Council invests £145,000 on robot stand-ins for ill pupils

ROBOT school pupils will sit in lessons for children who are too poorly to make it into class after a council bought 50 of the gadgets.

The robotic heads become the “eyes and ears” of the child, feeding them live video and audio from lessons at school, while they are at home or in hospital.

The robots are carried from lesson to lesson by a “buddy” classmate, while the child watches a live-stream of their lessons on a tablet or phone. It allows the pupil to ask questions, hear answers, and move the robot’s head.

Somerset county council has spent £145,000 of the AV1 robots which will be used by children with long-term illnesses.

Schools can request the robots to use in conjunction with or as a replacement for home tutor support.

The technology will allow children to carry on learning and stay in touch with classmates, the council said.

Preston School in Yeovil, South Somerset, became one of the first to test the technology, which was originally developed in Norway.

Its principal, Gregg Morrison, said it was “a really good way for young people who have been ill to keep in touch with their education”.

Faye Purbrick, who heads the council’s schools and transformation team, said: “No other local authority has committed to this technology in the way we have, and that reflects our desire to embrace technology where the evidence shows it can improve lives.

“The response we have had shows that across education there is an understanding that technology like this can be an important part of the support for children in our schools. “It’s great to be at the cutting edge and this investment certainly puts us there.

“Staying connected in with the classroom helps academic performance, but it’s about more than that. Staying in touch with your peers and feeling part of school life when you are unwell is just as important.”

Schools and colleges will pay a rental fee that covers running costs, with any profit being reinvested in more robots.

Nationally, there are an estimated 72,000 pupils who are frequently absent from school due to long-term illness, the AV1 website says. In Somerset, 35 children are annually referred for extra support for medical reasons.