Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many digital devices tailored to children with special educational needs and disabilities his Department has distributed for remote learning since March 2020.

The Department has invested over £195 million to support remote education and access to online social care. This includes delivering over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers during the summer term. The Department is adding to this support by making over 340,000 additional laptops and tablets available this term to support disadvantaged children in Year 3 to 11 whose face to face education may be disrupted. Disadvantaged children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are included within this offer.

All local authority maintained schools and academy trusts that are required to close can apply for laptops and tablets which they can lend to children in Years 3 to 11.

The Department has also invested a total of £37.3 million in the Family Fund to support over 75,000 families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses. This includes £10 million to specifically address needs arising from the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Department has made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. This includes specialist content for pupils with SEND.