Chromebooks are simple, secure and safe devices that students can use to learn, explore, create and collaborate on with their teachers and their peers. We believe Chromebooks can make learning more effective and engaging and will enable our pupils to become well informed, responsible digital citizens and lifelong learners.  Chromebooks have an amazing potential to change the way students and teachers interact and learn. 

In order to both ensure equity of experience and to achieve the economies of scale with a manufacturer which make this scheme most affordable, we have selected the most appropriate device for students.

Yes, very seriously. We believe that iPads are great tools for consuming media but they are not as good for creating content and allowing our pupils to work collaboratively. Whilst the range of applications available on iPads and Android is vast, many of the resources that teachers currently use in IT Suites would not be available. We also looked at traditional Windows, Mac and Linux laptops. Although these devices are indeed more powerful they are also more complex, more expensive and have poorer battery lifetimes. The simplicity of the Chromebook overcomes these barriers so that the focus will be on learning 

No, students will only use devices when the teacher deems them beneficial to teaching and learning. This could be for a small portion of the lesson, e.g to check their learning using a low stakes quiz, or for longer periods when undertaking extended tasks, e.g a collaborative piece of extended writing or not at all. The ability to access a device in any lesson as a creative, research and/or formative assessment tool will open up new possibilities for both teachers and students.  

Writing is still an important skill and note-taking and extended writing can still be done alone or in combination with technology. The device can become a research tool and doesn't need to always be a recording tool. Where notes require images, videos and audio, devices and third-party apps can complement handwritten notes. Digital skills, including typing, are also essential skills for students' next steps and in the workplace. Many students, particularly those with SEND have found the ability to re-write and type to be less constraining. They can also make use of accessibility features such as talk to type and audio notes. 

No. We recommend Chromebooks as our choice of device for those interested in buying a device because of their value, longevity, and compatibility with Google Workspace applications and Google accounts. We believe that a Chromebook supports your child’s learning beyond the classroom and as we have seen more than ever over the past few years  With our digital strategy embedded into our school ethos and curriculum, students and teachers have been making use of all the benefits that working in the cloud has afforded us.

Over the past 4 years, teachers' expertise has been growing throughout this time through regular training events and shared professional learning relationships. We have a specialist team of Google Teacher Trainers who are being given additional support and developing their practice so that they can help other teachers they work alongside. We will be continuing to focus on the use of Chromebooks in the regular staff training at Ricards Lodge High School.

If you have not bought a Chromebook yet but are interested, we strongly recommend buying one via the school as they can use this device inside and outside of school. As Chromebooks are managed by our IT admin team via a management license to ensure adequate safeguarding software and protection is applied, home devices cannot be brought into school. If you already have a Chromebook you may wish for your child to use the day-loan facility whilst on site.

No. These may not be fully compatible with the Google Apps and add-ons that we will be using for teaching and learning. Also, the battery may not last on a single charge, the device may not boot up within 8 seconds, and the device will not be managed by the school. Technicians and teachers will not be able to spend time on lots of different, individual devices. 

Yes, your child should treat the Chromebook as their own when at home. A big part of the success of this scheme will rely on pupils valuing the Chromebook as part of their wider life and therefore taking care of it, charging it and bringing it to school every day. Storage space is provided via the Google domain that Ricards Lodge High School owns and will be unlimited so pupils can store unlimited files and still have ample space for school-provided apps and content. However, pupils who use the school domain to store personal files will need to remember to move them to a personal account before leaving the school.  The device will remain school managed which will mean any non-education apps will need to be approved by the school before installation can occur. 

We will be maintaining our investment in the IT suites which run specialist software including our suites for Media, Technology and Music. Ricards Lodge High School recognises the importance of IT facilities and continues to invest significantly in this area to maintain an infrastructure that allows pupils to access high-quality resources to support their learning. Our Chromebook scheme will allow pupils to access online services in every lesson across their timetable. 

Ricards Lodge IT Support Service will be able to help resolve many technical issues but one of the major advantages of the Chromebook is that it rarely goes wrong. We are going to be running a weekly Chromebook surgery for pupils to come to with any problems or questions they have. Initially, this will be run by staff but we will also have a student Digital leadership scheme, and our students will be trained to help others. 

If you buy a Chromebook through the programme it comes with an extended   3-year manufacturing warranty. The warranty will not extend to any repairs or replacement of parts found to be damaged due to accidental damage, negligent or careless use, incorrect maintenance work or work carried out by unauthorised third parties. We recommend ensuring that your Chromebook is insured via your household insurance policy. 

Any Chromebook that is being bought through us will belong to Ricards Lodge High School until the full payment is received. Please contact us at digital@ricardslodge.merton.sch.uk if you are having any issues with payments.

Yes. It is likely that students will be using the devices on a daily basis and must ensure they bring their Chromebook to school just like they would their exercise books and pencil case. The Chromebook for learning programme is there to provide students with a suitable, working device that can give them access to their schoolwork and resources inside and outside of school. 

