Oakington Manor’s Story

Oakington Manor is a large primary school in Wembley, Northwest London, with 750 pupils aged three to 11years in classes from EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) to Year Six. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Computing are integrated across the curriculum for all pupils using a range of hardware, co-ordinated by the ICT Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) and Assistant Head, Ophelia Vanderpuye.

The Goal

"As a school, we’re very forward-thinking and we try to use ICT equipment that fits into our way of working," says Ophelia Vanderpuye. "We don’t follow a 'one size fits all' approach to achieve our educational ends."

The school had already invested in Apple iPads to complement its existing laptops, but while they worked well for EYFS and Key Stage 1 classes, other options were needed to continue using some of the fantastic software resources staff and pupils were used to and to extend the learning at KS2.

So Oakington Manor decided to look for a computer that offered similar functionality to a traditional laptop, but that also had the flexibility and Windows compatibility it wanted for its ICT/Computing curriculum.

The Solution

"We had been using ASUS Eee PCs for six years and, since we liked them, we wanted to find out what else was available from the company."
– Ophelia Vanderpuye, ICT Specialist Leader of Education at Oakington Manor Primary School.

Oakington Manor were already familiar with ASUS following its successful six-year use of the Eee PC. Coincidentally, another member of staff already owned an ASUS Transformer Book T100 and was able to demonstrate its features.

Impressed with its performance and the ease with which it transformed from a laptop into a tablet, the school subsequently purchased 60 Transformer Book T100 models in 2013 for use in its three Year 6 classes.

Twelve months later the school purchased 60 more Transformer Books — this time the T200 with its larger screen and a rear-facing camera that opened up new educational opportunities.

Products Used

ASUS Transformer Book T100TA and Transformer Book T200TA

Oakington Manor’s Success

"We wanted something to integrate into our current ways of teaching and run the software we use all the time."
– Ophelia Vanderpuye, ICT Specialist Leader of Education at Oakington Manor Primary School.

The Transformer Book T100 and T200 more than met Oakington Manor’s expectations.

Their ability to run the school’s wide range of existing educational and industry standard software meant that both models could slot into the existing ICT curriculum, with no extra expense or additional staff training.

"They’ve been very easy to set up and integrate into our existing ICT infrastructure," says Ophelia Vanderpuye. "“The Transformer Books are very practical and easy to use, and we like the way it’s easy to detach the screen from the keyboard."

Full compatibility with Adobe Flash was also invaluable for the school’s various educational resource subscriptions — something other tablets lacked.

As for the pupils, they particularly like the sleek and compact design, and the ability of both models to work as both a Windows laptop and tablet without compromising the performance and features of either mode.

"The children love the Transformer Book. They can detach the screen and walk around with it in the playground or in our woodland area to do some work. They’re not fazed by it and that’s what we wanted to achieve. We wanted everything to be seamless."
– Ophelia Vanderpuye, ICT Specialist Leader of Education at Oakington Manor Primary School.