Wednesday March 18th 2026
Secondary schools in East Lothian are rolling out individual Chromebooks to pupils (picture of Musselburgh Grammar School)
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Councillors were asked to spare a thought for teachers as they navigate the digital world during a meeting of East Lothian Council’s education committee this week.
Elected members were given an update on the local authority’s upgrades to its school IT infrastructure as it looks at rolling out plans to give every secondary student their own Chromebook and increase the number of devices available in primary schools.
And teachers and staff at schools were singled out for praise as they face work they may have never anticipated when they began their careers.
Councillor Lee-Anne Menzies said: “I want us all to take a minute and think about the teachers as well and the staff in the schools who may well have started their career not having to have any of these digital skills and it is now thrust upon them because the world is changing so quickly.
“Just a bit of thanks for them and their understanding and for taking on the many additional piece of work we now have because the world is very much in a digital time and we all have to adapt to that.”
The committee heard that the roll out of individual Chromebooks has been completed at three secondary schools with a fourth underway and plans to ensure all students have their own device by the end of the academic year.
The report also revealed that primary schools have seen a rise in device numbers from one laptop to five pupils, to one-to-two with no external funding provided, instead, it said, funding had been found through the council’s existing budgets and “careful device management”.
Committee members approved the council’s updated Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy after being told significant progress had been achieved in its priorities and the updates would ensure ongoing support for teachers to increase their own skills and confidence, and to embrace digital technologies in the curriculum.
East Lothian Council’s Head of Education Nicola McDowell said: “Increasing availability of technology removes barriers to access, helps pupils to learn in a way that suits them best and is a better reflection of our digitally-enabled world. This, coupled with our work to embed digital learning in our curriculum, benefits attainment and pupils’ engagement in learning while supporting future industry.”
Tweet Share on Facebook
