On Tuesday 27 January Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst was presented with sixty-six brand new electronic devices to help facilitate remote learning, specifically for our pupils without access to computers, laptops or tablets at home. The generous gift was made by Sir Peter Rigby, Chair of The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust, who visited to make the donation personally and tour our school’s facilities.

Based on shared aspirations for young people, a focus on inclusion, wellbeing and a dedication to community values, Kingshurst and the Rigby family enjoy a long-standing relationship. When we were faced with a challenging time, as Block D was out of commission, Sir Peter stepped in to offer a practical lifeline.

“Ongoing storm damage to one of our school blocks has resulted in the temporary closure of several key classrooms. Whilst we have been highly creative with the organisation and reallocation of space within school, the extensive building work has ultimately led to each of our year groups spending some time working at home on a rota basis” explained Mr Turner.

“We had over 350 pupils working on their mobile phones – which is not ideal. This fantastic donation from Sir Peter demonstrates his commitment to supporting local young people, and his understanding of the importance of technology for learning and progression. The tablets will be a real game-changer for our pupils’ ability to work effectively away from the classroom. We are incredibly grateful.”

Sir Peter Rigby is the founder of Rigby Group, an international technology and infrastructure business based in Stratford upon Avon. As well as the tech donation, Sir Peter’s charity has funded an Ethos Team at the school, facilitated by the Grace Foundation, offering counselling and family support.

Sir Peter Rigby said “We are incredibly keen to ensure that local young people achieve and thrive. All pupils should be able to access both digital and traditional learning, so I am delighted that these devices will enable pupils to access online learning. I have always believed that success in business goes hand in hand with giving back to those who most need our help, and I have been very impressed by the young people I have met today, all of whom are clearly deserving of our support.”

Sir Peter was given a guided tour of Kingshurst by five pupils: Zacharie Shane Hughes and Miguel Braithwaite-Salmon, both Year 8; and Aleeza Hussain, Elina Mistry and Brooke Howell from Year 10. They proudly showed him the great work and facilities at Kingshurst, highlighting our wonderful community spirit and positivity within our school environment.

One of the guides, Miguel Braithwaite-Salmon, commented “We are really grateful for the devices which Sir Peter has so kindly given to the academy. It will make a huge difference to pupils who do not have devices at home and will really help with our home learning.”

For the future, we will continue to work with a number of stakeholders to ensure that the building work on Block D is concluded as soon as possible, minimising further disruption.