The government had still not hit its free laptop delivery target a week after all pupils were due to return to schools, new data shows.

As of 8pm on Sunday 14 March, the Department for Education (DfE) had delivered or dispatched 1,267,451 laptops and tablets to schools, colleges, local authorities and academy trusts.

This means it still has to deliver 32,549 of the 1.3 million devices pledged for disadvantaged children.

The news comes as financial records published today show the company chosen by the government to deliver the free laptops scheme has seen a huge boost to its pre-tax profits.

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Computacenter, which was controversially awarded the original £60 million contract without tender in April last year, made £206.6 million in pre-tax profit in the year to December 2020, up from £141 million in 2019 - a rise of 46.5 per cent.

The DfE data also shows that the laptop delivery rate has fallen significantly for a second week running.

Last week, the DfE sent out 16,713 devices, down from 33,544 between 28 February and 7 March.

In the two weeks prior to 28 February - which included the half-term break - the DfE delivered around 160,000 laptops at a rate of 80,000 per week.