Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) local authorities, (b) Academy Trusts and (c) other relevant organisations overseeing schools and social care responded to his Department’s invitation to order devices to assist with digital learning; and how many devices were requested by each respondent.

The Department has delivered over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers to children who would not otherwise have access, as part of over £100 million invested to support remote education and access to online social care.

The devices were an injection of support to help local authorities (LAs) and academy trusts (trusts) to provide access to education and social care during the COVID-19 lockdown period. LAs and trusts were responsible for distributing the devices as they are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

On 27 August the Department published information on which LAs and trusts had received devices through the programme. This information can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data

We are now supplementing this support by making an initial 150,000 additional devices available in the event face-to-face schooling is disrupted as a result of local Covid-19 restrictions this academic year, resulting in children become reliant on remote education.

This scheme will enable schools to support disadvantaged children in years 3 to 11 who cannot afford their own devices. Schools will also be able to order devices for disadvantaged children across all year groups who are shielding as a result of official advice, all year groups who attend hospital schools and those completing their Key Stage 4 at a further education college.