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Portsmouth school awarded Microsoft Showcase School status

4 October 2022
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The Portsmouth Academy, in the city’s Fratton area, has been awarded Microsoft Showcase School status in recognition of its One:One scheme, which makes sure every student joining the school has a laptop to work on.

The One:One scheme gives students access to HP360 touchscreen laptops: small, portable devices which fit into most school bags. The devices come with the Microsoft Office suite and internet security pre-installed and are regularly updated to keep students safe online.

Students using One:One devices in their classroom. Credit: Thinking Schools Academy Trust.

In achieving the accreditation, The Portsmouth Academy becomes one of only 50 schools in the country to be granted the award – and the first in Portsmouth.

MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, said: “As the first school in Portsmouth to receive this status, it's great to see staff passionate about closing the city's digital divide with their innovative approach in preparing students with the digital skills they need to succeed in life - through the use of their One:One devices.

“The work of the academy is aligned with the city's ambition to become a place where people wish to invest, live, and learn.”

Read more - Cobweb Solutions gains Microsoft cybersecurity specialisation

Currently in use in years seven and eight, the Academy plans to eventually have them used in lessons by every year group.

Vice principal Kev Burns said: “Being a Microsoft Showcase School and having One:One devices for every student is the best opportunity to improve their life chances.

“All of our evidence is pointing to the fact that these devices are having a significant impact on student learning, student attainment, and student engagement.

“Students these days learn most of their stuff on devices – they use their phones; they use their computers – so we’re tapping into that; we’re using learning in a way that they can engage with, and that’s going to last a very long time.”

Hajar Bellazrak, Digital Learning Ambassador at The Portsmouth Academy, delivers an assembly to children at Meon Junior School. Credit: Thinking Schools Academy Trust.

The devices are available to students through either a payment plan or one-off purchase, with subsidised options available to children on free school meals. The school said it will work alongside families who may face challenges in partaking in the scheme "to ensure that every child has access to these important devices in the classroom and can thrive at the Academy".

Natalie Sheppard, Director of Education at The Thinking Schools Academy Trust (which runs the Portsmouth Academy) said: “Education is an investment. In the world of tomorrow, competition will come from the availability of talent. Digital skills and the ability to drive technological innovation will be highly in demand. So we have to cultivate the talents of our young people.”

Read more - Vodafone and Multiverse partnership to offer software engineering apprenticeships


Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.

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