Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of digital tablet use in schools on pupils’ attention spans in Surrey Heath constituency.

The department does not mandate the use of digital tablets in schools, and decisions about their adoption are made locally.

The department’s guidance emphasises that technology should supplement, not replace, high-quality teaching, and that effective use of digital devices can support engagement and learning outcomes. The department does not hold specific data for the Surrey Heath constituency.

Schools are encouraged to develop digital strategies that consider the needs of their pupils and to follow published standards for device use.

The department continues to invest in infrastructure and support, aiming for all schools to meet core digital standards by 2030, and to narrow the digital divide, while monitoring emerging evidence on the impact of technology on pupils, including through the EdTech Impact Testbed Programme which helps to build the evidence base on their impact.