When the COVID-19 crisis required schools across the country to close, children were sent home to continue their learning. Teachers took their classrooms online but the lack of access to suitable technology made remote learning extremely difficult, if not almost impossible, for some. This created a clear divide between the children with access to digital technology and those without. Seeing this gap, Chubb launched its Laptops for Schools initiative; to give those pupils without access to digital technology equal opportunity to continue their education.
Opportunity To Help
The response from headteachers was incredibly positive and the Laptops for Schools initiative began to develop “As many of our people are parents or caregivers themselves, they could see first hand how essential laptops are to pupils of all ages during this difficult time,” said Jeremy Williams, Digital Technology Director, Chubb. “As a business, we could see there was an opportunity for us to help.”
Chubb contacted the charity Business2Schools which facilitated connections to local schools in need of support. The response from headteachers was incredibly positive and the Laptops for Schools initiative began to develop.
Recurring Initiative
“We looked around the business and identified many laptops that were ‘end-of-life’ for business purposes, yet to a school or an individual child or parent these devices could be a lifeline to enable home learning,” Williams added. To date, Chubb has delivered 20 laptops and plans to widen the project to become an established, recurring initiative.
“So many of our children are lacking adequate access to devices, which have been crucial during these difficult past twelve months,” said Catherine Clayton-Young, Headteacher at Griffin Park Primary School. “Knowing that local businesses in our community such as Chubb can help to support us in ensuring that every child has access to a device, and therefore, will not be missing out on vital learning has been wonderful. This has been a real positive for us all and a massive help to the families of these children.”
