Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of schools whose allocation of laptops for remote learning has been reduced since those allocations were first offered earlier in 2020 in (a) Lambeth, (b) Southwark, (c) London and (d) England; and for what reasons those allocations have been so reduced.

The Department has invested over £195 million to support remote education by providing laptops and tablets, internet provision, and online education platforms.

The Department is making over 340,000 laptops and tablets available to help schools support disadvantaged children that do not have their own digital device if they experience disruption to face-to-face education as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these devices have been delivered to schools. This is in addition to over 220,000 laptops and tablets delivered during the summer term for disadvantaged Year 10 pupils, children with a social worker and care leavers.

Attendance data suggests most schools have small groups of children self-isolating rather than closing fully. The Department has changed the number of devices allocated to each school to reflect this, which will help deliver devices where and when they are needed as quickly as possible.

This change brings schools’ allocations more closely in line with the average size of a pupil group that is self isolating. The Department recognises that levels of self isolation may be higher in different areas of the country and that face-to-face education is being prioritised in all eventualities. Where schools believe they have a strong need for additional devices, they should contact covid.technology@education.gov.uk.

This more targeted approach will mean as many schools and disadvantaged children as possible benefit from receiving a device in the event that their face-to-face education is disrupted.