It’s no surprise that education still has no money. And it’s no surprise that pupils and staff need access to IT more then ever.

So how do you balance affordability and device equity?

Step 1 – understanding  what you want to achieve

For school and trust leaders, knowing your existing, non IT specific challenges are, really helps here. For example, if it’s EAL – then you want to look into solutions such as live translations and Immersive Reader. If it’s supporting users with accessibility, it’s ensuring that devices have the right tools to support, if it is enabling students to develop deeper understanding of topics, it’s access to tools like Notebook LM.

It’s at this point – knowing what is possible is key. Which platforms have you got already? What can they do? How do they integrate? What are people using?

As platforms are churning out new features monthly – this shouldn’t be a one off. But you can’t solve everything by putting in technology in one go, so choosing specific, achievable impact areas is critical, and often success here encourages offshoots of excitement and impact as staff and students become engaged with technology.

Simplifying what you have, and focusing on using solutions to solve those challenges is the key action point. Many schools still buy solutions in isolation, which then lead to poorer impact.

Step 2 – enabling success

So – you know what you want to solve, and have a good idea how to solve it. Now you need to make it happen. The more access you have to the solution, the better outcomes.

However…

There is no point putting a device to every student, if your teachers cannot teach with technology. And there is no point training teachers to teach with technology, without students having access.

The truth is, both need to happen at the same time, and it won’t be an overnight success.

Infact, it may take a long time – because if your infrastructure (Broadband, Cabling, Switches, Wifi and online platforms)  as well as effective filtering and monitoring need to be in place first. There is no point selling your staff and students the dream, for the wifi to drop out for example – all the shiny new tools are useless and confidence from all is lost.

Training should not be the usual sit in the room at the end of the day all the time. Coaching is key, understanding and responding to the key focuses from step 1 the priority. Reviewing the impact regularly allows you to tweak to ensure adoption continues to meet your focus – but also understand that impact takes time, and not every school staff member will embrace and deliver with gusto.

Step 3 – devices and platforms

Forget what you think you know about devices. The state of devices over the last 12-18 months has been one horrid affair of ever rising prices, low specification machines being purchased which do more harm then good.

Too many times, schools are stuck in a 3-5 year cycle, where they replace like for like – and so their device strategy never meets the technology strategy and the education outcomes required.

Do you still need as many IT rooms? Do you need any? Do you need 1:1, or class sets? Do students get to take them home? How can younger students login? How can you ensure security, safety and safeguarding? 

Only with a coherent strategy can you answer these questions. 

What I have seen so much of recently (and I have previously been just as guilty) is an assumption that your device is limited via your online platform – but actually, it’s limited by your user case. Not your platform.

For example: If you need Adobe and specialist programs, you are better on a Windows device. If, you are now accessing everything via the web – then why not consider Chromebooks – and why not combine to meet all needs?

“Because why would we want to manage 2 platforms”

Well, because it should be the right tool for the job, that meets the teaching and learning requirements to help you meet your step A aims. And lets face it, a £220 Chromebook can make just as much impact in some user cases as a £500-600 windows laptops, and is easier to manage and more secure – so you may meet your schools aims faster, which is why we are all in this, right?

Linking Microsoft <> Google is easy. And, as technicians are not managing servers, managing just 2 platforms effectively is not end of world, if done properly

The key bit is knowing what you need to achieve, and managing platforms effectively to achieve them.

I work with schools who have mixed platforms and devices – the best of both worlds. The key decision to make is – where is user data stored, where do emails go and which is the user authentication platform to make this work effectively

To end…

Ultimately, device equity is not about every pupil having the same device. It is about every pupil and member of staff having the right level of access to the right tools, at the right time, in a way that supports teaching, learning, inclusion and safeguarding.

Affordability does not have to mean buying the cheapest option, and equity does not always mean one device per pupil. The balance comes from understanding the outcomes you want, making better use of the platforms you already have, investing in the infrastructure and training needed to make technology reliable, and choosing devices based on actual use cases rather than habit.

When schools get that right, technology becomes less about procurement cycles and more about impact.