Remote learning: loaning IT equipment to pupils and staff

Find out how many devices you have and who needs one 

Check your asset register/inventory to find out how many laptops and/or tablets you've got available. (If you don't have many, you could ask for equipment donations in your local community.) 

Start with teaching staff 

Make sure they've got the equipment they need - if teachers don't have a computer they can use at home, they won't be able to do things like prepare online classes or set remote work.

Get staff to request a device by: 

• Sharing a Google sheet with them and asking them add their name to it, or
• If you're a small school, sending round an email asking staff to respond

Decide which pupils to prioritise 

After your staff are kitted up, decide which pupils to prioritise:

• Look at how many laptops and/or tablets you have available - if you've got a limited supply, you'll need to decide who gets a device on a case-by-case basis
• Focus on pupils who might not have access to devices at home, like those eligible for the pupil premium

Ask parents to request devices

Create an online request form or a survey using any tool you're comfortable with (e.g. Google Forms or SurveyMonkey). 

Put this form or survey on your school website, or send it out in an email to parents. Include a statement on exactly who is eligible to avoid confusion over which pupils have priority.  

Cornerstone Academy Trust has a form that covers: 

• Pupil's name 
• School name (have this if you're in a trust and you're collecting data centrally) 
• Year group 
• Parent's details - name, mobile number and email address 
• Whether the pupil has access to wifi 
• Whether the pupil has access to their school account passwords
• Agreement to terms and conditions 

Make sure staff and pupils sign a loan agreement 

This is so they take responsibility of the device and its proper use. 

You may already outline your rules on the proper use of devices in your ICT acceptable use policy. However, you should create a separate agreement for loans so you have a set of terms and conditions that are quick and easy to read. 

Staff and pupils should sign the loan agreement before they receive the device - so if you're sending devices home, make sure they've signed an electronic version of the loan agreement before you dispatch the items. (Scroll down to the last section for advice on distributing devices safely.)

Download and adapt our template loan agreement for staff and pupils

It's been approved by Forbes Solicitors and covers:

• Unacceptable use
• Personal use 
• Damage/loss 
• Data protection 
• Returning items 

IT equipment loan agreement DOC, 166.0 KB Download

See example loan agreements from schools

For staff 

• Blue Gate Fields Junior School, a primary maintained school in Tower Hamlets, has an ICT acceptable use agreement form (see its staff ICT security policy)
• Kind Edward VI Handsworth School, a secondary academy in Birmingham, has a staff laptop loan agreement
• Hindley High School, a secondary maintained school in Wigan, has a loan agreement for staff in its computer usage policy

For pupils 

• Rooks Heath College, a secondary academy in Harrow, has a pupil laptop agreement form (see Appendix B of its ICT policy)
• The Crypt School, a secondary academy in Gloucestershire, has an iPad loan agreement for pupils
• Cornerstone Academy Trust has an agreement for loaning devices to pupil

Lost, stolen or damaged equipment

Your school might charge parents and staff a fee for lost, stolen or damaged devices. However, be mindful that some parents (e.g. of pupils eligible for the pupil premium) might not be able to pay this fee. 

If you don't already have insurance covering the damage, loss or theft of the equipment outside your school grounds, consider using your pupil premium funding to do this. 

Or, use the funding to pay for replacements on a case-by-case basis. 

Remember to outline the precautions pupils need to take to protect their device, to minimise things getting lost.   

How to distribute the equipment 

If your school is open and staff/parents can collect the devices: 

• Appoint a staff member to administer the equipment 
• Specify a time and location where staff or parents can collect things
• Make soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitiser available to them when they arrive

If lots of people will be picking up devices:

• Stagger pick-up times so they're not all coming in at once (see our coronavirus health and safety checklist for more tips on adhering to government rules on social distancing) 
• If there’ll be a queue, set out 2-metre markers on the ground for them to stand on - use tape or cones
• Use courier delivery if you can, so staff and parents can avoid unnecessary contact

If your school is closed, use a courier to deliver the equipment

Record details of the loaned items: download our template 

Keep an equipment loan register. The staff responsible for administering the equipment should log the relevant information. 

Download our template record form for staff and pupils to keep on top of what equipment you've loaned out.

KeyDoc - equipment loan forms for staff and pupils DOC, 161.0 KB Download

Update your asset register with the name of the person responsible for the equipment. 

Keep a log of your coronavirus-related spending

The government is expected to issue guidance on how you'll be refunded for 'extraordinary costs' as a result of coronavirus. It's unclear whether this includes the cost of delivering laptops or tablets, but for now it's a good idea to just keep a record.