New Laptops | Denstone College | 2026 | Staffordshire and Derbyshire

New Laptops for Year 7 - 9

From September 2026, every pupil at Denstone College in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be issued with their own school-owned laptop. The devices are provided by the College to support learning in every subject, in every classroom, and at home.

Each pupil's laptop comes with a protective case, is a 2-in-1 touchscreen device that converts into a tablet, and includes a stylus stored neatly within the side of the laptop so it can't be lost or left behind.

What is included with each laptop?

• A school-owned laptop, issued to the pupil for their use throughout the school year
• A protective case to guard against everyday knocks and bumps
• A touchscreen that folds into tablet mode, for reading, drawing and annotation
• A stylus housed within the side of the laptop, always to hand and always charged
• Take-home rights, including evenings, weekends and school holidays

Can pupils take the laptops home?

Yes. Pupils may take their laptops home at night, at weekends and during the school holidays. The device is not a classroom-only resource — it is a continuous learning tool that supports homework, revision, coursework and independent research wherever a pupil is working.

For boarders, the laptop travels home at exeats and holidays exactly as it would for a day pupil.

How does a 2-in-1 laptop help pupils learn?

The devices work as a standard laptop for everyday schoolwork — typing essays, building spreadsheets, researching online, coding, and collaborating on shared documents.

They then fold into tablet mode, where the touchscreen and stylus open up a different kind of work:

Handwritten notes in lessons, converted to searchable text
Annotating worksheets, past papers and PDFs directly on screen
Sketching diagrams in science, geography and design technology
Working through equations by hand in maths, rather than fighting a keyboard
Marking up drafts in English and the humanities

Because the stylus is stored inside the body of the laptop, pupils always have it with them — a small design detail that makes a significant practical difference over a school year.

Which year groups receive a laptop?

The scheme covers Years 7, 8 and 9 from September 2026. Pupils entering Year 7 will receive their device at the start of the academic year.

Why is Denstone College introducing 1:1 laptops?

Giving every pupil the same device removes the digital divide within a year group. No pupil is disadvantaged by what technology is or isn't available at home, and teachers can plan lessons knowing that every pupil in the room has the same capable tool in front of them.

The aim is not technology for its own sake. It is to give pupils the means to write, research, create, revise and organise themselves with confidence — building the digital fluency they will carry into the Sixth Form, into university and into working life.