Schools Laptop Scheme: Helping Children to Access Online Learning at Home

January 19, 2021July 7, 2021 by Dania Jasem

The schools laptop scheme is the UK government’s solution to helping disadvantaged children who are unable to access the same online learning resources as other children. The March 2020 lockdown highlighted the digital divide throughout the country. According to the Office of National Statistics around 51% of households earning between £6000 to £10,000 are unlikely to have home internet access compared with 99% of households with an income of over £40,001.

This creates digital exclusion, with many children across the UK unable to learn at home as they cannot access online learning resources. According to research, this gap will grow further if it is not tackled head-on. That is why the government has now introduced a school laptop scheme to help tackle the growing digital divide.

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What is the schools laptop scheme?

The Department for Education has launched the schools laptop scheme to help those who are at a current disadvantage. The DfE will provide families with laptops and tablets if schools are closed and children need to learn due to the coronavirus.

Parents would have received an email from the school. This is to ask if the family is eligible for this scheme. If you believe you are eligible for this scheme and have not yet received an email, it is a good idea to contact your school as soon as possible.

Free internet access to support remote learning – part of the schools laptop scheme

Additionally, the Department for Education will be assisting disadvantaged families who need an internet connection to get internet access. They have provided free mobile data increases or 4G wireless routers to the schools, trusts and local authorities to carefully distribute those who are in need.

You may be eligible if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

You do not have fixed broadband at home.
Are unable to afford additional data for your child’s devices.
Experiencing disruption with face-to-face education.

Please note:

Parents, carers, and pupils will not be able to apply for digital devices or internet access through this scheme themselves. They should contact their school to discuss requirements for accessing remote education.

When was the schools laptop scheme introduced?

The school laptop scheme was initially introduced back in May 2020 to July 2020 with an award of £85m and 220,000 laptops with 4G routers, where needed. This was later awarded again in August 2020, the purpose of this was if bubbles were to close or if there was a ‘local lockdown”.

This scheme will award schools £2.7m till March 2021, however, due to the current national lockdown, the government is being pushed to extend this deadline.

Many primary school parents feel that the government has focused too heavily on secondary school education, and less so on primary education, leaving primary school children vulnerable and at a disadvantage.

Is my child eligible for the schools laptop scheme?

Unfortunately, not every child can access this scheme. Schools will decide who is eligible and allocate devices to those children. According to the Department for Education, a child must be considered disadvantaged and also meet the criteria below in order to be considered eligible.

In Years 3 to 11 with no access to a device and whose face-to-face education is disrupted.
Be in any year group who have been advised to shield. because they (or someone they live with) are clinically extremely vulnerable.
Attending a hospital school.
Disadvantaged children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are included within this offer (more on this here).

There are some disadvantaged children who are likely to be excluded. This includes school children in Years 1 and 2. There has been no allocation for these students, and this could worsen the digital divide. If this is affecting you and you feel you are at a disadvantage do not hesitate to contact your school. The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has pointed out that you are now able to directly contact Ofsted if you feel that your school remote learning is poor.

How can you get a device from the schools laptop scheme?

Schools have been given the authority to support disadvantaged children during this difficult time, they are the ones responsible for allocating devices. This means that if you meet the following, schools will be obliged to send out a device:

You do not have a digital device in your household.
Only possess a smartphone.
Have one device in your household that’s being shared with more than one other family member.

While many children are benefitting from this scheme, there are still concerns that it is not reaching enough disadvantaged children. The National Association of Head Teachers General Secretary Paul Whiteman said that the demand for key workers and vulnerable places in schools has significantly increased from the previous lockdown. This is because the scheme is not reaching enough children. The government is simply not supplying enough devices for all children.

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