A SCHOOLBOY has been given an iPad to help him keep up with his classmates.

Evan Jones, from Sherburn Village, near Durham City, has been given the gadget to help him express himself in lessons.

The 10-year-old, who has Down’s Syndrome, attends Sherburn Village Primary School.

Regional charity Smile For Life bought iPads for Evan and two other children with special educational needs after receiving a £1,000 donation from Procter and Gamble through its Employees’ Charity Fund.

Debra Forth, Evan’s LSA (Learning Support Assistant) said: "Evan needs lots of practice with speech and language, reading the same books over and over becomes boring.

"The iPad motivates Evan to continue working during the holidays so progress is on-going.

"Evan uses the iPad to take pictures of what he does at the weekend as reminders and we use the photos as a visual resource in the classroom.

"Evan creates stories based on animated pictures and the iPad records his voice. When we listen to it he can hear where he misses words so he can correct his mistakes."

Mum Julie Jones added: "Evan is over the moon.

"It has certainly made him feel lucky and his brothers and twin sister are pretty jealous.

"I have already seen progress in his speech and he is joining up his sentences better. It’s going to make a big difference at school and for him socially."

Gill Hardy, Community Matters Co-ordinator at the company’s Longbenton site, said: "An iPad is a small object but it appears to be making a big difference for Evan".

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