The Dearne High: A Specialist humanities college

Home Agreement for the Dearne High College’s ‘Computers For Pupils’ programme in conjunction with Barnsley LA and the DfES.

Click to down load the Agreement PDf Word

Dearne High and the Fujitsu Lifebook p1610                                                                                                   

Using mobile technology brings learning right into the 21st century.  We also believe that it will help to strengthen the ever-growing power of combining learning at home with learning at College.

We are grateful for our partnership work with Insight/Fujitsu in providing hardware and connectivity options at heavily subsidised rates.  Their support meant we could provide the very portable and diverse learning device that our students wanted.

HOME-SCHOOL AGREEMENT

To help ensure that e-learning is a big success at the Dearne Highand that we get maximum value from our joint investment in your children, we invite you to commit to the principles outlined in this agreement.  As a College we are prepared to provide all the back-up and resources needed to make this work, but in return we also need the co-operation of parents and pupils.

As you read through this booklet you will see a summary of the e-learning commitment that the College is making to the pupils and to you as parents.  It also outlines the commitment that will be needed from the home, and from the children themselves, to make this work.

When you have read these sections we ask you and your child to sign the agreement and return it to College.  This will help to ensure that we are all working together to achieve success.

• Provide a UMPC (ultra mobile personal computer) for your child for the length of the programme
• Fully encourage your child to use it for learning rather than leisure activities
• Support your child in loading up quality and appropriately challenging learning materials
• Ensure that only your child uses their specified model whilst they have it in College.  (It is identifiable by a serial number.)
• Provide opportunities for your child to ‘talk about and show’ their use of the UMPC’s to their assigned IMPACT tutor.
• Make sure that the UMPC is working and that repairs are dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible
• Monitor use of the UMPC’s regularly and work with internet providers to ensure students don’t load illegal or copyrighted materials.
• Make sure that the UMPC is covered by insurance for use in and out of school for study purposes, providing reasonable care is taken to prevent loss or damage
• Ensure that the UMPC is protected against viruses
• Give parents and learners a proper induction to using and caring for the UMPC and the software

AT HOME WE WILL…

• Ensure that our child understands how to care for and protect their UMPC
• Support and guide my child in the use of the UMPC for learning rather than leisure activities
• Find some opportunities for combined parent/child learning
• Report any loss or damage (including accidental loss or damage) immediately to Mr Child
• Report any faults in hardware or software promptly to Mr Child
• Ensure that the UMPC is returned either at the end of the year, or if the pupil leaves The Dearne High for whatever reason before then, or at any other time upon the request of a member of staff
• Make sure the UMPC is not used for any illegal and/or anti-social purpose, including access to inappropriate internet sites and chat rooms or the downloading of copyrighted materials
• Make sure that programmes other than those provided by the College are not loaded without prior permission.  We understand programmes loaded without permission will be removed.

• Use my UMPC regularly to improve the progress of my learning
• Use it discreetly in lessons and only when the teacher of the lesson thinks it is appropriate to do so.
• Look after my UMPC very carefully all of the time and ensure that I am the only person who uses it
• Bring it to College on the specified days and talk to my IMPACT tutor about how I am using it 
• Make sure it is kept in the proper bag at all times, except when I have signed permission to store it with Learning Mentors or ICT staff
• Take care when it is transported that it is as secure as possible (e.g. not visible in a vehicle; not left unattended on a bus or in a car)
• Make sure the UMPC is not subject to careless or malicious damage (e.g. as a result of horseplay)
• Take reasonable precautions to prevent the introduction of UMPC viruses. If in any doubt whether a virus has contaminated the UMPC, I will report it straight away to either Mr Brear or Mr Burns.
• Not decorate or customise the UMPC, or its case and not allow it to be subject to graffiti

       + photo of yourself.

Using State of The Art Equipment

Our College is highly privileged to be able to loan UMPC’s with a range of e-learning tools and tablet functionality to over 70 students throughout their life at this College.  Our ‘UMPCs For Pupils’ project will give learners the opportunity to learn at their own pace and for learning to be more structured and effective at home.  We believe it will give every learner the opportunity to progress faster, particularly with the active support and guidance of parents.

Terms And Conditions

Failure either to take reasonable care or to abide by any of the conditions listed in this document may result in the UMPC being reclaimed. 

The UMPC must not be connected to the internet by any other method than the one the College/LA have agreed to provide.

Your UMPC (ultra portable personal UMPC) must be charged at home overnight. 

The Dearne High can not accept responsibility for the electricity costs, neither can it guarantee facilities to charge UMPC’s during College hours.