IT equipment donated to school to help pupils learning remotely

Laptops, computers and tablets have been donated to a secondary school to help pupils working from home.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, schools across Wales are currently closed, with pupils working remotely – and relying on IT equipment.

Nearly 40 pieces of equipment, including monitors, keyboards and headsets, have been donated to Bedwas High School.

Graham Johnson, owner of Bedwas-based PC2 Computers, has been collecting the donations and repairing them free of charge, before giving them to the school.

Mr Johnson, 32, is an ex-pupil at Bedwas High, having left in 2006.

He said: “I knew the school needed devices and I wanted to help the community. We’re a community business and it’s the community which helps pay my bills.

“Even before the pandemic, there were kids out there who couldn’t access devices at home. There’s a potential to continue this after Covid.

“A lot of these devices were under a sofa or unused, and if they didn’t end up in the rubbish, they’d have been stripped for parts.

“The response from the community has been fantastic.”

Mr Johnson first appealed for donations on January 25 – and by January 28 he had received and repaired a range of equipment – which took around 30 hours of his time in just three days.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now without Bedwas High. It’s a good school with good teachers,” he added.

Stephen Diehl, headteacher at Bedwas High, said: “There’s a global shortage of devices, which makes it hard to provide for remote learning.

“Some of the children are struggling. Eleven per cent are without devices in the house. Trying to do past paper questions on a phone is difficult.”

Mr Diehl added: “I can’t thank the community enough.

“Nearly 30% of our pupils are now on free school meals. The number of disadvantaged families has increased.

“This has made such a difference to these families.”

He thanked Mr Johnson, as well as Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen Community Council and Councillor Lisa Phipps for their “phenomenal” response.

Cllr Phipps, who is a governor at Bedwas High, said: “I’m thankful to everyone who has kindly donated their IT equipment to the school.

“Not all children have access to a PC or laptop to complete their school work while working from home, so these donations are very welcome.

“I also can’t thank Graham enough. He has coordinated the collection of the equipment and given his time to work on the machines before delivering them to the school.”

Anyone interested in donating unwanted IT equipment can contact Graham Johnson on 029 2088 3400 or visit PC2 Computers’ Facebook page.