Middle Years Laptop Program

For the duration of Years 7, 8 and 9, the laptop is owned by the College. Considerable cost savings around software licensing are possible while the College owns the device. At the end of Year 9, ownership of the laptop is transferred to the family where their child can continue to use the laptop in Year 10, or upgrade to a new device that meets the requirements of our Year 10 – 12 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program.

A business/education grade laptop such as those supplied as part of the program, have a useful lifespan of 3 years. This is supported by the 3 year warranty duration and 3 year ‘accidental damage protection’ (ADP) plan included with the device. Laptops used by teenagers do typically experience significant ‘wear and tear’ during their normal use, however devices that have been well looked after and are in good working order will likely be fine to use in Year 10.

At the end of Year 9, the laptop is reset and reloaded with a ‘factory software image’ containing Windows 10 and Microsoft Office. In Years 10/11/12, students are responsible for managing their own device and are free to download any required software, including subject specific programs, from the College’s Student Portal.

If a new laptop is required for the senior years, a device will need to be purchased by the family that meets the College’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) guidelines at the time, which includes both Apple and Windows alternatives. Each year, the College releases requirements for BYO devices and also offers Year 10-12 families the option to purchase a device recommended by the Faith IT team.

Yes, students are allowed to install software on their laptop. However, it must remain primarily a learning device and any programs that are installed must not interfere with the software installed by the College or any security mechanisms in place on the laptop. Whilst the installation of games is not explicitly banned, it is not encouraged and if they are present, they must not be played while at the College – with no exceptions.

If there are any issues or problems with the laptop, it must be brought immediately to the ICT centre. At this point, ICT staff will assess the laptop and determine if the fault is related to any software installed by the student. If so, they will instruct students to ensure all school work is saved in their OneDrive folder where it is backed up to the ‘cloud’. Once all important files are backed up, the laptop will be ‘wiped’ and reset back to its initial state to restore it to its full capabilities.

While there are strict expectations with regard to student use of the laptop, with parents, students and teachers sharing responsibility for the device’s usage and care, we are committed to building a highly effective program accessing the very best in learning technology.

Yes, as of 2023 a suitable laptop bag is supplied as part of the Middle Years Laptop Program. The chosen bag provides adequate protection for the laptop, but will still fit inside the school bag, providing extra padding for trips to and from the College. It is lightweight and also has handles to assist students carrying books, a pencil case plus a laptop while moving between classes.

In short – no.

Students are expected to bring the laptop fully charged to the College each day. Given the considerable battery life of the supplied laptop, the instances of the laptop running flat during the school day will be rare. If a student brings their laptop to the College with a flat battery, they will be directed to the library where they can borrow an older device for that particular day. In exceptional circumstances and with a valid reason for a laptop being flat, a loan laptop can be used for a lesson while ICT staff charge the student’s own laptop.

Yes, all laptop program devices have anti-virus/security (Endpoint Detection and Response) software installed, which is fully managed and updated by the College ICT team. We ask that families do not load any additional anti-virus or security software onto the laptop as this often conflicts with other security mechanisms and systems already in place.

The device chosen for Year 7 students has a 3 Year on-site warranty; including 3 years of cover for the battery (typically batteries are only covered for the first 12 months). Any faults and subsequent repairs with the unit are facilitated and resolved via the College ICT team in conjunction with the manufacturer. Physical damage and breakages are not covered by the warranty however we are able to include Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) with the laptop program at no additional cost to families. This cover is provided through the manufacturer, and while limits do apply, the laptop is covered for accidental damage for the duration of the 3 year warranty. This covers damage done to the laptop via accidental means including drops, bumps or knocks and liquid damage. Malicious damage to the laptop by throwing, striking, pushing etc is not covered, nor is cosmetic damage to the laptop such as scratches to the outer plastic casing.

If a laptop repair is required and it is either not covered by the ADP, or the limits of the cover have been reached, the cost of repair will be payable by the family.

This amount will be the lesser figure of either:

• the actual cost price of repairs;

• or an insurance excess of $500.00.

Families are always contacted before any ‘out of pocket’ repairs are arranged for laptop program devices.

While students are on-site at the College, and connected to the Faith Wi-Fi network, their access to the internet is considerably restricted. Categories of websites and types of content that are blocked include the following:

The College is able to offer the same level of filtering on the laptop program devices when the laptop is at home or elsewhere (off-site) regardless of whether the laptop is connected the internet over Wi-Fi or tethered via a mobile hotspot or smartphone. This is an ‘opt in’ service at the discretion of parents.

We are unfortunately not able to alter specifically what content is blocked on a case-by-case or student by student basis. Occasionally legitimate, safe websites can be inadvertently blocked by the web filter and in these cases students and parents are welcome to email the ICT department at eHelp@faith.sa.edu.au with a link to the site in question and the team will review the site and unblock as appropriate. Please be aware if parents/caregivers request the off-site filtering be disabled, the laptop will need to be serviced by the ICT department to have the system removed. If this is requested during a school holiday period, in some circumstances the removal of the software may not be able to be completed until the following term commences.

If families wish to have this option enabled for their student’s laptop, please tick the appropriate box on the Middle Years Laptop Program – 2023 Order Form, once it is distributed.

The College understands that parents may wish to give their son or daughter the laptop in the form of a Christmas gift. If this is the case, please be sure to select the Pre-Christmas Collection option on the accompanying Middle Years Laptop Program 2023 Order Form. Collection of laptops typically takes place over a 3-day period in mid-December. The College will provide further detail on laptop collection later in the year.
If the laptop is not collected prior to Christmas, it will be issued at the start of the 2023 College year.