Level Up Laptops

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?

What is Level Up Laptops?

Since the global pandemic started in 2020, 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 lockdown learning 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 living in Brighton and Sussex by providing them with laptops and tablets that will support remote learning and longer term educational needs.

Sopro has teamed up with registered charity The Turing Trust, to form partnerships between Sussex businesses, 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 during and after these challenging times.

Offer Support

Pledges So Far

45

Companies

154

Devices

£13150

Donations

How You Can Help

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:


Fund a new device

You can donate any amount to help us cover the cost of IT equipment for local schools.

  • £40 will provides a tablet suitable for Primary schools
  • £100 provides a newly refurbished laptop

Just head to The Turing Trust’s website to make your donation.

Fund a new device

Donate your spare devices

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.

To donate your device please complete the relevant form for an individual or business donation on this page

Donate your equipment

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

Donate Your New Device

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.

  • £10 covers a hard drive wipe
  • £20 covers a replacement charger
  • £50 will help us cover the cost of a laptop refurbishment
  • £200 buys a tablet suitable for children at Primary school

No donation is too small. Please head to The Turing Trust’s website, the local charity collecting donations and helping us to identify local schools and children in need.

Donate Your New Device

Our Sussex Community Project Partners

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Closing the Digital Divide

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 

  • 50% of headteachers polled claimed to have less than 10% of the laptops requested from the Government*
  • Ofcom estimates there are 1.7 million children across the UK who do not have access to a laptop, computer or tablet at home, making remote school practically impossible**
  • Coronavirus lockdown is accelerating digital exclusion into a catastrophe of lost education and opportunity for the UK’s poorest children and families

Testimonials

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 Corporation

Jane Cooper 2

CEO, ABC Corporation

Jane Cooper 3

CEO, ABC Corporation

Jane Cooper 4

CEO, ABC Corporation

Jane Cooper 5

CEO, ABC Corporation

Jane Cooper 6

CEO, ABC Corporation

What's in it for me?

We know how keen Sussex businesses are to support our 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 ensure 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.

Supporter Questions

It's really simple. We just ask that someone at the school completes our form here (https://goo.gl/forms/Re5D5TReFyam4NIr2) 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.

Digital Exclusion Gap

Fears schools will be overwhelmed by laptopless pupils

There are concerns some schools in lockdown could be inundated with pupils without laptops after a change to the vulnerable pupil list.

The move to online teaching and learning during the first lockdown

Disadvantaged pupils face falling behind their peers this month as many are still without laptops and internet access for remote learning

"Pay the wi-fi or feed the children": Coronavirus has intensified the UK’s

The coronavirus lockdown risks turning the problem of digital exclusion into a catastrophe of lost education and opportunity for the