Nearly half a million more laptops and tablets will be made available to pupils stuck at home owing to Covid disruption as part of a new £126 million package announced by the government today.
The Department for Education will also set aside £13 million to fund IT support for schools and colleges that need help setting up the devices.
The DfE said the additional laptops and tablets will boost access to lessons for disadvantaged students out of school due to Covid, “keeping them connected to their classmates and teachers”.
Covid: DfE finally hits target on laptops for disadvantaged
Warning: Schools ‘find malware’ on DfE laptops
Revealed: How DfE free laptops failed to match need
The offer is part of a £126 million package designed to fund “up to” 500,000 devices, including 10,000 for care leavers and pupils with a social worker, and 6,000 for children who have recently arrived from Afghanistan, the department said.
It added that schools, colleges and councils will be invited to order their devices during November and December, with allocations determined by the proportion of pupils on free school meals and numbers of care leavers in each local authority.
Separately, the government is setting aside at least £12 million to prioritise additional school places for young Afghan refugees, and to provide school transport, specialist teachers and English language support to assist with learning.
All devices announced today are in addition to the 1.3 million already distributed to disadvantaged children during the pandemic so far.
The funding package also covers the cost of “resetting and reconfiguring” devices previously received through the free laptops scheme, the DfE said, which “will allow schools to make full use of them in the long term”.
The move was welcomed by heads’ leaders, who said they hoped the investment was a “sign of fresh thinking” from ministers.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said: “There is cause for celebration whenever the government puts its hand in its pocket to directly help the educational needs of young people.
“We sincerely hope this is a sign of fresh thinking from the government and a desire to do right by our young people and that this will be reflected in next week’s Spending Review with funding for education recovery that is so desperately needed following the disruption caused by the pandemic.”
James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union the NAHT, also supported the announcement, adding: “It is essential that there is now an efficient process in place for getting these devices to the pupils that need them as quickly and smoothly as possible.”
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “Our £126 million investment in laptops and tablets for those children who need them most will complement learning in school, and help drive our work to level up long term outcomes for those in care or leaving care.
“This added investment builds on the 1.3 million laptops and tablets we have already provided during the pandemic, helping all children and young people, no matter their background, to access education and support for a better and brighter future.”
