Latest boost to DfE laptop scheme ‘inadequate’, campaigners say

13 January 2021 2 mins read Ella Doyle Coronavirus Education

Campaigners have criticised an “inadequate” announcement by the Department for Education promising to provide a further 300,000 disadvantaged children with laptops for home learning.

Many children do not have a laptop to work from, campaigners have warned. Picture: Adobe Stock

Gavin Williamson has announced the scheme will restart in the coming weeks with all devices set to be delivered by the end of January.

He said that the government is making “significant support” available to “help schools deliver high-quality online learning”.

The comments come after DfE published a new education framework to help identify strengths and weaknesses in online teaching.

Remote education should now be equivalent in hours to in-person school teaching, it states.

Williamson added: “I want nothing more than for every child to be in the classroom with their friends and teachers, but with that not possible we are doing everything in our power to support schools with high-quality remote education.”

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