Almost 1,200 laptops are on the way to help disadvantaged children across Wirral to continue their education.
The equipment, being delivered to the Council by the Government, is part of a push to make remote education accessible for pupils staying at home during the coronavirus outbreak and to help those who may have fallen behind.
Devices will be provided for children in the most vital stages of their education, those who receive support from a social worker and care leavers who don’t have a computer where they are living.
Councillor Wendy Clements, Chair of the Council’s Children and Families Scrutiny Committee said: “These laptops and tablets will help those children who have been required to stay at home, including some of the 500 children who are on the ‘shielded’ list.
“It’s really important that these children do not fall further behind and that we do everything we can to help them catch up.
Also being provided are 200 4G routers to make sure disadvantaged secondary school pupils and care leavers can access the internet – where those families do not already have mobile or broadband internet in the household.
The country’s major telecommunications providers have also agreed to make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting these sites from data charges.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson added: “I want to thank all the teachers and staff who are working so hard to ensure vulnerable children and those of critical workers are supported at this time.
“By providing young people with these laptops and tablets and enabling schools to access high quality support, we will enable all children to continue learning now and in the years to come.
“We hope this support will take some of the pressure off both parents and schools by providing more materials for them to use.”
