18 December 2020
Summary: In these unsettling times, we understand that our communities need each other more than ever. Although online learning has become the new normal, many families and schools are finding it difficult to provide the necessary learning resources due to financial hardship. That’s why we’ve partnered with Bugler Group to make a joint donation to provide Chromebooks to support online learning for children at East Acton Primary School, in Ealing, West London.
The Coronavirus outbreak has made a drastic impact on the way young people learn. Many schools across the UK are facing immense challenges; from pre-existing funding issues, to restrictions to the usual school fundraising events, making it difficult to provide fundamental learning resources, such as computing equipment.
Unfortunately, East Acton Primary, a small school with a large number of pupils from less well-off families, hasn’t been exempt from these challenges. Often described as a “village school in an urban setting”, the school is known to have hardworking and dedicated staff, a close-knit community and a diverse group of children who are well behaved and eager to learn.
The school has recently moved to Google Classroom as a remote learning platform to support children to continue their learning at home in the event of having to self-isolate due to themselves or their family members showing symptoms of COVID-19. Sadly, however, not every family has the technology to access online resources and support. Often families cannot afford a personal laptop for their children, and only access to the internet is via a mobile phone or having to share their parents work devices with other siblings.
To help plug this gap, MTVH has partnered with residential and mixed-use developments experts, Bugler Group, to make a joint donation of £15,000 to the school, so pupils can work remotely.
This donation provides over 94 Chromebooks and 3 charging trolleys for the school, allowing pupils to use them for a range of different subjects during school hours and the opportunity to take them home over the weekend in order to complete online homework. In the event of a further lockdown or individuals or groups having to self-isolate, the children will be able to seamlessly move over to online learning, using technology at home that is fit for purpose and allowing them easy access to Google Classroom.
MTVH’s Land Director, Chatinder Bal, said: “Covid-19 has seen how children are educated change dramatically, and for some not having access to the equipment they need to learn at home has proved a real challenge. We’re proud to be building new affordable homes in Ealing and as part of that we want to help see the wider community flourish. We’re pleased this donation will give pupils at East Acton Primary School the opportunity to reach their full potential and connect with their teachers and classmates.”
Andy Bugler, Chief Executive of Bugler Group, said: “Bugler Developments has worked within the London Borough of Ealing for many years. As housebuilders, we always look to make a positive contribution to local communities alongside the construction of affordable housing. We are really pleased to be able to help East Acton Primary School with the provision of these Chromebooks. All children, whatever their background or circumstances should always be given every opportunity to continue their education through these challenging times.”
Headteacher, Stephen Pearce says: “With children increasingly required to access their learning from home due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, remote access to online learning has presented fantastic opportunities along with some unique challenges. Many of our families are either unable to afford laptops or devices for their children, or parents struggle to provide access as they are working online themselves. Other families have lots of children competing for the same device including older siblings attending high school or college. This donation from MTVH and Bugler will enable us to provide more children with their own Chromebooks which they will be able to use both at school and at home via a loan scheme. At East Acton Primary we believe the use of ICT, in all its forms, is an important life skill and this extra funding will provide more opportunities for our children to develop their skills within a safe and secure environment. It will also allow more children to access online learning materials at home including live and recorded video lessons.”