London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Nov 06, 2025

Covid: Home schooling pupils still need laptops, charity says

Covid: Home schooling pupils still need laptops, charity says

Drive to make sure lockdown pupils have laptops is still falling short, say charities and teachers.

The drive to enable all pupils to get a laptop for home-schooling is still falling short, a charity has warned.

Business2Schools, which distributes refurbished technology to children, said a "high volume of need" remains.

One teacher said a lot of families are still forced to share one device and the fear pupils' education will be irreparably damaged remains.

The Welsh Government said 128,000 devices had been sent to local authorities with 54,000 more expected.

Most children aged between three and seven are due to return to school on 22 February, after the half-term break, but for most others, learning from home will continue.

Last April, the Welsh Government provided £3m for laptops and wi-fi devices, but it is claimed some pupils, especially those from poorer families, are still waiting.

Assistant head teacher Bethan Jones said a number of pupils at her school had to share a single device
In January, the charity Child Poverty Action Group said it was concerned some schools were only offering IT help to children on free school meals.

Bethan Jones, assistant head at Queen Elizabeth High School in Carmarthen, said: "We have a lot of families where there's only one computer, iPad, or mobile.

"Kids won't be able to learn if they only have one laptop between four of them.

"One device for each family doesn't really tackle the problem."

'We'd be behind'


Sophie and her sister Lucie are both pupils at the school and struggled with the move to online lessons.

"At the beginning my laptop crashed, which was the only laptop we had in the house, so unfortunately we were working off one iPad," said Sophie.

"There was a lot of clashing of lessons and when you're studying for A-levels and your sister's doing GCSEs, you miss one lesson, and that's a lot of work to miss."

Sophie (left) and Lucie (right) struggled with the move to online lessons because of a lack of access to technology

The sisters were given a laptop that was donated to Business2Schools.

"Without the laptop we'd have been behind and potentially our grades would have been affected by that," said Lucie.

"We're not the only family that have experienced this. You've got different siblings in different year groups and even different schools," added Sophie.

The BBC has donated thousands of mi-fi dongles to help pupils who do not have home broadband to get online, through its give a laptop scheme.

"There's a high volume of need," said Nigel Cooke, Head of Schools Wales for Business2Schools, which has worked with the corporation.

"Companies and businesses have been extremely generous and we have donated lots of equipment.

"But schools need to sign-up and register with us and then we can get it out to them," he said.

Plaid Cymru education spokeswoman Sian Gwenllian said: "The Welsh Government must progress at pace with their discussions with major UK mobile and broadband providers so that offers to English counterparts are extended to learners in Wales."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Amazon Shares Soar 11% as Cloud Business Hits Fastest Growth Since 2022
Credit Markets Flooded with More Than $200 Billion of AI-Linked Debt Issuance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says China Made 'a Real Mistake' by Threatening Rare-Earth Exports
Report Claims Nearly Two Billion Dollars in Foreign Charity Funds Flowed into U.S. Advocacy Groups
White House Refutes Reports That US Targeting Military Sites in Venezuela
Meta Seeks Dismissal of Strike 3’s $350 Million Copyright Lawsuit
Apple Exceeds Forecasts With $102.5 Billion Q3 Revenue Despite iPhone Miss
Israel's IDF Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Admits to Act Amounting to Aiding Hamas During Wartime (Treason)
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
×