The government has finally fulfilled its pledge to provide 1.3 million laptops and tablets to disadvantaged pupils, figures suggest.

New data from the Department for Education shows that, since the start of the pandemic, a total of 1,313,449 laptops and tablets have been delivered or dispatched to support children to access remote education in England.

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The free laptops scheme was launched back in April 2020, with the DfE initially aiming to deliver 230,000 devices by June of that year.

Free laptops to help with online learning

But in the week before pupils were due to go back to school in September after the first coronavirus lockdown, the DfE had still yet to meet that target.

The department has increased the number of devices pledged for disadvantaged children several times since, most recently in January, to a final total of 1.3 million.