The housing issue at Ásland School has been resolved.

The outcome of the discussions on the accommodation arrangements for Ásland School, held in consultation with the school's management and parents of the pupils, was presented to the Hafnarfjörður Education Committee this morning. According to this, the school's current premises have sufficient space for the number of pupils that population growth forecasts indicate will be present in the coming years. The conclusion therefore provides a long-term solution to the school's accommodation needs with regard to the number of classrooms.

At an education committee meeting in November 2014, it was decided to abandon the planned extension to the school. Instead, investment will be made in the school's internal operations, with the school taking a leading role in the implementation of information technology within the Hafnarfjörður school system. The town council subsequently confirmed the proposal, and since then meetings have been held with the school's management, parents and the school's parents' council, where the implementation and rationale for the decision have been thoroughly reviewed.

„It is pleasing that the work of recent weeks has yielded a result that is beneficial to the school community, and I would like to thank the parents and the school's management for their part in resolving the matter with the local council.  The focus is on our internal work and together we make a good school even better,“ says Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Chair of the Education Committee.

There will be no need to reduce the number of classes; rather, the changes offer an opportunity to further develop the school's work by dividing pupils into groups more than has been the case previously. In addition, teachers and pupils in Years 5 to 10 will receive tablets for use in learning and teaching, and the traditional computer suite will be repurposed as a general classroom. Teachers have already been issued with the tablets and are now preparing to integrate the technology fully into the school's work this coming autumn.

„We are going to be a leader in the use of tablets in schoolwork, and there is a great deal of interest among the teachers and pupils at the school. We see countless possibilities and ways for collaboration between students and teachers – teachers have the professional knowledge of the subject, while some students have good technical skills. This way, we can further enhance collaborative learning,“ says Leifur Garðarsson, head teacher of Áslandskóli.

Here is the minutes of the Education Committee from this morning.