laptops | Schools Week

DfE under pressure to address digital divide as partial closures kick in

The government is under growing pressure to say how it will help disadvantaged pupils access online learning during partial school closures, with the cost of internet access the “single biggest issue” for poorer families. Boris Johnson announced last night that schools will move to remote learning for most pupils until at least the February half […]

4 of 5 most deprived schools don’t have devices for home-learning

More than four in five schools with the most deprived intakes don’t have access to the devices they need to help self-isolating pupils keep learning, a poll has found. Research by Teacher Tapp on behalf of Teach First found 84 per cent of schools in the most deprived quartile said they did not have access […]

DfE denies it withholds laptops on form-filling grounds

Headteachers claim they have had difficulty accessing laptops for self-isolating pupils because they didn’t fill in an optional attendance form. Schools have a legal duty to provide remote education to pupils who are forced to stay at home, and the government has promised additional laptops to assist. But accessing the laptops is proving an uphill […]

£96m laptop contracts went to Tory donor’s firm

A firm handed almost £100 million worth of contracts to supply laptops to disadvantaged children without an open tender was founded by a Tory donor. Computacenter Ltd was chosen by the Department for Education to deliver 230,000 laptops to vulnerable pupils after the Covid school lockdowns. Private Eye revealed this week that the firm’s founder, […]

No free laptops for schools with fewer than 15 self-isolating pupils

A school that is limiting attendance by operating a rota model or that has fewer than 15 children self-isolating with covid-19 symptoms cannot access free laptops or devices from the government. The Department for Education has published updated guidance today which explains how a school can access technology to support disadvantaged children who are “otherwise […]

Schools turn to philanthropists for laptops as wait for DfE devices continues

Schools and education charities are asking philanthropists and local businesses to provide devices for disadvantaged youngsters as the wait for Department for Education hardware continues. The government has pledged “over 200,000” devices for disadvantaged year 10 pupils, care leavers and children who have a social worker. But Schools Week revealed earlier this month that many […]

Coronavirus: £85m free laptops scheme falls short

School leaders have lambasted the government’s free laptops scheme after some were allocated a fraction of the number they were expecting. Some academy trusts have been given an initial allocation of less than a fifth of what they need – and leaders say conflicting messages from the government have left them fending off demands from […]

Coronavirus: Williamson seeks to reassure heads over free laptops scheme

The government hopes its first batch of free laptops and tablets will reach pupils “within weeks”, despite an initial delay to the application process. We hope to get the first of those devices to children who need them within weeks Gavin Williamson told Schools Week the Department for Education was in the process of ordering […]

Coronavirus: DfE’s free laptops portal launch delayed

An application process for academy trusts and councils to secure free laptops for vulnerable and disadvantaged children has been delayed. On Sunday, education secretary Gavin Williamson announced plans to provide free devices to aid home learning to disadvantaged year 10 pupils, along with care leavers and children with social workers. The scheme aims to prevent […]