Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what eligibility criteria will be applied to the recently announced additional £300 million of funding for upgrading IT infrastructure in schools through the Connect the Classroom programme.

We will invest £325 million by 2029/30 to support digital connectivity. This includes expanding Connect the Classroom to thousands more schools in need, supporting schools and responsible bodies to build on the technology underpinning infrastructure and resilience, with the expectation that all schools and colleges should meet core technology standards by 2030.

Connect the Classroom will continue to support schools on the regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, ensuring that poor connectivity is not a barrier to school improvement, with additional selection criteria to be announced in the summer.