Approximately 9% of children in the UK – between 1.1 million and 1.8 million – do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home, according to Ofcom. The majority of pupils in need have had to either use parents’ mobile phones (which are often on pay as you go and can cost up to £100 a day to access data), share devices with siblings who are also learning remotely or have gone without access to any device at all.
In response to growing demand from schools, Greenham Trust has launched a Laptops for Lockdown Learning fund. This fund will provide grants to help schools across West Berkshire and north Hampshire to purchase laptops, tablets and digital devices for disadvantaged primary and secondary school pupils whose education is being impacted because they do not have access to the equipment needed for remote learning due to the current COVID lockdown.
“The pandemic has shone a stark light on the gap in provision for families in lockdown, but we must make sure this gap doesn’t continue to grow. Whilst the government nationally and locally are working hard to support schools in a quickly evolving situation there is clearly a need to provide additional help. We believe responsibility now falls on the voluntary sector and local community to ensure that disadvantaged children do not fall through the cracks during these difficult times when it comes to education.”
Chris Boulton, CEO, Greenham Trust.
“Having access to laptops and tablets at home has emerged as the key issue to give all young people equal access to education during this period of extended COVID lockdown. The ‘Laptops for Lockdown Learning’ fund will play a crucial role in ensuring that everyone in West Berkshire and north Hampshire has the same opportunity to learn, regardless of their circumstances”.
Derek Peaple, Pupil Premium Champion for West Berkshire, Head of Education at SafetoNet and Former Head Teacher Park House School.
To support the campaign click here. Your donation will be doubled thanks to matched funding from Greenham Trust.
Schools in West Berkshire and north Hampshire that want to apply for a grant:
- If your school is not already registered on the platform start your registration here
- If your school is registered but does not have a current, live application specifically for purchasing laptops due to the COVID lockdown please create a new project here: