Schools benefit as nearly 7,000 Deloitte laptops get second lease of life

Deloitte in Bristol has donated 270 laptops to five schools in the South West, including two Bristol schools, since the firm first committed to donating the firm’s used laptops in 2021. During this time Deloitte has donated a total of 6,865 laptops to schools, charities and community groups across the UK.

Over half (3,600) of the reconditioned laptops have been donated to pupils from 58 schools across the UK, including 100 each to Hannah More Primary School and Merchants’ Academy, both of which are Deloitte 5 Million Futures partner schools*.  Both these schools are in Bristol – Hannah More in St Philips and Merchants’ Academy in Withywood.  Donations have also been made to Bratton Primary School in Wiltshire which received 50 laptops and Dartmoor Multi Academy School in Devon and Severn Vale School in Gloucester, both of which received 10 laptops.

A survey of schools* that received the laptops during the third national lockdown in 2021 found that teachers reported an improved quality of learning and attendance in online lessons, improved progress and attainment, improved mental health, and increased digital skills.

Helen Barbour, deputy head at Hannah More Primary School, said:

“Deloitte provided some life-changing support to our families during and after lockdowns. When schools closed, we had to respond really quickly to ensure learning could continue. It was a huge challenge to meet the needs of our community, many of whom could not access on-line learning as they did not have IT at home. Deloitte supported us with a generous grant of £8,000 to buy Chromebooks. Along with some individual donations we were able to provide a chrome book for every family in the school.  Post-lockdown, Deloitte also donated 100 recycled laptops! This meant we could replace some extremely old teacher laptops with much higher spec machines, as well as create sets of 30 to be booked by teachers for whole-class work.”

The idea to recondition and gift the laptops was first suggested by one of Deloitte’s people writing to the CEO in response to the growing digital divide. Against the additional backdrop of a cost of living crisis and the continued focus on sustainability, it has since become a long-term commitment of the firm.

Deloitte has reaffirmed its commitment with CEO, Richard Houston pledging a further 5,000 laptops every year.

Jon O’Mahony, partner and responsible business lead for Deloitte in the South West, said:

“There are many aspects of society where we need to level up and technology is one of them.  The pandemic brought into the spotlight the unequal access to digital technology and skills.  During the pandemic we supported thousands of the most vulnerable children to stay connected to education and I feel very proud that some of this support was in our region helping our local communities.

“By donating used laptops to our partner schools in Bristol and other schools across the South West we’re helping to bridge the digital skills gap and support young people to overcome barriers to education and employment.  The opportunity that technology can bring to transform business and our community is extraordinary.  But this progress can only happen if we put young people at the heart of this progress and equip them for the future of work.”