Students: Internet

(asked on 28th April 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the quality of internet connectivity for statutory aged students on pupil premium who do not have exams this academic year; and what steps the Government is taking to support those students.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 4th May 2020

To make remote education accessible to pupils while schools are closed, the Department is providing laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examination in Year 10, those receiving support from a social worker, including pre-school children, or are a care leaver.

Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we will be providing 4G internet hotspots so that they can learn at home.

To support householders who face challenges accessing an internet connection, the Government has brokered an agreement with all the major telecoms companies aimed at protecting the most vulnerable, as well as those who may become vulnerable due to COVID-19.

All the major telecoms companies have committed to providing support to their customers including on broadband, landline and mobile services, and ensuring that their customers in financial difficulties, due to circumstances arising from COVID-19, are supported and treated fairly.

We are also working with the major telecoms companies to make it easier for families who rely on mobile data to access online educational resources.

For those in rural areas or without a connection, schools will be able to draw on support from the BBC which is broadcasting lessons on television. Some of the BBC educational content is offline, via the red button, which disadvantaged pupils without digital devices or connectivity will still be able to access. Schools may also choose to draw on the many resources offers which have been made by publishers across the country. The Department has published an initial list of high quality online educational resources, which have been identified by some of the country’s leading educational experts to help pupils to learn at home.

The list is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-online-education-resources

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