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<p>The Department for Education has delivered over 200,000 laptops and tablets to
children and young people who would not otherwise have access, as part of over £100
million invested to support remote education and access to online social care.</p><p>The
devices were an injection of support to help local authorities and academy trusts
to provide access to education and social care during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
Local authorities and trusts were responsible for distributing the devices and are
best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.</p><p>Devices
are owned by the local authority, trust or school who can loan unused devices to children
and young people who need them most, and who may face disruption to face-to-face education
in the event of future local COVID-19 restrictions.</p><p>As of 27 August, over 220,000
laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers had been delivered to local
authorities and academy trusts. This information split by local authorities and trusts
can be viewed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data</a>.</p><p>This
includes 4,000 devices delivered to Kent County Council for children with a social
worker, care leavers and disadvantaged year 10 pupils and four devices to Mayfield
Grammar in Gravesend.</p><p>The Department is now supplementing this support by making
available additional devices in the event of face-to-face schooling being disrupted
as a result of local COVID-19 restrictions or local lockdowns, and children become
reliant on remote education.</p><p>This scheme is intended to enable schools to support
disadvantaged children in years 3 to 11 who cannot afford their own devices. Schools
will also be able to order devices for disadvantaged children across all year groups
who are shielding as a result of official advice, all year groups who attend hospital
schools and those completing their Key Stage 4 at a further education college.</p>
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