1.7 million children in the UK do not have access to a computer at home, making remote learning practically impossible
How can I help?Accelerated since the global pandemic started in 2020, today millions of children in the UK have been expected to learn online despite not having access to a computer or tablet. This digital exclusion risks turning into a catastrophe of lost education and opportunity for the UK’s poorest and most vulnerable.
Level Up Laptops is a campaign to help children in this situation by providing them with laptops and tablets that will support remote learning and longer term educational needs.
Initially started to focus on children living in Brighton and Sussex . Sopro has teamed up with registered charity The Turing Trust, to form partnerships between businesses nationwide, aiming to recycle old devices no longer in use or raise money for new devices, and distribute them to children in need.
We want to ensure children from all backgrounds have the same access to learning and educational resources.
Companies
Devices
Donations
We have partnered with registered charity The Turing Trust and directly with local schools to get these laptops to the school children who need them most.
There are three ways your company can support the Level Up Laptops campaign:
You can donate any amount to help us cover the cost of IT equipment for local schools.
Just head to The Turing Trust’s website to make your donation.
Safely donate old and used laptops and other devices such as tablets. Level Up Laptops and Sopro have teamed up with The Turing Trust and who will refurbish, wipe test and upgrade as needed donated devices before distributing them directly to our partner schools.
We will accept all devices meeting the specification requirements below. If you can, please consider donating £50 per device to cover the cost of refurbishment and £20 per device if the charger is missing. This will allow us to get devices to the schools and children in need quicker.
For us to refurbish devices to the standards required by schools, devices need to meet the following requirements:
Computers should be less than 10 years old and able to run Windows 7, or Mac OS 10.5 Leopard, or above.
Please see below for more detail on the most common items of IT equipment that we can reuse. There are many more items often used by companies beyond this list that we can also reuse so please get in touch to see how your equipment could go on to make a difference.
Computers |
---|
Desktop PCs |
Laptops with their chargers |
Tablets/iPads with their chargers |
Smartphones with their chargers |
And much more enterprise IT equipment e.g. servers and switches etc. |
Computer Parts and Spares |
---|
Hard Drives |
RAM |
Micro USB Chargers & Cables |
Accessories |
---|
Monitors and Cables (VGA/HDMI) |
Switches |
Keyboards & Mice |
Headphones |
Projectors |
Digital Cameras |
Power Cables |
Surge Protectors/Extension Leads |
Cat5e Cable (and above) |
Laptop Locks |
You can donate any amount to help us cover the cost of refurbishment or purchase of new IT equipment for local schools.
To get children connected, we will need to purchase the following items and would love your help.
No donation is too small.
The digital exclusion gap has been accelerated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It has left many underprivileged children with little or no access to the online learning resources their classmates are using on a daily basis. When everyday life returns, many schools will continue to use aspects of e-learning and so the gap is only going to expand further in the future.
Research has shown
1 We had an incredible experience working with Landify and were impressed they made such a big difference in only three weeks. Our team is so grateful for the wonderful improvements they made and their ability to get familiar with the product concept so quickly. It acted as a catalyst to take our design to the next level and get more eyes on our product.
2 We had an incredible experience working with Landify and were impressed they made such a big difference in only three weeks. Our team is so grateful for the wonderful improvements they made and their ability to get familiar with the product concept so quickly. It acted as a catalyst to take our design to the next level and get more eyes on our product.
3 We had an incredible experience working with Landify and were impressed they made such a big difference in only three weeks. Our team is so grateful for the wonderful improvements they made and their ability to get familiar with the product concept so quickly. It acted as a catalyst to take our design to the next level and get more eyes on our product.
4 We had an incredible experience working with Landify and were impressed they made such a big difference in only three weeks. Our team is so grateful for the wonderful improvements they made and their ability to get familiar with the product concept so quickly. It acted as a catalyst to take our design to the next level and get more eyes on our product.
5 We had an incredible experience working with Landify and were impressed they made such a big difference in only three weeks. Our team is so grateful for the wonderful improvements they made and their ability to get familiar with the product concept so quickly. It acted as a catalyst to take our design to the next level and get more eyes on our product.
6 We had an incredible experience working with Landify and were impressed they made such a big difference in only three weeks. Our team is so grateful for the wonderful improvements they made and their ability to get familiar with the product concept so quickly. It acted as a catalyst to take our design to the next level and get more eyes on our product.
Jane Cooper
CEO, ABC CorporationJane Cooper 2
CEO, ABC CorporationJane Cooper 3
CEO, ABC CorporationJane Cooper 4
CEO, ABC CorporationJane Cooper 5
CEO, ABC CorporationJane Cooper 6
CEO, ABC CorporationWe know how keen businesses are to support local children and we have been overwhelmed by the community spirit we have encountered so far.
In addition to the satisfaction of knowing you have made a difference, Sopro will try to publicise all supporting businesses, local leaders and private individuals provided you are happy for us to do so. This will take place daily through our various social media profiles, group websites and customer newsletters, as well as periodic press engagements and interviews.
In other words we'll pay you back with a dusting of great PR and a suitcase full of good karma.
It's really simple. We just ask that someone at the school completes our form here (https://turingtrust.co.uk/apply-for-it-equipment/) telling us whether they need laptops or tablets and any other information to make the match as successful as possible. Then, as machines and donations arrive, we'll match them up and help the school's most vulnerable children as quickly as possible.
The Turing Trust wipe computers to UK Government standards using accredited software. We perform certified, secure data erasure on all donated devices by using market-leading Blancco data erasure software. Blancco software is approved by the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) national government data erasure standards. Following this all donated equipment is tested and upgraded as needed before distributing them directly to our partner schools.
We have a publicity plan in place that includes listing all donations on this site (in addition to the Donate page here). Alongside this we’re in constant content with local and national press to gain publicity for this initiative.
Keeping this story fresh and front of mind is critical, so if you can take photographs of your equipment, we’ll match that with drop off content and details of the school who receive the donation and promote it through social media ensuring you’re tagged.
Also, always use the project hashtag #leveluplaptops
Computers should be less than 10 years old and able to run Windows 7, or Mac OS 10.5 Leopard, or above.
Please see below for more detail on the most common items of IT equipment that we can reuse. There are many more items often used by companies beyond this list that we can also reuse so please get in touch to see how your equipment could go on to make a difference.
Computers |
---|
Desktop PCs |
Laptops with their chargers |
Tablets/iPads with their chargers |
Smartphones with their chargers |
And much more enterprise IT equipment e.g. servers and switches etc. |
Computer Parts and Spares |
---|
Hard Drives |
RAM |
Micro USB Chargers & Cables |
Accessories |
---|
Monitors and Cables (VGA/HDMI) |
Switches |
Keyboards & Mice |
Headphones |
Projectors |
Digital Cameras |
Power Cables |
Surge Protectors/Extension Leads |
Cat5e Cable (and above) |
Laptop Locks |
Absolutely – just complete the form.
All equipment is given to the child and their family. This avoids additional concerns and costs such as insurance.
We are always guided by the school. As a general rule, tablets are more suitable for younger, primary school children while older children tend to need the functionality that laptops provide
If we’re not already in contact with your preferred school, we’ll reach out to see if they have a child or family that is in need.
There are concerns some schools in lockdown could be inundated with pupils without laptops after a change to the vulnerable pupil list.
Disadvantaged pupils face falling behind their peers this month as many are still without laptops and internet access for remote learning
The coronavirus lockdown risks turning the problem of digital exclusion into a catastrophe of lost education and opportunity for the