Recommendation 4

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.