Give poor families free tablets and laptops and unlimited data to boost home learning, say Teach First Teach First said there was a risk that school closures could result in pupils from deprived backgrounds falling further behind

Children from poorer families should be given free tablets and laptops as well as unlimited internet data to help them access online learning while they are kept at home by the coronavirus, a charity has said.

Teach First said there was a risk that school closures could result in pupils from deprived backgrounds falling further behind their peers.

A survey of 6,249 teachers in England by Teacher Tapp found that only 2 per cent of those working in the most disadvantaged schools believe all their pupils have adequate access to devices for online learning.

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Pupils from poorer families are on average 18 months behind the rest of the class in academic achievement by the age of 16.

Extra resources

Teach First – who parachute teachers into challenging schools – said that poorer households needed extra resources to stop this gap growing wider.

The charity is calling for internet providers to offer free access to WiFi hotspots, lift data caps and install broadband in the homes of students that do not currently have access, and for tech companies to donate or offer free-leasing of internet-enabled devices.

Energy firms should also provide electricity for disadvantaged pupils to learn from home, Teach First said.

Russell Hobby, Teach First’s chief executive, said: “Home schooling is difficult for any family, but for children with limited access to a laptop or the internet the barriers to studying are much greater.”

He added: “All teachers and parents are working hard, but they need wider society’s help to make sure the most vulnerable children don’t get left behind.”

Lizzie Pocklington, science teacher at Nottingham Academy said: “Sadly many of my pupils simply don’t have access to the internet or devices to help them study at home.

“We’ve been working really hard to print out home learning packs and send them to students who can’t get online, but it’s making an already challenging job even harder – and I’m worried they’re going to fall behind other children.”

She added: “In an ideal world we’d be having daily phone calls with students who can’t access online resources – but that just isn’t logistically possible. For now, we just have to try and ensure that they’re learning the best they can with what they have at home.”

Guidance for teachers

Most children are staying at home due to the Covid-19 virus, but schools across the UK have remained open for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.

For those teachers still in school, a group of education unions have issued new guidance for what they should do to minimise their chance of getting the coronavirus.

The National Education Union, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Association of School and College Leaders have called for teachers to avoid cleaning cupboards, skip staff meetings and not to touch class displays to avoid possible infection.