Just a third of children have laptops they need to learn from home

MORE than a third of low-income households do not have the laptops and tablets needed for remote schooling, a damning report reveals today.

Pupils have been told to use their own devices to learn at home while schools are closed to all but children of key workers and the vulnerable.

However, this has ignited a ‘digital divide’ between middle-class children and an estimated 1.8million pupils from low-income households across the UK which lack sufficient access to devices.

The shocking extent of the divide is laid bare today in a major survey by the Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity.

It reveals that 35 per cent of UK families are still lacking sufficient access to devices, compared with 11 per cent of high-income households.

It comes after a multi-million pound

‘Barriers threaten to widen gap’

Scottish Government scheme has seen 59,000 devices such as laptops and more than 10,000 connectivity packages distributed to families.

Rising numbers of state school teachers are also saying more than one in five of their pupils lack any computer access.

This could be because layoffs due to Covid have seen more parents struggling to afford internet bills, having to reclaim computers from their children or return them to employers.

Three-quarters of secondary school headteachers say they have been forced to try to source their own laptops while they wait for supplies.

But despite their efforts, just 10 per cent of teachers overall report that all their students have adequate access to a device for remote learning.

And only 5 per cent of state school teachers reported that all of their students have access to the internet.

The effect on children’s education has already become starkly apparent.

According to the survey, 40 per cent of children in middle class homes are learning for over five hours a day, compared to just 26 per cent of those in working class households.

Ofcom has estimated up to 1.78million children live in homes without access to a computer, and their work did not take into account the many more now needing to share with siblings and parents.

Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the charity, said that the impact of lost learning during the periods schools have been closed was ‘devastating and will be felt for years to come’.

He added: ‘Today’s research shows schools are now better equipped to deliver online teaching.

‘But significant barriers remain that threaten to widen the gap between rich and poor pupils. The immediate priority has to be to address the gap in digital provision between rich and poor.

‘The Government has made good progress, but they need to do more.’

In Scotland, Ministers have unveiled a significant investment in rolling out laptops and internet devices to homes.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The Scottish Government has invested £25million to address digital exclusion in schools.

‘In total, the programme is expected to deliver over 70,000 devices for disadvantaged children.

‘A new package of £45million, announced last week, will help local authorities to provide support to schools and families as they deal with the challenges of remote learning.’