All schools in Northern Ireland received new laptops in 2008

all schools in NI received new laptops

All schools in Northern Ireland received brand new laptops before June 2008 under a programme rolled out by the Department of Education and C2k in conjunction with Northgate Education. Twenty thousand new laptops were provided to nursery, primary, post-primary and special schools under the C2k Managed Service Laptop Option.

The C2k Managed Service Laptop Option provides schools with notebooks and carrying cases. It is up to each school to decide how to use their allocated laptops. They can be used by teachers for their own school work or used as an additional classroom computer. Therefore, schools can ensure that their teachers are provided with high level access to ICT at school and home.

The programme provided software, including titles from a bank of 250 curriculum resources, as well as Windows XP and access to the Management Information System in the school. Northgate Education provided the laptops as part of their ICT Managed service to all schools in NI ensuring hardware and software are operating at maximum efficiency. The ICT specialist provider’s helpdesk ensures schools have all of the access and support they need until November 2011.

Grove Primary in Belfast was one of the first schools to receive the new laptops. Susan Mitchell, ICT Co-ordinator at Grove Primary, took delivery of six new Dell notebooks May and was ecstatic about the flexibility and improved efficiency that followed as a result. “The introduction of the laptops has meant that now teachers can access school files at home, allowing them to download forms which are essential for the tracking the progress of pupils. It also enables teachers to access the intranet from home and upload files to print off at school. This enables teachers to keep their pupils up-to-date with news and events as they happen.”

Mary Kane, C2k Implementation Manager explained, “This is a pioneering project by the Department of Education to provide 20,000 laptops to nursery, primary, post-primary, and special schools. We are confident that this huge investment will increase the pace at which ICT is being embedded in schools and will provide teachers with flexible and secure access to their school work.”

Becta ISP accreditation for C2k

C2k was awarded full accreditation by Becta for the quality of its schools’ internet service provision in 2009. C2k is working towards renewing the accreditation for 2010.

The Becta Internet Service Provider accreditation means that all pupils and teachers in NI's primary and secondary schools can be assured that the internet services provided by C2k meet required guidelines. C2k’s internet service is constantly monitored to ensure that children and teachers in NI are protected against offensive emails and web site content. More..