The coronavirus crisis has brought drastic changes to the way children and young people access schooling, careers development, advice and skills. Not every family has the technology to access online resources and support. To help plug this gap, and add to the laptops that have been donated over the last 12 months, a delivery of 25 laptops arrived recently and are already being used by English students. The laptops will also be used by City Year volunteers in their work with the young people at Forge. City Year support students academically and pastorally and the laptops will advance the work they do.
“We’re very grateful to National Grid for making this possible. Our teachers, students and their parents have worked incredibly hard to ensure students have been connected during lockdown. We don’t want students to lose these newfound skills and these laptops will really help us stay connected,” says Dave Jenks who is the assistant principal for KS3 at Forge.
He continued: “With restrictions continuing and visits being very difficult to organise, we are using the laptops to bring performances, media and talks into the classroom safely. It’s good to be able to have these extra resources and we are grateful to our friends at City Year for working with National Grid and securing these.“
Kevin Mundy, CEO of City Year UK, said: “The impact of the pandemic and the resultant school closures on students is difficult to overstate. Through our work in schools, we know the gaps that already exist in education between underprivileged students and their wealthier peers, and the long-term effects these gaps can have on self-esteem, earning potential and life chances. The pandemic has exposed how those gaps are compounded by, among other factors, access to technology. We are therefore delighted that one of our largest partners, National Grid, has so generously donated 120 laptops to five of our schools, helping to support students access, and not feel shut out from, their learning, and helping City Year UK in its mission to close the education gap.“
City Year UK is a youth and education charity that empowers 18 to 25-year-olds, from all backgrounds, to tackle educational inequality through a year of full-time volunteering in schools. Ormiston Forge Academy hosts a team of five City Year volunteers who mentor students and support in classrooms and on duties. They are distinctive for wearing their red City Year jackets at all times.
National Grid is one of the world’s largest publicly listed utilities focused on transmission and distribution of electricity and gas.