FAQ
Frequently asked question: “If I am going to buy an IT device for my child, what should I get?”
One of the many questions that I and many other staff are asked is: “If I am going to buy an IT device for my son or daughter what should I get?” so I thought it might be helpful to tell you what we think would work best for your child whilst they are in the senior school at Sidcot. This is only our suggestion and you are, of course, free to choose any Microsoft Windows device you think will be the best for them. Currently all students from J6 upwards require a mobile device running Microsoft Windows 10 upwards.
In addition the minimum set of features we would recommend for a device to be used for school work are:
- 10” screen or larger
- Must be able to use a stylus (We can provide a Microsoft Pen for £20)
- Can use a Keyboard
- Be able to run Microsoft Teams (video and audio), Word, PowerPoint, Excel and One Note
- Must be a Microsoft Windows based device - other operating systems may work but aren't supported by our IT department and teaching staff may not be familiar with their use.
- Does not have 4G/5G
The product that fits this specification and one that we would recommend you take a look at is either the Microsoft Surface Go or the Microsoft Surface Pro. These devices are excellent and in the long term good value for money, as they will last at least 4 years if not longer. They will integrate well in the school systems and have enough ‘power’ to achieve nearly everything you can throw at them for school. The only exception would be high end video editing, photo editing or CAD/CAM in KS4/5 where you will require at least an i7 processor and 16/32GB RAM.
Some other devices which would also work well are:
Up to £500
- Microsoft Surface Go 3 (doesn't include stylus or Microsoft type keyboard)
- ASUS Vivobook Flip
- Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i 10
£500-£700
- Surface Go Intel @core - good for Y9 and below
- HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0015na Convertible Laptop 2020 Edition Core™ i3
- Dell Inspiron 14/15 2-in-1
£850++
- Acer Spin 3 Convertible
- ASUS Zenbook Flip
- Surface Pro 9 (i5, 256GB SSD, 16GB RAM) - ideal for Yr 10 upwards (doesn't include Microsoft type keyboard or stylus)
Not recommended or supported by the School \ IT Team
Chrome Books: Limited usability, will not easily work with existing school systems and currently it has no stylus support. Runs the Android App version of the Office Suite which can cause problems when sharing files amongst the different operating systems. Therefore we do not recommend these devices.
iPads: These are good devices in general (iPad 2019 on wards and iPad pro), however there are some limitations within the apps for office which you should consider before purchasing. Therefore we do not recommend these devices. Apple devices have had some issues with our school wifi system.
MacOS: e.g. Mac Book Pro. Even though these are nice devices, they do not natively allow a stylus input and we have found students are not good at carrying the extra accessories to allow this to work. Therefore we do not recommend these devices. Apple devices have had some issues with the school wifi system.
Please note: It is really important the device has a stylus input and we strongly advise that it is a Microsoft Windows based device as this will work best with the school systems (Microsoft 365) and both our IT Team and Teaching Staff are familiar with their use.
How does this fit with the school learning wheel?
Communicating: Rich two way communication between peers and staff, with the ability to type and hand write; as well as long established methods like email etc.
Practical learning: Your child can record their own video for later learning or use software to experiment with how to improve their learning.
Researching: Your child will have the biggest amount of research data at their fingertips. It will allow them to ask questions, view different opinions and teach them how to sift through what is real and fake.
Collaborating: There are many collaboration tools e.g. Skype, OneNote, and Firefly to name a few. Teachers, peers and your child will be able to collaborate on classwork & prep work.
Self-Management: Your child having their own device in school and ensuring it is ready for use when needed e.g. ensuring it is charged, is a self-managing lesson in its own right.
Thinking Skills: The device will allow your child to think differently, solve problems, see possible connections and help with forming logical conclusions.
Digital Citizenship: A focus of this initiative is digital citizenship, which is the responsible use of technology. Your child will learn digital skills, ethics, etiquette, and online safety. These are important aspects of participating in today’s world.
If you have any questions please feel free to email byod@sidcot.org.uk