Thefts of devices to and from school are very rare and for most schools running a one-one programme have been non-existent. However, it is sensible to reduce the risk of theft through some common-sense measures; pupils should keep their Chromebook in their bag on the way to and from school, both for road safety and crime prevention reasons. This is advisable if travelling by bus or on foot.

Ricards Lodge High School has a very effective web filtering system and all devices attached to our network go through this web filter. Ricards Lodge High School will be actively monitoring students’ Chromebooks while in school. We will be able to look at web filter logs should an issue become apparent. Students are already taught the importance of Online Safety through PSHE, Computer Science lessons, across the wider curriculum and assemblies.

Students, with the support of their parents, will be required to sign up to a set of ‘Chromebook Rules’ which set out some simple rules to make things go smoothly. Some of the rules concern management (e.g. “I will bring the Chromebook to school every day, charged”) and some will be about classroom behaviour (e.g. “I will stop using the Chromebook when my teacher asks me to”), with the overall intention of creating a way of operating that all students, parents and staff understand and agree with. 

Connect to your home wifi when prompted just like you would with any other device. Your child can then log in with the username they use at school. They may need to add the email address if it does not appear automatically.

For example, Username: 6789@apps.ricardslodge.merton.sch.uk

Password: This will be the same password that your child uses for their School Google for Education account

Please follow this link for instructions on how to print:

https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/7225252?hl=en-GB

No. There is no expectation for you to print from home for the school. Staff have been trained on how to use Google Classroom, our virtual learning environment, and other online systems for the submission of work online and most will use this. Some subjects may still require a printout occasionally as evidence for work, particularly some controlled assessments in Key Stage 4. However, your child can print any work they have done at home on the printers in school using the PCs in the ICT Suites

They can all be accessed through the school managed in built apps on the Chromebooks links on Classroom pages, or bookmarks that students can set up. Many sites will allow students to log in using their school Google account. If the site requires a separate log in this can be saved in the browsers password vault for ease of access.

Chromebooks use the Chrome Operating System and you can find a lot of support in the playlist below on how to use the Chromebooks and Google Workspace for Education apps such as Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive and more.

Tech Toolkit for Families and Guardians

Google Junior Training Series

There are some restrictions when using your school account. However, you can sign in with any Google account and install apps or visit websites unrestricted. For parental peace of mind, we are including LGfL homeprotect (or equivalent) web filtering in addition to safeguarding software. 

Additional restrictions can be applied through your overall home internet connection by your internet service provider. The settings can usually be found under parent controls. 

Yes. The Chromebook is always backed up, our students have unlimited storage space in the Google Cloud. This is already set up and associated with their Ricards Lodge High School email address.

If you have purchased a device before June 2023:

If you have purchased the device outright the school will be able to de-provision the device for you and it will then be useable with a personal account. 

If you have paid by instalments you will have the choice to pay the remaining balance and keep the device, which will then be de-provisioned as described above, or return the device to the school and make no further payments. You will not be able to access a refund for any monies already paid and the school does not refund/purchase used devices back from parents. 

In certain cases, you may not have yet received the device, in which case the order can be cancelled and a full refund received. 

If you have purchased a device after July 2023:

• Under the Consumer Rights Act, you have an automatic 14-day cooling-off period. This allows you time to inspect the device and contact the school if you would like a refund. 

• You will then have a further 14 days to return the item to the school. The device must be ‘unused’ to receive a full refund. It does not have to be in its original packaging.  If the device has been used the school retains the right to deduct money from a refund.

• If you have paid a deposit for the device, it remains the property of the school until the final payment is made. Please inform the school of your request for a refund within 14 days. You will then have a further 14 days to return the item to the school. The device must be ‘unused’ to receive a full refund of your deposit. It does not have to be in its original packaging.  If the device has been used the school retains the right to deduct money from the deposit. 

If your child is leaving the school after 14 days you have two options:

1. If you have purchased the device outright the school will be able to de-provision the device for you and it will then be useable with a personal account. 

2. If you have paid by instalments you will have the choice to pay the remaining balance and keep the device, which will then be de-provisioned as described above, or return the device to the school and make no further payments. You will not be able to access a refund for any monies already paid and the school does not refund/purchase used devices from parents. 

Your child’s Ricards Lodge School email account is in fact a Google account and will be used when they are in school. The school will use management software to enable us to distribute apps to any Chromebook registered with it and effectively will ‘gift’ the app to the device. Only apps appropriate for teaching and learning will be distributed.

​The ​data is the property of Ricards Lodge High School –  Goggle for Education customers own their own data, not Google. Google offers customers a detailed data processing amendment that describes our commitment to protecting your data: https://www.google.com/intx/en/work/apps/terms/dpa_terms.html

As a school we are following DfE and ICO advice in this area and are fully compliant with the Data Protection Act: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cloud-software-services-and-the-data-protection-act

Google does store and log information but this data is encrypted in transmission and at rest, at the same time Google have a contract that says they do not share the data. http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/terms/education_terms.html

If you have any further questions on privacy please contact Mr S Green, Assistant Headteacher via the main school office or by email at digital@ricardslodge.merton.sch.uk