London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Mar 07, 2026

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
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
Trump Repeats UK Claims That Diverge from Verified Facts Amid Diplomatic Strain
UK Arrests Prominent Figures Linked to Epstein Network as Questions Mount Over US Action
Trump Says UK ‘Took Far Too Long’ to Approve Use of Airbases for Iran Strikes
Scope of Britain’s Role in the Expanding Middle East Conflict Comes Under Scrutiny
Trump Says He Is ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Iran Comments
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
×