Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will introduce a dedicated technology budget for state schools for the purposes of tackling the digital divide.

Schools’ technology is managed from their central budgets, and they have the autonomy to decide how this resource is spent so that they can prioritise their individual needs. The department has provided over 1.95 million laptops and tablets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those devices are in the hands of schools who can decide how and when children should have access to them.

The department is setting standards so that school and trust leaders know what they need to do to get their technology estate in good shape. The department is also working with commercial providers to accelerate gigabit capable broadband rollout to schools, to enable all schools to have access to a high-speed connection by 2025. Additionally, up to £150 million will be invested to upgrade schools that fall below our Wi-Fi connectivity standards in priority areas.