Every school pupil in Edinburgh from P6 to S6 has been given an iPad after the roll-out of a £17.5m scheme

It has been described as one of the city council’s “most significant” projects.

More than 44,000 iPads have been handed out to school pupils and staff across Edinburgh after the completion of a landmark project.

The city council and IT firm CGI sent the digital devices to 23 secondary schools, 90 primary schools, 11 special educational schools and 102 early years centres.

Part of the Edinburgh Learns for Life initiative, the roll-out followed a £17.5 million investment by the city council and was phased over the last 18 months.

CGI Carrick Knowe PS 1 SA CGI visit Carrick Knowe Primary School with Edinburgh Council Leader Cammy Day All images © Stewart Attwood Photography 2023. All other rights are reserved. Use in any other context is expressly prohibited without prior permission. No Syndication Permitted.

Council leader Cammy Day hailed the project and its impact on schools and learning.

“I’m delighted that this exciting partnership with CGI has resulted in over 44,000 digital devices being handed out to pupils and school staff across the city,” he said.

"This has been one of the most significant projects that the council has undertaken thanks to our £17.5m investment and means all pupils from P6 to S6 now have their own devices."

The local authority chief visited Carrick Knowe Primary School to see how the devices are transforming teaching.

Mr Day said: “This is a significant and sustained investment in the future learning, outcomes and achievements of Edinburgh’s children and young people.

"More importantly it means equal access to learning and is a vital element of our strategy to increase attainment for everyone and reducing the poverty-related attainment gap.”

The devices were sent to 35,613 pupils from P6 in primary to S6 in secondary, and 4,616 learning staff for use on a one-to-one basis.

For those in early years education, and from P1 to P5, 3,962 iPads were issued to be shared on a ratio of one per five children.

It means that at every secondary in Edinburgh, all school pupils and learning staff have been issued with their very own individual iPad.

Carrick Knowe Primary acting depute head Shaun Morley, who recently celebrated after the school won a Digital Schools Award, was in no doubt about the scheme’s importance.

“Edinburgh Learns for Life has had a hugely positive impact on learning and teaching across the school, and was a big factor in us achieving our Digital Schools Award,” he said.

"That’s because we now have the resources to ensure that digital skills are being embedded across all curricular areas.

"“But it’s not just the devices themselves, it’s the apps which have made such a difference.

"They’ve been a game changer and have transformed engagement with education, both delivering and receiving it.”

Tara McGeehan, president of CGI in the UK and Australia, said the firm was “proud” to have been involved.

“Thanks to the foresight of City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Learns for Life will support a holistic approach to education, meaning it is suitable for use in both school and remote learning,” she said.

"It provides support for remote, multi-location teaching and the online participation in lessons. This provision works across all key learning ‘stakeholders’ – teachers and pupils, parents and carers.

"It is engaging and aspirational, opening the door to new opportunities.”