Greater access to digital devices and the internet at home is required to help close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, according to a new study.
The teacher survey, by education charity Teach First, found that just 2% of teachers working within the most disadvantaged communities believed that all their pupils had access to the technology they needed at home.
This was five times less than respondents working at the most affluent schools (10%) and three times less than the national average (6%).
Despite these differences, it’s worth noting that a large majority of teachers across different kinds of schools believed that not all pupils had adequate success to digital devices and the internet.
The poll also found that 75% of teachers in the most affluent schools had enough devices in schools for at least three quarters of their pupils.
Only one in four (25%) of teachers in schools serving the most disadvantaged communities were able to say the same.
Pupils also need to be upskilled with the technology
Access to digital technology was not the only issue highlighted by the study, with many teachers also believing that pupils needed to be upskilled.
Just over a third (36%) of teachers surveyed believed that their pupils had the knowledge and skills they needed to use digital devices both safely and effectively from home.
The so-called ‘digital divide’ has been the subject of a lot of attention during the pandemic, but Teach First says that the issue goes well beyond home learning in lockdowns.
Technology is becoming increasingly prevalent and important within the classroom, with nearly two-thirds (65%) of all teachers saying that they used it more than they did two years ago.
This figure was even higher in secondary schools, with 73% saying the same.
In order to tackle the digital divide, schools say that they need additional resources, with two-thirds (64%) of head teachers reporting that their current budgets were not enough for all the devices and dongles they need.
During lockdowns, the Government did distribute over 1,300,000 devices to schools, while Teach First and its partners delivered another £1m of devices and dongles to schools working with disadvantaged communities.
The charity is recommending that the Department for Education continues to fund laptops, tablets and routers for disadvantaged pupils.
It added that this should be accompanied by accessible guidance and information for pupils and carers to help their children use the technology safely and effectively.
Today’s news was brought to you by TD SYNNEX – the UK’s number one solutions distributor.
