowing children to be independent, organised, collaborative and inquisitive learners, who are ready to flourish both at school and beyond. Effective use of digital tools is key to this in the modern world, and as a school, we adopt a blended learning approach which allows children to develop their literacy in both the digital and analogue realms. This is evidenced in our most recent Inspection Report:
We have designed a digital toolset that allows this blended learning approach to flourish, providing engaging, interactive, and stimulating learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom. By ensuring that all Leys pupils have access to these flexible digital learning tools both in the classroom and beyond, we aim for a seamless learning experience which promotes and develops modern and relevant skills that children need.
Digital learning has been an integral part of Teaching and Learning at The Leys for over ten years: all pupils at The Leys use a digital device in the classroom at school every day. Digital Learning enhances pupil’s learning experience, enabling them to collaborate, reflect, research and redesign their work with ease, all whilst developing high levels of IT skill and literacy, preparing them for life beyond School. Whilst at the first point of introduction the devices used were iPads, the school is currently transitioning to Microsoft Surface devices, and from September 2026 we anticipate that all pupil devices in school will be Microsoft Surfaces.
We introduced the Microsoft Digital Device Scheme in September 2025, which allows parents to lease a Microsoft Surface Pro through our partner, Easy4U (Class Technology Solutions), including a full hardware service and accidental damage cover.
From September 2026, parents of all pupils in Year Groups 9 and above, including 6th Form, will be expected to use the Digital Device Scheme to lease a Microsoft Surface. We are currently reviewing our devices for Years 7 and 8 and will confirm our decision to move to Microsoft Surfaces, and how this will be implemented as soon as suitable devices are available – this might be as soon as September 2026.
The Leys offers the Digital Device Scheme, provided by the Easy4U Service, to provide a digital learning device to each pupil. The device cost (including warranty and insurance) is funded by parents via either 12-, 24-, 36- or 48-month leases or a one-off advance payment.
The Digital Device Scheme means that all pupils have access to a personal digital device that, used with our learning platforms, offers a highly integrated learning experience.
The school currently offers the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X-Plus), with Classroom Pen 2. We did a lot of research to look for suitable devices which meet our key specifications: lightweight; touchscreen; detachable keyboard; active stylus/pen; all-day battery life; an AI-ready processor. The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X-Plus) meets all these criteria and the Surface product range is already widely used in schools and higher education. Equipped with a screen protector and a robust case, it is both rugged and portable. It has great flexibility, performing as either a laptop or a tablet. It also works seamlessly with our online learning platforms and the full suite of Microsoft 365 software, providing the interactivity required for an active blended learning approach.
The Leys has been successfully using the 1:1 learning device approach for many years with positive impacts explicitly acknowledged in our most recent inspection reports.
Our introduction of the Easy4U scheme coincides with the School-wide adoption of Microsoft teaching and learning systems. It allows teachers to make best use of the wide range of digital resources available and allows pupils to be organised, productive and to access their work anywhere at any time. The use of the Microsoft digital eco-system will allow us to make measurable improvements in our sustainability by reducing paper consumption.
At The Leys we have an excellent suite of online learning tools and have focused considerable staff training on the blended learning approach and effective use of digital devices both in class and for homework. We aim to ensure all our pupils have excellent 21st century skills, whilst keeping more traditional skills and methods very much part of the curriculum.
Yes. All pupils must have a digital device, and from September 2026 it is expected that all devices will be school managed Microsoft Surfaces, leased or purchased by parents through the Easy4U Device Scheme.
No. From September 2026 we will require all pupils to have a Microsoft Surface leased or purchased through the Easy4U device scheme. This is because these devices will be school managed devices whilst your child is a pupil here, enabling us to apply appropriate filtering and monitoring to the devices in school and at home, and to use class management software to monitor device use in classrooms.
The Device Scheme also ensures that pupil devices are insured, including a full hardware service and accidental damage cover, and come with a full keyboard and digital pen for high quality digital inking.
Pupils are very welcome to use personal devices in their boarding house, where they can access the School’s network.
Not necessarily. In the blended learning environment digital devices are one of the many tools available for use in all lessons. Teachers will continue to use their professional judgement to choose when the devices can be used to enhance teaching and learning based on the topic, content and learning activities. This means that devices will be used in most lessons, but not necessarily throughout the entire lesson. We continue to value the importance of handwriting, speaking, listening, and offline collaborative and practical work. In many cases the device will be used to record the outcomes of offline work, such as using photos, video, or audio recordings.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 with Classroom Pen 2 offers a wide range of learning activity enhancements, including the use of voice recording, photos, videos, digital inking, document collaboration, data capture and processing, generative AI, immediate feedback, and accessibility features. The devices are also designed to maximise the value of the applications in the School’s digital learning environment, e.g. OneNote, Teams and the 365 suite apps.
We will continue to use physical textbooks and paper resources where appropriate, but we expect this will be gradually reduced due to the diverse ways resources can be shared and accessed digitally. Teachers are already using more online textbooks and disseminating resources using OneNote. Pupils are making notes in OneNote and are also able to store digital copies of physical work, so their work is organised effectively and backed up to the cloud rather than the device itself. We expect a positive impact on our environmental footprint.
The School has high expectations of online and offline behaviour for all pupils, and we have systems and processes in place to support this while pupils are using devices. Our behaviour expectations are laid out clearly in our Pupil Acceptable Use Policy. We have a high-quality filtering system in place and our wireless network allows teachers to move freely around their classrooms whilst teaching. The standardisation of devices in this scheme will also allow us to introduce systems to permit teachers to ensure that pupils in their class are on-topic.
