Creating a digital lending library

The Digital Lending Library was set up to offer children what they need to complete their homework. However there have been lots of other benefits for both children and their families. Headteacher Ashley Vaughan describes how the library works, what the benefits have been, and how the school plans to further develop this scheme. 

Where the idea came from 

The Digital Lending Library was set up by the school’s Cost of the School Day pupil voice group. When the group started, they came up with lots of ideas about things that could be done, and the digital lending library was one of the first things they thought of. 

The school uses Google Classroom to send out homework digitally, but class teachers were reporting that quite a low percentage of children were returning homework. One of the reasons for this could have been that not everyone had access to a device to complete their homework on. It was clear that the approach to homework needed to change to be a lot more inclusive, which could help all learners to achieve, so the school decided to make sure that everyone had access to a device to work on.

Headteacher Ashley Vaughan describes the thinking behind the digital lending library: 

“Just anecdotally, speaking to kids and listening to the pupil voice group, we knew that there was a real need for it. Pupils maybe had access to a parents’ mobile phone or sometimes gaming devices, and we did a lot of drop ins about how to log into the classroom using an Xbox or a PlayStation, but still didn't really see the change we were looking for. So we made the decision to invest some of our Pupil Equity Fund into buying five Chromebooks and diverting some of the iPads that we already had, to make sure they were available for families to borrow.” 

How the scheme is run and promoted 

The pupil voice group has been integral to the design of the digital lending library. The group assigned each stage group a night each week when students from that stage group can borrow a device. Families just have to scan a QR code to let the school know that their child needs a device, which helps if family members have literacy difficulties. The school feels strongly that nobody should feel worried about asking for help, so there are no questions about why they might need a device and using a QR code means that this risk of feeling stigmatised is reduced. 

Using QR codes in this way also means that the digital library takes virtually no practitioner time to run. Practitioners at Glenlee are very positive about using technology, with two teachers leading on digital development for the school. Last year the school won their Digital Schools Award, which is accredited by Education Scotland. 

Direct conversations to children and families 

Ashley outlined how the library has been promoted:

“What we've found is that pupils being involved in things like the promotion of the digital learning Library, really takes the stigma out for other pupils. Because they're talking to their pals about getting things and not to adults. We've found that with most things, if our purposes are promoting it and saying it's OK, it’s best to get the children involved.” 

The scheme has also helped the school speak directly to parents. Staff wanted a quick way to communicate back to parents about how their children are doing, so used a ‘digital postcard’ which lets parents and carers scan a QR code to hear a voice note from the teacher. This overcomes issues that parents and carers might have with the written word for instance and providing a friendly and accessible way of keeping in touch.  

Why devices matter for pupils

Now that digital learning is central to pupils’ educational experience in school, it makes sense that all children have the opportunity to continue this learning at home. 

Helping to boost learning and challenge the poverty related attainment gap 

Using devices at home gives pupils online access to other things they might need support with. Using PEF, the school subscribes to a number of online platforms and a book club and a range of maths and reading resources. This is all signposted, and the school always makes sure there is an element of health and wellbeing included, such as mindfulness or yoga. 

The read and write toolbar, which is included on Glenlee Primary Chromebooks, has made a difference to children with literacy difficulties. This means that pupils who use the software to help them in class can access the digital lending library at home. 

Ashley reflects on the experience of a child who is currently being supported by a specialist teacher:

“We have one pupil in particular who actually takes a Chromebook home over the weekend. This child has a potential dyslexic type profile and literacy difficulties. So having access to things like the read and write software makes a big difference to them, in terms of confidence levels and practice through using it more often.” 

Access to devices can very directly make a huge difference to families living in poverty. Ashley describes the issues families face:

“We tend to find that a lot of our children who are impacted by poverty have difficulties in in relation to literacy, either as a result of poverty or as a result of additional support needs. That can be underlined by attachment related difficulties or adverse childhood experiences.” 

Any problems with this approach? 

There have been no issues with devices being returned in poor condition or not returned at all. Ashley has been impressed but not surprised by how successful this aspect of the library has been.

“I don't know if it's unique to our school or not, but the school's really well respected within the local community and any resources that we give out are generally looked after. When it's something that is perceived as being quite an expensive thing, we've not had any issues.” 

If there’s room for improvement then Ashley thinks it would be to encourage uptake.

“I know there are more pupils out there that would benefit from having a device at home who their parents aren't necessarily accessing it, and maybe that’s because it's quite a new thing for us. The uptake is not as good as I would want it to be. It's still good, but I know there are kids and families out there that we need to reach, and that's our next task.”