Message from School Council

Dear Parents and Carers,

Northcote Primary School, with the support of the School Council, has made the decision to move to a “Bring Your Own Device” model for Grades 3 and 4 from 2022.

This decision was made after considerable thought, research, and collaborative discussion at School Council. 

As you will know (and as the past two years have demonstrated!) the role of devices has become increasingly integral to our children’s education. Our teachers have been grappling for some time now with the shortage of devices at NPS and challenges to all students having adequate access for their learning needs. It has become apparent that it is just not possible to guarantee funding for a 1:1 student device ratio without introducing a BYOD model due to concerns around recent Department of Education changes to school funding models.

The decision has been made to roll out the program to our 2022 Grade 3 and 4 students initially as they have a greater requirement for dedicated devices than the younger students and will utilise the devices for a longer period while at primary school than the older students.  Similar BYOD programs are widely used across a range of local schools for similar reasons as our school's and have well-established processes. 

The School Council, alongside teachers, are acutely aware of the additional financial burden this program will place on parents which is why there is support in place for families who need it.

We would encourage you to read the information provided by Northcote Primary in the Compass update tomorrow and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to get in contact with the school or the School Council.