Academic Enrichment
We are fortunate at The Leys to have a thriving and diverse Academic Enrichment programme which is growing and developing all the time.
More informationAt 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.
All pupils at The Leys use a digital device in the classroom at school every day. In the current Upper and Lower Sixth forms we allow the use of any suitable device through BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Throughout the rest of the school, we have been running an iPad 1:1 scheme which is now being phased out. We will continue to offer iPads to Years 7 and 8 until a suitable alternative Windows device is identified (we expect in the next year). We will also offer iPads as an optional alternative to scheme devices for two further specific year groups who may already have them: Year 11 and Upper Sixth (2025-26).
Our BYOD offer at The Leys also permits pupils to join their personal devices to the School’s WiFi network for leisure purposes. This means that if you already have such devices, then you can continue to use them in your House. But only “scheme” devices will be allowed in the classroom, with the exception mentioned above.
We are introducing the Digital Device Scheme for the start of academic year 2025/26. This 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 2025, parents of all pupils in Year Groups 9, 10 and Lower Sixth will be expected to use the Digital Device Scheme to lease a Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X-Plus). Parents of pupils in Year 11 and the Upper Sixth will have the option to use the device scheme. This would allow a Year 11 pupil who expected to stay at The Leys for the Sixth Form to have a single device for three years. For Upper Sixth pupils, the scheme can also provide value as the warranty and insurance elements can cover the use of the devices at University, for example.
From September 2026 we expect all pupils in Years 9 through to Upper Sixth to be using scheme devices exclusively in the classroom. The scheme will be extended to Years 7 and 8 as soon as suitable devices are available – this might be as soon as September 2026.
We are launching the Digital Device Scheme now to ensure parents of all affected year groups can sign up in a timely manner. The intention will be for all the new devices to be delivered to pupils during the first week of the Autumn Term 2025.
What is the Digital Device Scheme?
The Leys offers the Digital Device Scheme, supported by Class Technology and 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.
Devices
The school 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 impact of 1:1 device schemes
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. We are introducing the new Digital Device Scheme over two years. During academic year 2025/26, Years 7 and 8 will still have School iPads. In Years 9, 10 and Lower Sixth, participation in the new device scheme is required. In Years 11 and Upper Sixth participation in the new device scheme is optional for 2025/26 only; pupils in these year groups may continue to use a School iPad if they have one, or a BYOD device in Upper Sixth.
We permit pupils to use personal devices in their boarding house using a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) network. The School has never generally allowed BYOD devices in the classroom. Until now, there have been two exceptions: BYOD devices have been permitted as optional in the Sixth Form, and optional for pupils in the lower school with dispensation to use laptops in exams. We will remove these exceptions for Year Groups 9, 10 and Lower Sixth from the start of academic year 2025/26, and for all year groups from the start of academic year 2026/27.
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.
We spent a whole academic year (2022/23) considering the options. We tested about 10 different devices, including Chromebooks, laptops, 2-in1 (flip), 2-in-1 (detachable), and tablets. We reached out to many other schools to compare learning platforms, and device policies. Our conclusions were that we needed a 2-in-1 detachable device running Windows (to operate the Microsoft learning platform natively), with digital pen support, and most importantly, all-day battery life. None of the devices we tested matched this profile, and most of the feedback we had from other schools mentioned that battery life was a problem. We concluded that we would not change until the devices matched our performance requirements.
A new chipset is now available for such devices – the Qualcomm Snapdragon series. These chips share an architecture with those widely used in mobile phones, which is optimised for energy efficiency. We bought some Dell laptops with this chipset in 2024, and found the performance excellent – even under quite heavy load, one can get a full day of battery life from them. This chipset is now available in Microsoft Surface Pro 11, but not yet in any other similar products. We took an evaluation unit of the Surface Pro 11, and got positive feedback from a teacher, and from a pupil who used it for a week and wrote this report for us.
One more factor in our decision-making was that Easy4U have a mature business model, excellent references, and a high-level partnership with Microsoft (including being a registered repair centre). We had also concluded that we needed the offering to our parent community to be a high-quality Device-As-A-Service scheme.
With our transition to the Microsoft learning platform nearly complete, and suitable devices available, we decided that 2025 was the best time to launch the scheme. The reality, with this timing, is that the Snapdragon/Surface is the only device on the market which we are confident addresses all our requirements. As time goes by, other devices will come to market, and we will re-evaluate our offering each year. If competition drives the costs down, then you can be sure that we will take advantage of this and offer the best value devices in future.
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.
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