MP for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart, has welcomed the announcement that East Riding Council has benefited from an additional 1,304 laptops and tablets to distribute to pupils requiring support with remote learning while schools have closed their doors to the majority of children.
They are some of 700,000 devices being delivered to local councils across the country – recently topped up by an extra 300,000 after a £100 million investment by the Government. This extra funding takes the total cash injection to over £400 million to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds who need the most help with access to technology through the pandemic.
In total, 1.3 million devices will have been issued since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
The news follows Graham’s discussions with East Riding Council’s Head of Education & Schools earlier this month, to check that the council was ensuring that disadvantaged children weren’t falling behind as a result of the move to remote provision.
The local MP also offered to help at a parliamentary level wherever possible and will be writing to Schools Minister, Nick Gibb MP, about the repair of devices delivered last year that have been damaged through general wear and tear.
Graham said;
“This is a remarkably difficult time for schoolchildren and their parents – children not being able to see their friends and parents having to balance looking after their kids alongside their work commitments – not to mention teachers having to get to grips with how to teach remotely.
“This is more good news and comes after I was reassured that the council’s dedicated team is helping schools to make sure that children aren’t getting left behind. These new devices will help to ensure that no child’s education is hindered because of their background, location or circumstances.”
To help improve internet connectivity, meanwhile, more than 54,000 4G routers have also been distributed to schools and colleges across England. The Government has also worked in partnership with leading mobile phone providers, including EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, to deliver free data for students who need it until July 2021.
More information can be found at get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk.
