Recommendations & Conclusions
6 items
4
Recommendation
Third Report - COVID-19: Support for ch…
Rejected
The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT equipment for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. In the early stages of the pandemic, the Department initially considered trying to provide 602,000 laptops and tablets, and 100,000 4G routers, to priority groups of children. It scaled …
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The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT equipment for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. In the early stages of the pandemic, the Department initially considered trying to provide 602,000 laptops and tablets, and 100,000 4G routers, to priority groups of children. It scaled back these plans, however, and by the end of the summer term 2020 had delivered almost 215,000 laptops or tablets and 50,000 routers for children with a social worker and care leavers, and for disadvantaged children in year 10. The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, and by March 2021 had provided almost 1.3 million laptops and tablets. The Department intends to strike a balance between centralised procurement and allowing schools the autonomy to make their own choices about IT provision. It aims to support the sector with information and guidance, including through its education technology programme. Schools and local authorities own the IT equipment that the Department distributed during the pandemic. The Department says that it is the responsibility of these bodies to manage the risk of obsolescence and that schools should use their core funding to maintain the provision of suitable equipment. Recommendation: Access to IT equipment is vital for pupils, both in normal times and in times of disrupted schooling. The Department should set out a plan for how it will ensure that all vulnerable and disadvantaged children have access to IT equipment to support their learning at home. The plan should make clear the roles of the Department, local authorities and schools, and set out what funding will be available to maintain and replace equipment.
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a specific plan to ensure vulnerable and disadvantaged children have access to IT equipment, stating it has already invested significantly and devices are the responsibility of schools for maintenance, while committing to developing a broader strategic approach to technology …
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HM Treasury
20
Recommendation
Third Report - COVID-19: Support for ch…
Rejected
The Department recognised that a lack of IT equipment was likely to hamper the ability of vulnerable and disadvantaged children to learn remotely and access online social care services. It initially considered providing 602,000 laptops or tablets and 100,000 4G routers for vulnerable children and those in all priority groups …
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The Department recognised that a lack of IT equipment was likely to hamper the ability of vulnerable and disadvantaged children to learn remotely and access online social care services. It initially considered providing 602,000 laptops or tablets and 100,000 4G routers for vulnerable children and those in all priority groups who did not have access. However, it decided to cut back these plans due to the difficulty of supplying devices on this scale. By the end of the summer term, it had delivered almost 215,000 laptops or tablets and 50,000 routers for children with a social worker and care leavers, and for disadvantaged children in year 10.36 The Department confirmed that, during the early phase of the pandemic, it had focused on supporting children at greatest risk and those who were facing exams in the following year.37
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Government response AI summary
The government explicitly disagrees with the implicit recommendation regarding IT equipment provision, justifying its £400 million investment and 1.3 million devices, while outlining future strategic approaches and evaluations but not committing to further provision or addressing the cutbacks mentioned.
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HM Treasury
21
Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support for ch…
Rejected
The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, focusing on disadvantaged children whose schooling had been disrupted or who had been advised to shield for medical reasons.38 The Department told us that by spring 2021 it had distributed nearly 1.3 million devices and that orders were …
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The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, focusing on disadvantaged children whose schooling had been disrupted or who had been advised to shield for medical reasons.38 The Department told us that by spring 2021 it had distributed nearly 1.3 million devices and that orders were now coming to an end, indicating that schools had enough devices to cover all of their children who were eligible for free school meals.39 The Department said that this provision represented an investment of £400 million in IT equipment for schools.40
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Government response AI summary
The government rejects an implied recommendation regarding ongoing responsibility for IT equipment, stating it has already invested significantly in devices which are now owned and maintained by schools, while committing to developing a strategic approach to technology use in education.
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HM Treasury
22
Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support for ch…
Rejected
In their written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers and The Children’s Society told us that the limited scope of the Department’s provision in the spring and summer of 2020 meant that many children did not have the devices or internet access they needed.41 The Department told us that …
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In their written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers and The Children’s Society told us that the limited scope of the Department’s provision in the spring and summer of 2020 meant that many children did not have the devices or internet access they needed.41 The Department told us that it had been up against global supply constraints, meaning that it had not been able to distribute equipment as quickly as it had wanted. We asked the Department about reports of large families having to share one laptop between many children. The Department explained that if all the children in 33 Qq 78–80 34 Qq 112–113; Letter to Committee from DfE dated 22 April 2021 35 Q 77 36 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.18, 2.19 and Figure 6 37 Q 58 38 C&AG’s Report, para 2.22 39 Q 58 40 Q 66 41 COE0003 National Association of Head Teachers submission, page 4; COE0011 Children’s Society submission, pages 3–4 COVID-19: Support for children’s education 13 a family were receiving free school meals, it would hold information on them separately, and each would be eligible to receive a device. It said that schools were still (at the time we took evidence on 25 March) able to order more devices if they needed them.42
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Government response AI summary
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, citing significant past investment of over £400 million in devices and training. It states that institutions own and maintain the allocated devices, and commits to developing an evidence-based strategic approach to technology use in education while evaluating past …
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HM Treasury
23
Conclusion
Third Report - COVID-19: Support for ch…
Rejected
We asked the Department about its plan for remote learning in the future since the laptops that had been distributed would need replacing in due course. The Department told us that the pandemic had shown that there was an appetite for support from the Department. It aimed to provide guidance …
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We asked the Department about its plan for remote learning in the future since the laptops that had been distributed would need replacing in due course. The Department told us that the pandemic had shown that there was an appetite for support from the Department. It aimed to provide guidance and information, in particular to build knowledge among schools about what good-quality remote education looks like. But the Department also noted that there was a balance to be struck between doing things centrally and allowing schools the autonomy to make their own choices.43
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Government response AI summary
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, citing significant past investment of over £400 million in devices and training. It states that institutions own and maintain the allocated devices, and commits to developing an evidence-based strategic approach to technology use in education while evaluating past …
Read full response →
HM Treasury
24
Recommendation
Third Report - COVID-19: Support for ch…
Rejected
The Department clarified that schools or local authorities owned the devices that had been supplied. They would need to decide how to deal with obsolescence and maintain the provision of up-to-date equipment for pupils, using their core budgets.44 42 Q 60 43 Qq 61–62 44 Qq 64–66 14 COVID-19: Support …
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The Department clarified that schools or local authorities owned the devices that had been supplied. They would need to decide how to deal with obsolescence and maintain the provision of up-to-date equipment for pupils, using their core budgets.44 42 Q 60 43 Qq 61–62 44 Qq 64–66 14 COVID-19: Support for children’s education 2 Catch-up learning Learning loss
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Government response AI summary
The government explicitly disagrees with the implicit recommendation, stating that devices are owned and maintained by institutions using their core budgets, while outlining plans for a future evidence-based strategic approach to technology in education.
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HM Treasury