Glasgow schools warn S6 pupils they won't be able to attend prom if iPads not handed back

Glasgow secondary schools are warning sixth year pupils they won’t get their leavers hoodie or be able to attend prom if they don’t hand back their council iPad.

It comes after a report presented to members of the finance and audit scrutiny committee revealed that out of the 80,000 iPads available across education services, 10,000 appear not to have been in use for over a year.

The devices, which are offered 1:1 to classroom age children from primary six and above as well as teaching staff, only work when connected to the city council network.

During the meeting questions were raised about the number of iPads not in use where it was revealed that Hyndland Secondary School was just one of many that refused to let pupils attend prom or collect their leavers hoodie until they were handed back.

Councillor Margaret Morgan said: “I want to refer to the relatively high number of iPads that weren’t returned – leavers not handing them back being the main issue.

“This was at a cost to the council. I was under the impression that this would be the responsibility of the headteacher and the headteacher managing their budget to ensure that as many iPads as possible are returned.

“I wonder if anyone could provide more information on what is being done to resolve this.”

Members were advised that it is the head teachers responsibility to manage the iPad asset at each school establishment.

An education officer said: “What some schools do in these situations is not allow students to go to their prom or give them their leavers hoodie to try and encourage them to get those iPads back.

“Workers actually used to go out and knock on the doors and get the iPads back. We do everything we can to encourage them and some schools are better than others.

“It is mainly within secondary schools that we have the issue of not getting them back – we don’t see the same issue at primary schools in terms of this.”

Councillor Jill Brown had more questions about the number of schools that withdrew access to proms and hoodies until the technology was handed back.

She said: “Do you know many of the schools are actually using those techniques? I am concerned that it is just one school that does it and they are being used as a flag bearer for everyone else.”

An officer responded: “I am aware of several schools in Glasgow that don’t allow pupils access to proms and hoodies if they don’t return their iPad.

“Hyndland is one in particular where they have had kids turn up at the proms with their iPads because they weren’t allowed to prom until they handed them back.”