About
The Learning Foundation is an independent registered charity dedicated to helping children achieve their full potential.
Here you will find full details of our beliefs, our strategy and our people.
Our services
Our services
The Learning Foundation is an independent registered charity dedicated to helping children achieve their full potential. Here you will find full details of our beliefs, our strategy and our people.
As a Charity, we manage money for schools and parents. It is important therefore that you are completely comfortable with our financial position. Here you will find our last three years accounts to support your confidence.
Media contact point
Media contact point
In order to provide the media with quick access to our views on key issues as they break, we endeavor to provide the media with bite sized publishable statements that can be lifted from our site and used as required.
Community
Our relationships with organisations and individuals in the education, technology and charity sectors are very important to us.
Who we are
Who we are
Find out more about the teams that run the Learning Foundation, our Regional CHampion Schools and our relationships with other organisations.
Our blog
Our blog
Keep in touch with our thoughts, ideas and observations by following our blog.
e-Newsletter
e-Newsletter
We hope you will welcome our informative newsletter that will be published once each term. Our plan is to provide you with all of the latest news about funding and technical developments combined with case studies and news from schools around the UK and from other countries.
Get involved
Get involved
The Learning Foundation is an independent registered charity dedicated to helping children achieve their full potential. Here you will find full details of our beliefs, our strategy and our people.
Activities
Information about our events taking place in the educational market and particularly those run by ourselves and our Regional Champion Schools.
Tech in Education Events
Tech in Education Events
There are an increasing number of conferences and exhibitions that take place in the educational field that are looking specifically at the use of technology in teaching and learning. We have tried to consolidate them all together here for your convenience.
Regional Champion Events
Regional Champion Events
The Learning Foundation has a number of Regional Champion Schools around the country which, from time to time, run open days where other school leaders, teachers and parents have the opportunity to see and hear about all aspects of setting up, running and managing a successful 1:1 programme.
There are many events that take place in the educational field that may not be related to the use of technology in education but may well still be of interest to our visitors. With that in mind we try to list as many of the primary events here for your convenience.
Our conferences
Our conferences
From time to time we organise our own conferences allowing us to provide very specific content in line with our mission and the help and support we can offer. Here you will find information about any future conferences planned.
Our Projects
Our Projects
In addition to our primary activity we also undertake a number of special projects. Some of these we initiate ourselves and these may last from a few weeks to a few years while other pieces of work involve working as partners on projects initiated by others.
Schools
Whatever stage you are at, here you will find a wealth of information to advise and guide you through the process of establishing a 1:1 programme in your school.
In order for you to be inspired to take the idea forward you need to be convinced that the effort it will take will be worthwhile. We have pulled together the latest and most powerful research to demonstrate this and combined it along with real case studies of schools that have already been on the journey.
How can I make it happen?
How can I make it happen?
Now you are ready to progress you need to understand all the hurdles and pitfalls - it will be time well spent!
Toolkit
Toolkit
This is a very comprehensive toolkit covering all of the issues, challenges and barriers to success that you might meet on your journey to launching a fully inclusive and sustainable 1:1 programme.
Our donation services
Our donation services
Once you launch there are a number of services that we can offer to make the administration of your programme smooth and painless.
Directory
Directory
We have brought together a list of companies that we believe are familiar with the particular needs of schools and education. This is not an endorsement or recommendation, simply a way of saving you some time.
Parents
If you are a parent involved in a 1:1 programme at your child's school - or you would like to encourage your school to launch one - then this section will explain how how our programmes work, demistify some of the terminology and show you how you can get involved.
Why parents are so important
Why parents are so important
Of course, as parents, you'll know that your influence, support and love for your child will all play a really important part in how your child grows, learns and interacts with others and the world around them. One aspect of your role which is sometimes not so clear is how you support your child with their learning and especially when they are at school.
What we do
What we do
The role the Learning Foundation plays is not always understood by parents as we tend to work in the background and more closely with schools than parents. Here we hope to de-mystify our role and how we help.
How technology helps learning
How technology helps learning
Until recently it was strange that teachers and pupils alike tended to leave the technology-enabled lives behind them as they entered the classroom. But now, increasingly schools and educators are seeing and realising the benefits that technology in all its forms can add to the learning experience and to child and school development and management too.
Understanding Gift Aid
Understanding Gift Aid
If you are a UK tax payer then by signing a Gift Aid declaration you will enable us to add 25% onto the value of your contribution. This helps the school with the administration cost of the programme and ensures that every penny you donate can go towards your children’s learning programme rather than pay for overheads.
Understanding Direct Debits
Understanding Direct Debits
More than half of all UK bill payers now pay by Direct Debit because it has so many advantages. So what exactly is Direct Debit?
Safety & Security
Safety & Security
Safety in relation to children having a device to use at home and in school includes a three key areas:- (1) Safety online, (2) Physical safety of the child when they are carrying it around and (3) the protection of the device from damage. This section covers these key areas.
How we protect your data
How we protect your data
Misuse of personal information by some charities and other organisations has recently become an area of considerable concern, and rightly so. Here we explain what we do to protect the personal information we hold for donors.
