A SMALL Poole academy aims to be the first school in the borough where every pupil uses an iPad in lessons.

Take-up has been pleasing at Carter Community School in Hamworthy, which launched its 1-2-1 iPad project and has seen parents enthusiastically fork out around £275 for an iPad2.

Principal Rob Davies said take-up had been around 80 per cent in the lower years, tailing off for those about to leave school.

“There is good coverage,” he said. “Most classes are going to have a high proportion of students with tablets to use during lessons.”

Some students have their own tablets and for those who do not, there are classroom laptops they can use.

This classroom revolution is aided by a big investment in technology at the academy, which has less than 400 pupils aged 12 to 16. This includes updated broadband speed, upgraded wireless network and Apple TV in every classroom allowing students to project their work to the whole class.

However Mr Davies is clear that this is an aid to education and not about IT. “This is not a technology project, this is a learning project,” he said.

A variety of financial help is available for parents who need it and he said it was particularly challenging for those who have three or four children at the school at the same time.

“I have tried to make sure finance is not a barrier,” he said.

He added that an unexpected finding by other schools who had done this was how interested parents had become in their children’s work.

And with hundreds of thousands of free apps available, the possibilities were endless.

“I know classes are going to be using these devices in ways I can’t even imagine,” Mr Davies said.