Halton Borough Council has played a key role in bringing new digital learning opportunities to local children at Weston Primary School, Widnes.
Working in collaboration with Sci-Tech Daresbury, the Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and Runcorn-based business Asset Lifecycle Solutions (ALS), 15 repurposed computers were donated to the school.
The scheme aims to ensure that all primary school children have access to essential digital skills before transitioning to secondary education.
Mike Stapleton-Chambers, senior quality assurance officer for Halton Borough Council, said: “We want our pupils in Halton to have the best possible education they can get and this initiative will play a huge role in being able to deliver that.
“It’s fantastic to see these computers being given a second chance of life and we are so grateful to Asset Lifecycle Solutions for gifting these laptops to Weston Primary School.”
For staff and pupils at Weston Primary School, the impact of these computers will be immediate and far-reaching. Where learning was previously delivered via tablets, the introduction of 15 computers opens up new opportunities for more comprehensive IT teaching and skill development.
Helen Pitt, head teacher at Weston Primary School, said: “We are so appreciative to Asset Lifecycle Solutions and feel extremely lucky to be the first school in Halton to receive these free computers.
“Every penny counts and these computers will support teaching and learning across the whole curriculum, especially in the development of computer skills, and in particular, coding.”
Following this, a new arrangement has been put in place to refurbish computers from the STFC Daresbury Laboratory, enabling even more local schools to benefit from repurposed equipment.
Phill Day, public engagement manager at STFC, explained: “Scientific and high performance computing underpins a significant amount of our STEM activities here at Daresbury Laboratory and we have been working with primary schools across the borough to support the teaching of coding in a creative making context.
“Through delivering these activities, Gina in my team noticed that there were schools that didn’t have even basic IT equipment, it made absolute sense to us to facilitate our computers being repurposed for the children.
“We need to equip children with the skills needed later in life, especially given the local area and the prominence of science and technology in the jobs market. STFC is proud to have played a part in helping to give local children those essential skills.”
Thanks to collaborative efforts like this, talented young learners at Weston Primary School are now better equipped to thrive in an increasingly digital world and with more schools in Halton set to receive their own repurposed equipment in the coming months, the initiative is set to ensure the computer wizards of the future have the essential skills needed.