Encourage your school
Encourage your school
If you want to encourage your child’s school to look at running a 1:1 programme then read on...
Useful Info for parents
Useful Info for parents
Here you will find lots of helpful information including:- common questions we receive, other websites to visit and our App of the Month feature for iPad & Android tablets.
Techknowledge For Schools has been a like-minded charity for the last two or three years and has put a lot of energy into compiling valuable research and case studies during which time the work they have produced represents a valuable resource that we are very happy to share here. Below you will find the Techknowledge Case Studies; some of these overlap with our own but, as they have taken a different approach with their studies and undertaken these at different times, we felt that there was value in showing both perspectives.
The Techknowledge Case Studies…
Alec Hunter Academy
Case study undertaken: August 2013 Location: Braintree, Essex Headteacher: Trevor Lawn
Assistant Head Teacher: Hamish Birley
When smart tablets were introduced, Carter Community School aimed to supply equal access to the Internet for their students as well as providing all of the benefits of a mobile technology platform. This case study shows how their goals were achieved and what the effects were for parents and pupils alike.
Mobile devices were introduced at Carter Community School to ensure students had equal access to the Internet and the benefits of mobile technology. The school wanted students to learn more independently, and to develop problem-solving skills. They also thought that the portability of mobile devices would result in greater collaboration.
These devices were indispensable in achieving their goals. But they also led to parents becoming more involved with their children’s learning, taking a more active role in their education.
Read the case study for more information:
Cedars School of Excellence
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Greenock, Renfrewshire
Head of Computing and IT: Fraser Speirs
Cedars School of Excellence gave iPads to students to ensure that the education that they offer is relevant in a world where technology is becoming increasingly accessible.
The school noticed benefits almost immediately: motivation increased since students had more options in their learning. Features such as the camera and microphone, in particular, enabled creative teaching and learning. Teachers noted not only that the devices were easy and quick to use, but that tablet technology provided better software than laptops.
Read the case study for more information:
Chiswick School
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: London
Headteacher: Anthony Ryan
Chiswick School introduced iPad Mini and Nexus 7 tablets to students, to support independent learning and problem-solving as well prepare them for the digital age. They found students collaborating much more and creating learning environments from previously empty spaces. Find out what learning benefits were uncovered!
The student body at this West London school is diverse, with pupils from both affluent families and socially deprived areas. Many are SEN students, and half speak English as a second language. Given this diversity, the school wanted to ensure that all 1200 students had equal access to the Internet and its vast resources.
The school introduced mobile tablet devices, one for every student and found impressive improvements in a number of areas, including independent research and problem-solving (particularly in Maths). Head Teacher Tony Ryan wrote about the school’s vision for 1:1 mobile learning and its benefits here.
Nexus 7 and iPad Mini tablets were given to children students from years 5-6 to prepare them for the digital age, and support independent learning and problem-solving. They weren’t disappointed – students found themselves collaborating much more, and empty spaces suddenly became potential learning spaces. The time invested in convincing teachers and stakeholders really paid off in terms of learning benefits.
Read the case study for more information:
Cramlington Learning Village
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Cramlington, Northumberland
Principal: Rob Davies (now Wendy Heslop)
Cramlington Learning Village set out to encourage independent learning and create more digital learning content. On introducing mobile devices, they realised these benefits and more.
Peer-to-peer communication increased since students found it much easier to communicate and collaborate with personal devices.
Students were also more engaged with subjects, mainly because lessons could be structured more flexibly as teachers were able to customise content. Students could also move around and use different spaces for learning. Feedback became more relevant: teachers had immediate access to student work and could provide guidance and correction that students could act on immediately. Read the case study to find out more.
Dixons City Academy
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Bradford
Principal: Shirley Watson
Head of ICT Strategy:Tait Coles ICT Strategy:Daniel Ibbitson
Dixons City Academy introduced tablets to ensure that students had equal access to the Internet, and to support independent learning. They also wanted students and staff to understand how technology impacts learning through being involved with this research project.
"We are trying to make it as organic as possible and also need-related. We have student leaders and I hope they will become the real champions, as well as an action group of real enthusiasts”
Perhaps the biggest benefit was the ability to offer more flexible teaching: teachers simply had more options in the kind of materials they could use or customise. This meant that they could tailor teaching to student needs. Other benefits included increased motivation and more independent learning.
Read the case study for more information:
ESSA Academy
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Bolton, Lancashire
Director: Abdul Chohan
Director: Andy Peet
ESSA Academy was really keen to encourage independent learning and problem-solving and found that personal mobile devices exceeded their expectations. Students were much more motivated and engaged, and their devices made it easier to communicate with their peers and teachers.
"Pupil engagement, and their access to learning and the ability to ask questions whenever students need to, as well as cost savings on traditional resources”
Students could also more easily access educational material such as e-books and reference tools, and as all students had the same device, everyone had the same opportunity to use this content.
