Looking after your school iPads

iPads are now a popular teaching tool, but looking after school iPads proves a difficult task. They are fragile and need looking after – especially if they’re rattling around in students’ bags.

We’ve come up with a quick summary of the best ways to look after your school iPads and make the most out of your investment:

3 ways to look after your school iPads

Many companies offer a warranty period for both buying and leasing school iPads. Utility Rentals offers full parts and labour breakdown warranty as standard, but accidental damage and theft cover is also available during the leasing period.

These policies are a great safety net, but there are things teachers and students can do to look after their iPads:

1. Implement an ‘acceptable usage agreement’

By creating an agreement that teachers, parents and students sign, you can outline key care methods for each device and any operational/monitoring rules that you’d like to be put in place.

Here you can emphasise that it’s the student’s responsibility to look after the iPad and use it properly. You can also describe any repercussions that may occur for damage caused to the device.

Top tips: If students carry water bottles in their bags, alongside devices, they increase the risk of water damage. Make sure to include the instruction “keep away from water” to avoid this.

2. Provide accessories that protect school iPads

To protect your school iPads from bumps and bruises, it’s best to use accessories designed to keep these devices safe. Some students may not be able to afford these on their own, so sometimes the school must provide them. Here are just a few accessories you can choose from:

• Covers– protects against bumps and drops while in the school bag. Go for ones that do the job, not look nice – this will also prevent any jealousy/arguments surrounding who has the best case.
• Screen protector– stops the screen smashing – a common problem with iPads. This also prevents touchscreen damage, so the device should last longer.
• Cleaning kits– keeping your iPads clean will help maintain them and teach students about responsibility. Every few months have a class clean up and work together. Use a microfibre cleaning cloth to get rid of fingerprints and smudges. If you choose to use a gadget-safe cleaning solution, spray the cleaner on the rag not the device. Apply a new screen protector after cleaning.

Top tips: Choose the additional extra of the Griffin Survivor Slim Protective cases (which include a screen protector) when leasing devices from Utility Rentals.

3. Create charging points throughout your school

Just like kids forget to do their homework, they may forget to charge their devices. If one student’s iPad isn’t charged, it can reduce classroom productivity.

By installing charging points throughout your school (usually in classrooms and IT suites) you can avoid this and encourage students to charge their devices during breaks or lessons where they’re not being used.

Top tips: Remember to only use verified Apple chargers as others may affect productivity.

So there you have it: three key ways to make sure your school iPads are well looked after. Now your iPads can help improve the learning environment for all your students.

Keep your iPads safe in school by leasing from Utility Rentals. Find out how by contacting our team today.