ACER AND e-LEARNING FOUNDATION
OLYMPIC GAMES LEGACY FOR SCHOOLS
17th July: Acer, a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement is providing the PC
hardware infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympic Games. As part of its
commitment to the legacy following the Games, Acer has worked with leading
education charity the
e-Learning Foundation to find a home for over 500 laptops as a result of the legacy
programme of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Selected primary schools in the host boroughs including Barking & Dagenham,
Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich and Waltham Forest have ordered the laptops,
branded with a special London 2012 Olympic Game Badge, for every child in a
selected year group. A small number will also go to the Children’s Hospital School at
Great Ormond Street Hospital. The laptops will have been used by the workforce
running the 2012 Games to support various operations such as games management,
competition scores, reception, information queries, broadcaster support, media centres
and the itinerary for each athlete. The laptops will then be cleaned and refurbished so
they are ready for children to use and are anticipated to be delivered to the schools in
late autumn. They will come with a one year warranty and will cost a fraction of their
original price.
The schools are:
Trinity and Southwood Primary Schools in Dagenham Essex
Cherry Orchard School in Charlton
Whitehall Primary School in London, E4
Northwold Primary School, London E5
Ainslee Wood Primary School in Chingford
Bigland Green Primary School in E1
Brook Community Primary School in E18
The Children’s Hospital School, Great Ormond Street Hospital
The laptops have all been supplied by Acer, one of the main sponsors of the London
2012 Games. The main condition for schools acquiring the laptops was that they must
be prepared to work with the e-Learning Foundation to establish a sustainable
programme for 1:1 provision, involving parents as well as school funds, so that future
generations of pupils can also benefit from having their own computer for their
schoolwork, homework, coursework and revision – extending the legacy of London
2012 into the future.
Laptops for Schools has been granted the Inspire mark by the London 2012 Inspire
programme. The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative and
exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games.
Valerie Thompson, Chief Executive of the e-Learning Foundation says:
“This is a really exciting opportunity for these schools to be part of the London 2012
legacy. It would have been easy just to give these away, but by requiring that the
school makes a commitment to continuing an e-learning programme, we are building
the foundations of a sustainable programme rather than a one-off hand-out. Schools
with relatively high free school meals figures will be able to deploy some of their Pupil
Premium funds to ensure that every child in the selected year has the same opportunity
to have an “Olympic laptop” while inviting all the parents to make a modest contribution
towards the cost of the programme.
“All sorts of new and exciting learning opportunities become possible once every child
has home and school access to technology. Teachers will be able to do things they
were previously prevented from doing because of the digital divide and patchy home
access. We are proud to have been selected to participate in this important legacy
programme and look forward to working with the participating schools.”
Colin MacFarlane, Acer’s UK Education Development Manager adds: “Acer is a
Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement. It is also committed through its education
division to providing the best IT solutions for schools. Acer is committed to supporting
the legacy of the Games and is delighted to be working in partnership with the elearning Foundation to support local schools and students in the London 2012 host
boroughs.”
Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and
Paralympic Games said:
“Laptops for Schools is a great programme. I am thrilled that Acer is offering this
opportunity to children in the Host Boroughs and helping us leave a lasting legacy.”
Acer is the Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement. To support the 2012 Olympic
Games, Acer has mobilised 350 staff members. The equipment provided comprises
13,500 desktops; 2,900 notebooks; 950 servers and storage systems and a number of
tablet PCs. These resources will run the entire information system for the event,
Notes to editor:
The e-Learning Foundation is a national education charity with a special focus on ensuring
children from disadvantaged backgrounds have the same home and school access to learning
technology, especially a laptop and Internet access, as children who are better off. www.elearningfoundation.com
About the Inspire programme: The Inspire programme is run by the London Organising
Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. It is an opportunity for everyone to
be a part of the London 2012 Games – a broad participation programme spanning sport
participation, education, sustainability, volunteering, and business opportunities & culture. New
opportunities are being created to inspire young people and encourage the whole of the UK to
join in. The Inspire programme has awarded over 1,400 different projects the Inspire mark.
About Acer
Since its founding in 1976, Acer has broken barriers between people and technology, enabling
users to explore, create and grow. Acer ranks No. 2 for notebook PCs globally (Gartner data
2011). The Acer Group employs 8,000 people across the globe, and revenues for 2011 reached
US$15.7 billion.
Acer's channel business model is instrumental to the company's success, while its multi-brand
approach integrates Acer, Gateway, and Packard Bell brands in worldwide markets. Acer
designs environmentally friendly products and, with its vendors, has established a green supply
chain.
Acer is proud to be a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement. That includes supporting the
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and London 2012 Olympic Games.
Further information and images from:
Amanda Slayton-Joslin
Honcho PR
Tel: 07774 601 059
E: amanda@honchopr.com