The government has pledged to provide an additional 150,000 free laptops to help children get online if they are shielding or affected by local lockdowns, Tes can reveal.

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced it will expand the free laptops scheme to cover all children in Years 3 to 11, and those in all year groups who are clinically extremely vulnerable and are shielding or self-isolating on official advice - if they do not have access to a device and are unable to attend school.

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The DfE told Tes this would initially amount to an extra 150,000 free laptops and tablets for disadvantaged pupils. 

As of 30 June, 202,212 devices had been delivered or dispatched to local authorities or trusts.

Those classed by the DfE as not having access to a device could include:

• children with no digital devices in their household;
• children whose only available device is a smartphone;
• children with a single device in their household that’s being shared with more than one other family member.

Disadvantaged children in all year groups unable to access remote education while attending school on a hospital site will also be eligible for the free devices.

Before the start of the autumn term, the DfE will contact academy trusts and local authorities to establish the people within schools who will order the devices if required. These contacts will then receive instructions on how to place their orders.

The orders can be placed when:

• face-to-face education at a school is disrupted following official advice;
• a school supports a clinically extremely vulnerable child who is shielding or self-isolating following official advice;
• a school is supporting children who live in an area subject to local restrictions which means they are unable to attend.

The devices will be delivered to schools within two working days of an order being confirmed, and will be “fully owned” by the schools or academy trusts that receive them, the DfE guidance says.

“Connectivity support for disadvantaged children is available through free BT wifi hotspots and increased mobile data allowances,” it adds.

Before distributing devices, the DfE says schools will need to ensure:

• devices are set up to access remote education;
• appropriate safeguarding controls and support are in place to help children and families use devices safely.

The scheme does not cover pupils in Years 12 and 13.

Speaking yesterday on Times Radio, schools minister Nick Gibb said the scheme was an extension of the DfE’s “massive procurement exercise”.

“We’ve already spent £100 million in a massive procurement exercise - 200,000 laptops and tablets that were built from scratch - this was a massive procurement exercise, and we delivered those computers to pupils and local authorities around the country,” he said.

“We have also started to procure more computers in order to ensure that, where there is a local lockdown, that there are computers for young people that don’t have them.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “We continue to do all we can to make sure no one is left behind as a result of coronavirus through targeted support for children who need it most.

“Children will be returning to school full time in September but it is essential disadvantaged pupils can continue with their education remotely if they are not able to attend due to self-isolation or a local lockdown.

“These laptops and tablets are in addition to the 200,000 devices we have already provided for the most disadvantaged children.”