Adult Education: Remote Education

(asked on 19th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the need to provide digital devices to adult learners during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Gillian Keegan Portrait
Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
This question was answered on 27th January 2021

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the department has worked with further education provider associations to understand the need for support on devices among adult students. For adults aged 19 and over, we have introduced flexibilities to the Education and Skills Funding Agency Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding rules for the 2020-21 academic year to enable providers to use learner support funds to purchase IT devices and/or internet access for disadvantaged students to help meet technology costs. In areas where the AEB budget is devolved, mayoral authorities determine adult student support arrangements.

Earlier this year, we updated our further education operational guidance to emphasise the importance of preserving on-site provision for those students who need it, including vulnerable learners. We outlined our definition of vulnerable learners to be clear that those who may have difficulty engaging with remote education at home, for example due to a lack of devices or quiet space to study, can be considered vulnerable and therefore able to attend onsite provision during the period of national lockdown: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/951465/January_2021_FE_operational_guidance_FINAL.pdf.

For adults aged 19 and over with an education, health and care plan who are in receipt of free meals, further education providers will shortly be able to receive devices through the Get Help with Technology service: https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/devices/how-to-order. The majority of further education providers with eligible learners will be able to order their devices by the end of January.

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