Asda's surprise delivery of ten laptops to a Fleetwood school

Children from St Wulstan's and St Edmund's Catholic Primary School test out new laptops donated to the school by Asda in Fleetwood

It was a surprise delivery at St Wulstan’s and St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School when Asda’s community champion Layla Hampton arranged for the laptops, complete with a tech bundle, to be dropped off at the Poulton Road school.

It was all part of the supermarket’s partnership with tech giants Dell to help children across the UK who don’t have the technology to take part in home learning.

Fleetwood Asda nominated St Wulstan's and St Edmund’s which has a proportion of families struggling to access technology.

Archie Brooks and Bailey Keighley try out the new laptops donated to St Wulstan's and St Edmund's Catholic Primary School in Fleetwood

Headteacher Jane Barnes said: “It was such a surprise and we can’t thank Asda and Dell enough for choosing our school to receive these laptops, this donation will go a long way in helping children gain access to the technology and data packages that will help to break down some of the digital barriers we face.”

Layla said: “I’ve a really close relationship with St Wulstan's and St Edmund’s Primary School and I know what a massive difference this donation is going to make to both the school and to the families who will receive these laptops.

“I’m pleased Asda can help to play a small part in helping to break down the digital barriers so the can children can continue their education remotely both now and in the future.”

Asda launched this initiative to support schools in its communities that are struggling with digital exclusion. According to Ofcom, around nine per cent 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.

These children are primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds and at risk of falling further behind with their education.

Each laptop comes with a tech bundle that includes a headset and a mobile internet dongle with a data allowance of 20gb from Asda’s network partner Vodafone.

The dongle and data allowance has been funded by a separate £500,000 contribution from the retailer’s charity arm, The Asda Foundation. Laptops will also include a one-year warranty and technical support. Each school will manage the distribution to priority pupils, and Asda’s in-house IT support team will also provide support to set up the equipment.