Half of free laptops left to be delivered in two weeks

The DfE has just two weeks to hit its target of delivering 230,000 free laptops by the end of June, new figures suggest
16th June 2020, 11:58am

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Half of free laptops left to be delivered in two weeks

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/half-free-laptops-left-be-delivered-two-weeks
Coronavirus: The Government Has Just Two Weeks To Deliver Over Half Of The Free Laptops That It Promised To Disadvantaged Pupils

The government has only two weeks to deliver just over half of the free laptops it pledged to provide for vulnerable and disadvantaged children by the end of June, new figures show.

Data released by the Department for Education today shows that 114,536 laptops and tablets had been delivered or dispatched to local authorities or academy trusts by 14 June, alongside 22,518 4G wireless routers.

Last week, education secretary Gavin Williamson said in the House of Commons that more than 100,000 laptops had already been delivered to vulnerable and disadvantaged children, and the government was “on schedule to distribute the full 230,000” over the coming month.


Related: DfE works with Border Force to bring free laptops to UK

Coronavirus: Concerns over ‘delays’ to DfE’s free laptops scheme

Remote learning: Call for ‘rapid expansion’ of free laptops scheme


If the DfE is to deliver 230,000 laptops and tablets by the end of June, this would mean 115,464 - over half of the total - must be dispatched over the next two weeks.

Coronavirus: Free laptops to help disadvantaged pupils

And to achieve this, the figures suggest that the rate of delivery must be increased.

The data shows that 46,835 laptops and tablets were delivered or dispatched between 8 June and 14 June.

If the DfE were to deliver the devices at the same rate between 15 June and 21 June, and 22 June and 28 June, it would fall 21,794 short of its 230,000 target with just two days to go.

The DfE announced on 19 April that “disadvantaged” children in Year 10, together with care leavers and those with social workers, would be given free devices in a bid to make remote learning during lockdown easier. But many schools say they have yet to be delivered.

More concerns that the laptops were “late” were raised in Parliament last week.

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