The ability to thrive beyond their time at The Leys is a key component of the education we aim to provide. Technology plays an important role in employability and working practices. We want the pupils to be able to navigate the wider world safely and effectively and digital literacy is a key component of this. These systems and platforms are used by 95% of UK Universities and businesses, so will help prepare our pupils effectively for their next steps.
Costs vary depending on the type of device and the length of the contract, which can be one, two, three or four years. This is because the warranty, insurance and loan–device elements of the scheme are integral to the overall cost. Costs will be made clear on the Easy4U portal which all parents will be invited to access during the launch of the scheme. The School has analysed all the costs and we are confident that the scheme represents excellent value for money.
One of our key concerns has been the size and weight of devices for children to carry. The Surface Pro 11 is small and light enough to be easily portable and to fit on classroom desks so pupils can also use physical resources. We have tested the devices with pupils in school who have found the size of the device to be perfectly suitable. Here is a link to a report on the usability of the Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X-Plus) written by Monty H (Upper Sixth).
We have however reserved judgment around devices for our youngest pupils in Years 7 and 8. We think that the 10” screen size form factor is best for these pupils, and no models are yet available in this size, with chipsets providing all-day battery life. We expect these to arrive within the next year and will introduce them to the scheme as soon as possible.
When devices are connected to The Leys Wi-Fi in school their web use is filtered, inappropriate content is blocked, and concerns are reported on. On other Wi-Fi networks, for example at home, web use is not filtered by the School. Parents are responsible for the controls and filtering on their home networks, as well as setting clear boundaries and expectations on device use at home. The School is evaluating software to do device-level filtering and will be investing in this as an additional safeguarding layer when a suitable product is identified.
The Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X-Plus) has an excellent battery life. Based on our real-life tests with pupils, we expect a fully charged device will last a full school day with about 30% charge to spare. In case pupils forget to charge devices there will be provision for charging in some classrooms and Houses during break and lunchtimes. Charging facilities are already in place in each Boarding House for overnight use.
Devices leased through the Digital Device Scheme are covered by the scheme warranty and insurance policies. The hardware warranty is comprehensive and allows for unlimited claims during the contract term. IT staff can help pupils initiate a claim and the scheme permits us to provide pupils with a temporary loan device while the claim is processed, to ensure continuity of learning. Parents have responsibility for communications about claims with the scheme provider.
Devices are covered with no additional cost for any hardware or component failure with a £50 excess on any accidental damage of theft claim. Crime reference numbers are required in the event of a claim for theft.
Yes, our onsite IT Team can support the devices during core school hours for any problems related to the school accounts and applications on the device. The School IT Team will also help with diagnostics around device malfunction and network connection.
The School works with the scheme provider to enrol all the devices in a common Mobile Device Management environment. This allows the School to publish a catalogue of pre-approved educational apps for pupils to choose from at will. We will continually respond to requests to add apps to this catalogue. If there is a major software fault on the device, then School IT staff will be able to reset the device promptly.
The scheme providers, at the School’s request, add asset tags to the devices, pens and chargers. These show the pupil’s school code which is well known to them and to staff as it is the prefix of their email address.
Accessories such as digital pens, chargers and cables are not covered by the insurance. But the policy does cover the Type Cover keyboard as an insured item.
Following an extensive evaluation process during the 2023–24 academic year, we tested more than ten devices, including Chromebooks, traditional laptops, flip-style 2-in-1s, detachable 2-in-1s, and tablets. We also consulted widely with other independent schools regarding their experiences with learning platforms and device policies.
From this research and hands-on testing, our conclusions were that we needed:
Prior to 2025, no single device on the market reliably met all of these criteria at once. Battery life, in particular, remained a persistent problem reported by many schools and confirmed in our own testing of Intel- and AMD-based devices.
The arrival of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series platform (comprising the X Elite and X Plus processors) changed this. This ARM-based architecture, proven in premium smartphones for its exceptional energy efficiency, now delivers desktop-class performance in Windows devices while providing true all-day battery life. We first gained direct experience with the platform in 2024 through Dell Latitude laptops and were impressed by their ability to last a full school day even under sustained load.
When Microsoft released the Surface Pro 11 with the Snapdragon X Plus chipset in 2024, we immediately obtained evaluation units. Since September 2025 the device has been in daily use across multiple year groups, consistently achieving 10–14 hours of battery life in typical classroom conditions together with responsive performance and no thermal throttling or fan noise.
Further factors supporting our choice include:
At the present time, the Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X Plus) is the only device on the market in which we have full confidence that it addresses every one of our requirements. As further devices are released we will of course keep the offering under review.
Early feedback from both staff and pupils since September has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are confident that the Surface Pro 11 currently represents the optimum tool to support teaching and learning at the school.
We do know that technology advances quickly, and so we will continue to monitor the devices available on the market. As and when a superior device replaces the Surface Pro 11 as the best device that will meet pupil needs whilst offering value for money, we will adjust our advice for parents accordingly.
There are some elements of the service provided by the device scheme which can’t be satisfied by a retail offering.
The scheme is of a type broadly referred to as Device-As-A-Service. This means that there are multiple components to the service, designed to ensure that unexpected events do not interrupt the learning journey of the pupils. Many of these components require close collaboration between the school and the scheme supplier. The supplier handles:
The educational premise for building-in this level of support is that we want same-day replacement of broken devices. This avoids problems arising for both staff and pupils from pupils being unable to participate in classwork or prep.
There is a provision in the contract allowing the parent to back out with full refund before the start of the academic year.
We are fortunate at The Leys to have a thriving and diverse Academic Enrichment programme which is growing and developing all the time.
More informationRead about some of our links with the University of Cambridge and other local academic, business and cultural organisations.
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