Read the case study for more information:
Greenford High School
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Ealing, London
Assistant Head Teacher: Paul Nock
The introduction of mobile tablets gave every student access to a more active and engaging learning environment. Motivation, collaboration and problem-solving were increased and pupils adapted to their new technology in innovative ways. Find out what what was uncovered in their case study.
"A noticeable increase in independent studies, collaboration, motivation and engagement”
Before the introduction of mobile tablet devices at Greenford High, the computer-to-pupil ratio was 1:2. After the project began every student had access to their own personal device, allowing a greater opportunity for active and engaged learning.
With over 2,000 students, staff were extremely pleased to find a noticeable increase in independent learning, motivation, collaboration, and problem-solving. Students initially used their devices extensively for online research but went on to discover more educational and innovative ways to use their tablets.
Read the case study for more information:
Harrogate Grammar School
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Harrogate,West Riding of Yorkshire
Assistant Head Teacher: Katie Nicholson
"Much of the best CPD has occurred in an informal way between teachers or between teachers and students”
Harrogate Grammar School wanted to see how iPads prepared students for working in a digital age. The school leadership had specifically wanted to improve feedback and mobile devices had a positive impact on this aspect of teaching.
The 1:1 nature and mobility of tablet devices made feedback faster and more effective: teachers could provide on-the-spot personalised feedback. The school also noted that students were more engaged and creative, collaborating more yet learning independently as well.
Read the case study for more information:
Honywood Community Science School
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Coggeshall, Essex
Headteacher: Simon Mason
Acting Assistant Head Teacher: Louisa Sanderson
Honywood gave iPads to Year 7 mainly to enable independent learning, self-led research, and problem-solving. Their remarkable success points to the value of having a strong learning ethos in place beforehand, and taking time to provide training and set up a good infrastructure. Check out the results of their project to find out what they achieved!
Read the case study for more information:
Hove Park School
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Hove, East Sussex
Headteacher: Derek Trimmer
iPads were introduced to ensure that all students had equal access to the Internet, and to help them become "21st-century learners" using mobile tablet technology.
Read the case study for more information:
Longfield Academy
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Longfield, Kent
Principal: Anne Davis
The school leadership at Longfield Academy introduced iPads for a number of reasons. They wanted to avoid the cost of PC suites and thought personal devices would support anytime, anywhere learning and enable independent research and problem-solving.
"It fits with students’ lifestyles and abilities; they already have this technology in their pocket”
The “cool” factor of mobile devices meant that students were more motivated. Communication increased, allowing teachers to provide continuous feedback. Perhaps most importantly, mobile devices provided alternative forms of communication for SEN students: teachers could differentiate between learners and provide different problem-solving options.
Read the case study for more information:
Mounts Bay Academy
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Penzance, Cornwall
Principal: Sara Davey
Vice-Principal: Les Hall
Mounts Bay Academy had ambitions to transform learning and enable development of the curriculum, and saw mobile devices as a way to do so.
"I did not imagine the cultural transformation between parents and staff. It provides access via email and increases access to the website”
Once they were introduced, Mounts Bay saw an increase in the speed and ease of carrying out everyday tasks, in addition to improved communication and engagement. There were also significant benefits for SEN students with regard to reading, writing, and numeracy. Overall, the mobile devices supported broader and deeper learning.
Read the case study for more information:
Penwortham Priory Academy
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Preston, Lancashire
Headteacher: Jim Hourigan
One of the benefits that the school wanted to realise was to “engage and enthuse” students with mobile technology since it was the most relevant to them in the digital age.
"If they are used at the right time and in the right place they are nothing other than advantageous”
One key indicator of success was a rise in attendance figures due to greater engagement. And when it came to teaching and creating content, teachers are now able to differentiate between pupils, rather than setting assignments common to the whole class.
Read the case study for more information:
UCL Academy
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: London
Vice-Principal: Robin Street
UCL Academy wanted to make it easier to engage in independent learning and problem-solving, and to prepare pupils for working in a digital age. In particular, the school had positive experiences of using mobile devices for specific apps, and for researching and collecting evidence.
Over the first year…pupils had learned how to use them appropriately and were now regarding them as tools for learning rather than exciting gimmicks”. The school had a number of concerns including potential cost, and sustainability. Their main challenge was the lack of a functioning e-portfolio system.
The school also noted that it was essential to invest in professional development training and provide ongoing support to use technology in the school in order to take advantage of other technologies and opportunities.
Read the case study for more information:
Wallace High School
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Vice-Principal: David Cleland
Wallace School, a Northern Irish School with over 1000 pupils, gave iPads to their students in order to support independent research and problem-solving with the aim of encouraging students to become resilient and adaptable learners. There had also been parental enquiry around mobile devices, and the school itself wanted to create an up-to-date technology environment.
The introduction of mobile devices resulted in greater independence, collaboration, and increased motivation to learn. Students were also more confident with doing research tasks and sourcing material. The educational content itself improved since teachers could customise it to individual students needs.
Read the case study for more information:
Writhlington School
Case Study undertaken: September 2013
Location: Radstock, Somerset Headteacher: Mark Everett
Case study undertaken: August 2013
