Glasgow rolls out of 61,000 new iPads as council promises enhanced safety settings to protect pupils
Pupils across Glasgow have received upgraded iPads as part of a city-wide tech upgrade
Pupils in Glasgow have received more than 61,000 new iPads as part of a £23.5 million tech roll-out across the city.
Despite controversy about the use of devices in schools, Glasgow City Council is adamant that the upgraded tablets will transform learning.
Delivered across 330 sites in the last eight months, the initiative will serve around 55,000 pupils and more than 6,500 staff.
At Hollybrook Academy, head teacher Mairi Barrett says the iPads are an integral part of the school curriculum and are helping her pupils develop skills that previously eluded them.
Hollybrook, on the city’s south side, is an additional needs school.
Teacher and regional training facilitator Kenneth Falconer says the technology is supporting inclusivity for young people.
“They do pretty much everything with their iPads,” he said. “They are a tool for creativity, a tool for learning, a tool for collaboration - but not a tool for consumption.”
For many pupils arriving from primary school, traditional classroom methods have proved challenging.
Headteacher Mairi Barrett said: “In a mainstream school you might assume pupils can write when they arrive in first year.
“Many of our young people can’t yet do that, despite years of trying. So accessibility is absolutely key.”
The iPads mean pupils can use typed text, photographs, voice notes or screen recordings.
Mr Falconer said: “They can listen to instructions again and again.
“If a teacher records a worked example, they can watch it at their own pace instead of needing the teacher beside them all the time.”
Specialists apps are used in music lessons, art, English and maths.
Mr Falconer said: “In art it allows them to play with art in a more sandbox fashion than just paper, but we still do use paper.
“They can try something, remove it and try again.”
The school uses a handwriting app that gamifies the process and Mrs Barrett says the impact has been obvious.
“We compared writing before and after using it,” she said.
“Some pupils who had struggled for years were suddenly writing legibly.
“With pencil and paper they hadn’t managed it, but the digital tool made it engaging and accessible.”
The technology also helps teachers tailor learning to individual pupil needs.
Screen magnification, colour filters and simplified displays can reduce visual stress or sensory overload.
Mr Falconer has even used the school’s 3D printer to design angled iPad stands for pupils with Down’s syndrome, to reduce strain on their necks when writing on screens.
Mrs Barrett is clear that the school also sets aside time when iPads are not used - and this is just as important as when they are.
She said: “Communication and relationships come first.
“These are tools for learning - they’re not rewards and they’re not for watching YouTube.”
Outdoor learning remains a core part of the curriculum, with pupils taking part in activities from canoeing to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Teachers also use the technology to record achievements and share updates with families - something particularly important when some pupils are non-verbal.
“Many of our young people wouldn’t be able to go home and explain what they achieved that day,” Mrs Barrett said. “Now parents can see it and celebrate it.”
Pupils also use a digital stylus - a type of pen - from Skriva to write directly onto their iPads.
Mr Falconer said: “This allows our pupils to practise their fine motor skills while engaging in digital learning activities.
“The styluses have been invaluable, and we've made a significant investment in order to purchase class sets across the school.”
Hollybrook is now working with Skriva to carry out a research project on their role in promoting engagement and creativity in digital learning.
Mr Falconer said: “Education has always been about giving pupils the tools they need to succeed.
“For some of our young people, this just happens to be the tool that finally opens the door.”
In 2017, Glasgow was the first council area in Scotland to roll out universal iPads from P6 to S6 and this is the first full scale upgrade since.
Upgrades to audiovisual infrastructure were made across the education estate, including faster internet, full Wi‑Fi coverage in every teaching area and the replacement of all older Apple TVs and projectors.
The project sees an iPad provided for every learner from P6 to S6, shared devices for P1 to P5, and devices within early years settings.
All teaching staff also receive an iPad, supported by a General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) accredited professional learning programme.
Some 26,000 styluses were also issued to settings as part of the deployment.
Councillor Christina Cannon, City Convener for Education and Early Years, said: "Here in Glasgow, the iPad is far more than 'just a device', it's a strategic tool for equity, attainment, collaboration, creativity, and professional empowerment.
"Glasgow continues to lead the way in digital education, ensuring technology benefits every learner and is seamlessly integrated across our pedagogy and vision for the city's future."
The council is keen to emphasise the new iPads have what it claims is a robust online safety filtering system.
Last year The Scotsman revealed that pupils were able to access inappropriate material on their devices.
These iPads also offer an expanded range of accessibility tools, with dedicated support for learners with dyslexia, additional support needs, and those with English as an additional language (EAL).
A reuse‑and‑recycling approach is planned, for the defunct devices, aiming to prevent more than 1,021,317 kg CO₂e from entering the atmosphere.
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