Some Chromebooks can fold over to prop-up like a tablet, hence the touchscreen function. Personally I don't like having fingerprints all over my laptop screen, so its not something I find I use very much on mine. But it is actually quite decent for browsing (say) NSC if you're away from your...
I've only had mine since January, but zero issues with it so far. Excellent performance and battery life, boots up in an instant.
I have a similar aversion to Peugeot though, which I've never been able to get round.
Currys have loads of them on display. Probably worth popping into a store with your kids and checking a few out, see what you like. Then choose a model and see if you can get a better deal somewhere online.
I've got the Acer Chromebook 15 which has the 15.6 inch screen, paid £350 for it. Probably unnecessarily big for school/college use, but I wanted the bigger screen as I watch a lot of sport on it. I love it, Chromebooks are so much quicker than Windows laptops, and you don't have to piss about...