#laptopsforschoolkids

Thank you for the donations!

We've been busy processing the laptops you've donated and giving them out to local schools.
We received 276 laptops, we refurbished 126 and the other 150 were recycled. We used the money raised
to buy SSDs and parts to refurbish the laptops and to buy 24 brand new Chromebooks.
This allowed us to supply 150 new and refurbished laptops, worth around £200 each.

The money and laptops you donated, along with the hard work of our volunteers, has
supplied £30,000 worth of laptops to school children in and around Leigh.

Donated

Laptops given to kids

£30,000

Worth of laptops given out

How we process your laptop

We will check and assess your laptop. If it meets the minimum requirements we will either remove and destroy the hard drive and replace it with a new SSD or securely erase your data. If it doesn't meet the requirements we can still use it for spare parts or recycle it to pay for new SSDs and parts.

Once your laptop has been refurbished we will install CloudReady OS. This is a free and secure operating system that that only includes a web browser. This means it's still fast on old hardware and is capable of running Zoom, Teams, Google Classroom, Microsoft Office and more.

Each laptop will be PAT tested before being given to local schools to be handed out to pupils who do not have access to a laptop at home. The work will be carried out to the highest standards by Express IT and Nemiah, both local businesses with decades of experience and expertise in IT and electronics.

Businesses involved

There are several local businesses involved but we'd love other local businesses to get involved, especially if they can supply new SSDs or donate funds to purchase them.

Major contributors

The following businesses have donated laptops, cash or helped us achieve our goal. Thank you.

Start a scheme in your own local area

We've already worked out all the kinks, but it would be impossible to refurbish the 10,000s of laptops needed. Instead we are happy to share our processes, checklists and experience so that you can setup the same scheme in your local area.

Who can do it?

This would be ideally suited for an IT company, or community organisation with some tech skills, like a hacksapce. We've split the process up into three phases, anyone can be shown how to complete phase 1 and 2, all you have to do is follow a simple yes/no flow chart. Phase 3 requires safety and compliance checks which must be carried out by a competent person.

Do I need special qualifications, training or equipment?

No. You will need someone with knowlege and experience of working with laptops to troubleshoot some of the issues that come up. If you want to PAT test your devices this can be done with some training and a multimeter (or a PAT tester) or you could use an external PAT testing company or school. We can provide you with contacts who can help with secure data destruction, PAT testing and recycling.

How much will it cost to setup?

Nothing. We will give you our Google Sheets and flowcharts to organise your team, register schools and track laptops. We can talk you though how to do everything. All you need is a few volunteers and a place to work.