Bring Your Own Device

No.  Our vision is for PGS pupils and teachers to use technology in a blended learning environment, complementing existing teaching styles by using mobile devices to enhance and in some cases transform pupils’ learning experiences. We continue to value the importance of ensuring that all our pupils, without exception, are able to read and write fluently and are fully numerate. We see mobile technology as an additional tool to continue to enhance opportunities for pupils to excel in these areas. 

We want to give our pupils the life skills and understanding to be ahead of others in terms of employability and optimum working practices, we recognise that mobile technology will play an important role in this.   

Pupils at PGS need to leave the School confident that they can safely navigate the wider world in which they live and will work. Universities and businesses are expecting students and employees to be digitally literate and have a high awareness of their personal digital footprint. 

If pupils have their own device it means that they take ownership of the device and look after it, learn how to use it effectively and develop appropriate skills in its usage.  Class sets of devices have proved to be helpful in developing teacher skills, but they have also proved – at PGS and at other schools – to be less effective than personal ownership. Class sets also pose several problems as pupils are required to spend time personalising their logins to email and apps at the start of each lesson. This makes what should be a rapid process both time-consuming and problematic when transferring work and data.   

The key difference between a smart phone and a tablet / laptop is that the former connects to the world wide web through a mobile phone network which cannot be filtered by the school. As a result, pupils’ social devices, should not be used during the school day. The school has a clearly established policy for mobile phone use whilst pupils are at school. 

The school’s ICT Department labels school devices with stick on security labels to identify school property, we advise parents to do the same or similar.

We want BYOD to be an inclusive scheme and hope that no child will be excluded from the programme because of their financial circumstances. If parents would like to discuss the possibility of assistance, they should contact the Bursar directly. 

This will disadvantage the learner and be treated in the same way as not having any other item of required equipment – such as exercise or textbooks – through the Sanctions and Rewards Policy.  However, the school can charge most devices in the ICT Services department.  

Developing a good routine for storing and backing up work is a valuable lesson to learn and, as these are personal devices, it will be the responsibility of the individual to back up data. 

While pupils must learn to bear a large portion of the responsibility and look after their mobile device, we recommend that all mobile devices should be kept in locked lockers when not required for lessons.  In addition to this, pupils can implement some simple measures such as setting a passcode on the device, setting up an app such as Find My, or equivalent, and ensuring that the device is clearly identifiable both on the case and on the unlock screen.  Some suppliers can provide security marking which permanently attaches ownership credentials to a device. We also strongly encourage all families to take out an appropriate insurance policy for the mobile device. 

Many pupils currently carry valuable smart phones to school and are not under threat because of this. We would recommend that pupils follow the same sensible precautions for personal safety as they would do at any other time. 

While parents will be responsible for organising the repair or replacement of damaged or lost devices, the school will have some devices available for short-term loan, during the time pupils are without a device. Pupils will be responsible for damage to a device loaned to them by the school. 

Individual pupils are responsible for their own devices and should ensure that they always take care of them. The normal disciplinary procedures apply in the event of damage to another pupil’s property.

All pupils have a personal locker and must use these secure storage locations as and when appropriate. During PE and games lessons lockers have been provided with a £1 deposit mechanism both at Hilsea Playing Fields and in the Sports Hall, and we would encourage pupils to share responsibility with each other to lock valuables away during PE and Games lessons. 

We recommend that you allow use of the mobile device in open and visible parts of the house only, not bedrooms. Establishing a routine where the device is checked by parents frequently is also a good idea.   

We would also recommend you register the device with SchoolsMobile to aid online safety.

Any issues with the device should be reported to the manufacturer, or the supplier from which the device was purchased. Unfortunately, the school cannot arrange this.