The closures of schools as part of the UK Covid-19 lockdown brought to light the reality that many children across the country don’t have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home to support them with their learning. In response to this, we have been working in partnership with our IT services provider DXC Technology to refurbish, cleanse and rebuild used laptops and plan to donate around 1000 laptops to schoolchildren across the UK over the next six months.
The recent school closures have highlighted the ongoing need for greater access to IT equipment to help support schoolchildren with their learning - either at home or in school. We’re working closely with DXC to identify and rebuild around 1000 laptops that will be donated to councils across the country, helping them to support families within their communities during the pandemic Liz Pollard, Managing Director, Shared Services, BAE Systems
Steve Turpie, Regional General Manager at DXC Technology said: “I am delighted that DXC Technology has been able to partner with BAE Systems on its programme, which also supports DXC’s wider initiative of laptop donations to schools. During these challenging times, it’s great to see industry working together to help those in need, ensuring our children have the right equipment for home learning.”
Over 250 laptops donated so far
To date, we have donated over 250 laptops. The first 55 laptops were donated to children at The Cowplain School in Hampshire in response to an appeal made by the school due to the increased number of remote lessons. We have also donated 200 laptops to Lancashire County Council to support pupils in the county with their learning with further devices being donated in the coming months.
Our schools are doing a superb job of ensuring pupils are able to continue with their education whether they're at home or in school. For those children who are learning from home, having the right equipment is essential, and we've been working with schools and the Department for Education to help pupils connect online. While the pandemic is still with us there will be a continued need to provide pupils with laptops, and I'm grateful for BAE Systems and their technology partners stepping forward to help. Phillippa Williamson, Lancashire County Councillor, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Schools.
