From September 2026, it will be mandatory for all students joining Year 7 to have a Windows device to bring to school.

Ideally devices will:

• be between 12 and 14 inches in size
• have a long battery life
• have at least 4GB of RAM
• have at least a 128GB hard drive
• have a touch screen interface and stylus for annotation of documents. 

We would also like students to have discrete headphones, so that if they need to listen to audio, they can do so without disturbing others.

Preferred devices

The most versatile devices are touchscreen Windows laptops. These devices offer the best compromise in an education setting, with the ability to add digital ink to documents being particularly helpful in OneNote

Microsoft Surface Go

These windows devices with a 10-inch screen does everything that is required and has an excellent battery life.  It's also excellent value for money and is much lighter than a full-size laptop. The negatives are that the keyboard is a little small for an adult but perfectly usable. Beware that prices sometimes do not include the keyboard and stylus. The version of Windows is usually SE, which has reduced functionaliity.

There are some other similar devices at this price. There is then quite a big price jump to the next level of 2 in 1 laptops - retail prices around £750.  At this price are devices such as the Microsoft Surface Pro that have larger screens, processing speed and internal memory storage.

Laptops - There are so many laptops that are available, at such a range of prices, that it would be difficult to pick one device. The key is to check battery life as some laptops lose battery life quickly as they are powering larger screens and hard drives. We would also recommend a manufacturer with a good reputation for building robust devices. The Lenovo Yoga series make a range of 2-in-1 laptops that are worth considering.

If you currently have a device and want to know whether it is suitable, please do get in touch with James Moyle, Digital Strategy Lead (j.moyle@rhsb.gdst.net) or Simon Nicholas, ICT Operations Manager (s.nicholas@rhsb.gdst.net). Similarly, if you have found a device you are thinking about buying but would like confirmation about it's suitability, do let us know.