Head teachers welcome County's laptop provision for pupils working from home

Schools across the county have been contacted by Lancashire County Council and told they will receive a share of an extra 100,000 devices being provided by the Government to support children who don't already have access to technology.

With the coronavirus showing no sign of abating, it has been suggested that more children should stay away from school and learn from home, restricting numbers of pupils attending to just a a small number of key workers' children.

However, this is proving a challenge for a number of reasons - and another difficulty is that many families do not have the technology at home to allow for online learning.

The move by the Department for Education aims to help ease that particular issue and they are providing the IT hardware via education authorities such as Lancashire County Council.

At Larkholme Primary School in Fleetwood, head teacher David Fann said: "We're delighted with this and it is better for us this time than a similar provision we had last time.

"These items are coming directly to the schools rather going to families via social services, and that means we have greater flexibility in how to use them.

"Last time there were four laptops - this time we are getting 21 and we've been told that some of them can be iPads, rather than laptops.

"There is definitely a problem that some families do not have digital technology in the home which obviously makes home learning impossible, so this is a big help to us."

The school currently has a third of its 291 pupils in school.

At Northfold Community Primary School in Cleveleys, head teacher Alison Wilson also welcomed the extra provision, but admitted it didn't go far enough.

She said: "We are getting 14 of them and it is always welcome but that's never going to be enough.

"When there is a family with five children and there is only one laptop it is limiting.

"While remote learning will; go some way to fill the gap, it will never take the place of teachers so it is not ideal."

Northfold has 207 pupils and there are currently on average 53 of them in school at the moment, around a quarter of all pupils.

Support is already available to ensure families without internet access can use the 4G mobile network, with schools able to request free mobile data packages to help children get online.

County Councillor Phillippa Williamson, cabinet member for children and schools, said: "It has been very challenging for schools and families who have had to adjust very quickly to the new lockdown and the national priority to maintain children's education while ensuring the country can bring this new wave of the virus under control.

"Schools have been working very closely with parents to provide as many places as they safely can for vulnerable children and children of critical workers while at the same time delivering remote learning for children at home.

"I'm therefore very pleased at the announcement from the Department for Education that more laptops and tablets are being rapidly provided to those who most need them to ensure that children can still receive a high quality of education while being at home."